Taking Care of Reno: Origins
by Desha
Summary: The story of how Reno became the Turk he is today, a prequel to Taking Care of Reno.
1. A New Turk

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 1: A New Turk**

 **by Desha**

 _Author's Note: I've wanted to do this for awhile now, and there seems to be some interest. Those who have been following TcoR: Interludes will probably recognize a few sections here and there. This will start with Reno being recruited at age 16 and I plan to continue through his first year as a Turk._

* * *

Reno moaned as the intense wave of pleasure of his own release washed over him, and he let his eyes close, savoring the quiet bliss that followed. He collapsed, spent, his cheek pressed against his lover's sweat-damp skin, breathing rapidly from the effort.

"Not that I'm compainin'... but you keep this up, you're gonna be too tired to walk me over to Wall Market in the mornin'," Lira's voice teased, her breath softly tickling his ear.

"Guess that means you gotta put it off 'til I recover enough to protect ya," the teen panted softly, nuzzling her. He felt her hands begin a gentle caress along his spine.

"... We talked about this, Reno. I'm not stayin' here. I can't take it anymore. _Anything's_ better than Sector Two. Even workin' for Corneo."

Reno gave a heavy sigh and forced his head up just enough to look her in the eye. He knew he couldn't talk her into staying... and truth be told, after what had happened a few months ago, he didn't have the heart to try. But that didn't mean there weren't other options.

"Why can't we just find some place over in Three, huh?"

"Because. Three is expensive, and that asshole at the Lonely Dragon doesn't pay you enough to actually _live_ there... even if we got a place together."

"Hey, c'mon, Lira... Wilfred's an okay guy."

She gave him a derisive snort, and let her hand travel down past his waist, gently cupping his backside, and giving it a soft squeeze.

"Please. You're one step above slave labor at that bar. If he paid you any less, it wouldn't even be worth the effort. You could do so much better in Wall Market. Even if you _don't_ want to get into the market itself. There are bars there, too, ya know. And plenty of girls outside of the brothels needin' bodyguards."

Lira's lips found his, silencing his protests before they even had a chance to form, and her other hand snuck between his legs, teasing him insistently.

"Hey, now... Thought you were concerned about me wearin' myself out?"

"Easier to to talk ya into somethin' when you're hard," Lira replied with a smirk.

"No fair usin' my own body against me." The complaint was a half-hearted one. She wasn't wrong... He _did_ find it much harder to think with most of his blood volume rushing to his groin. Lira giggled evilly and the redhead suddenly found himself on his back, his lover straddling him.

"Oh, shut up and fuck me again."

"... Well, if you're gonna _insist_ on it..." he replied, grinning.

* * *

"You're gonna _think_ about it... right?"

"... Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna think about it," said Reno. Lira smiled and brushed a few stray strands of crimson out of his eyes.

" _Really_ think about it?"

"Yeah."

"Good." She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. "Because I hate thinkin' about leavin' you there all alone. Two's no place for someone like you, Reno. Never has been. You deserve better."

The redhead glanced upwards at the gaudy building, with it's flashing lights and skimpily dressed girls hanging around the entrance.

"This is better?" he said, uncertainly. For such a supposedly high-end place, the Honeybee didn't exactly scream class.

" _Anything_ is better than that hellhole."

"Lira! Rose is ready for you!" a woman, dressed in an utterly ridiculous-looking – at least in Reno's opinion – bee costume called out from the brothel entrance, waving her over. He snickered.

"They gonna make ya wear _that_?" he teased.

" _Anything_ is better than that hellhole," Lira reiterated with a soft laugh. She kissed him again. "Be careful headin' home. I'll see ya this weekend, right?"

Reno nodded, and she flashed him a smile before hurrying up the front steps and being escorted inside. As the door closed behind her, the redhead let the his own smile fall from his face, and heaved a heavy sigh. What really irked him about this whole situation was that Lira was right. Just about anything was better than Sector Two. Even this. At least here, she wouldn't have to worry about being robbed or raped or beaten up or worse. Don Corneo may have been slime incarnate... but he protected the things that made him money.

He kicked at the dirt, disgruntled, and turned, heading back the way he'd come.

Lira was right about something else, too. There was plenty of work for him here... and in all likelihood, it would pay a hell of a lot better than working at the bar in Sector Three. The only reason he was hesitating was because he knew what would inevitably happen to him if he followed Lira to Wall Market.

Reno was pretty. And pretty young men in Wall Market didn't get hired as bartenders or bouncers or bodyguards. They ended up as rentboys hopping from one cheap motel bed to the next for fifty gil a fuck. Considerably more, if they weren't too picky about the gender of their clientele and were willing to spread 'em for the guys, too... or were open to certain... _fetishes_.

Even at his most desperate, he hadn't been willing to go as far as selling himself. He'd seen what that had cost his mother. And he'd seen what it had cost Lira, too. Once you went down that road, it was damn near impossible to get back out... and he didn't want to end up stuck here in the slums forever. One way or another, he was going to find a way up to the Plate someday.

But not today. Today, he was delivering his best friend to a whorehouse, because, sickening as it was, a whorehouse was better than Sector Two.

Reno scowled as he ignore the sign pointing the direction to the train station and slipped out into Sector Seven. Supposedly, Shinra Company was going to extend the tracks to _all_ of the sectors in the slums eventually, but for the time being, only Wall Market in Sector Six was up and running. He wished they'd fucking hurry up. It'd save him a long, risky walk, especially now that he was going to be making this trip on a regular basis to see Lira.

As he made his way through Seven, he gazed jealously at the houses that lined the streets. They were ramshackle, sure... but it was obvious that the people who lived in them worked to keep them in halfway decent condition. Not like in Two, where, if your roof caved in, you moved to the other corner of the building and hoped the Ifrit-forsaken rats didn't infest the rubble.

Sector Two was full of drug addicts, pedophiles, gangbangers, and thieves. There were, of course, decent people there, too; mostly those too poor to afford the cost of living in the nicer sectors. But by and large, Two was a slum within a slum. It was where Midgar's trash dumped its trash. And it was where Reno had spent pretty much the entirety of his sixteen years on the planet.

Sector Seven soon gave way to Sector Eight, and the redhead cut across the defunct rail yard near the central pillar, where the hulking bodies of old trains loomed like the skeletons of long-dead beasts in a gloomy twilight. It didn't matter that it was barely eleven in the morning... the slums were always like this. A grimy, artificial twilight, with a faint hint of mako-green in the soft glow that gave everything the prominent look of decay.

Or maybe it just accentuated the _actual_ decay of the slums. He'd never really been sure.

Shinra didn't spend much on the slums. Areas that were more or less uninhabited, like the train graveyard, got the bare minimum when it came to power for lighting. There was no profit in it.

A loud clatter to his right brought Reno to a dead halt as he wound his way amongst the train cars, and a moment later, he darted into the shadows, out of sight, eyes scanning for the source of the noise. He'd have preferred to avoid getting jumped on the way home if at all possible, and while this part of Sector Eight didn't have much of anything in terms of housing, he'd heard there was a small gang that had claimed it as their territory in recent months.

He held his breath, concealed in the shadows of a rusted out passenger car, watching and listening for any kind of movement. Several long seconds passed and, at first, there was nothing. Just as he'd begun to relax a bit, however, another piece of metal crashed to the ground, the sound echoing across the trainyard. An ugly little creature bounded out of a pile of debris. Beetle-like horns stuck out above an almost disturbingly human-like face. It's yellow eyes and squashed features made it look a bit like an old man with a hairless dog's body. A grin spread over Reno's face as he recognized it.

A cripshay. Free lunch.

The little bastards may have been ugly as a behemoth's ass, but roast 'em up a little, and they weren't a half bad meal. And given that he was flat broke until his next paycheck... in four more days... a free lunch was sounding pretty good right about now.

Reno dropped into a low crouch and reached into his back pocket, silently unfolding the knife he kept there. It was good, high quality knife with a well-honed edge. He'd won it in a poker game after work about a year ago... though he was fairly certain its previous owner had stolen it. It was probably the most valuable thing he owned at the moment, and it came in handy.

The cripshay hadn't noticed anything was amiss and had wandered closer to the redhead's hiding place. It was almost _too_ easy. Without making a sound, he darted out, and one hand bringing the blade down hard on the creature's neck, while the other seized hold of one of the horns, just in case he missed the spine and it tried to make a run for it. It squealed once... in fear or in pain, he wasn't sure... kicked out at him, and then flopped over, half-paralyzed. It struggled for breath, and clawed at him with its front leg. Reno frowned and pulled out the knife to reposition it under the animal's chin and forced it upwards into the skull. The cripshay finally went still.

He didn't particularly like killing the damn things. It always left him feeling just a little guilty, especially when his aim was off and they suffered like that. But... he had to eat. He made quick work of butchering the large rodent. Better to just do it here and get it over with. He really didn't need a bunch of entrails sitting around attracting _other_ critters back at home.

He wrapped the meat in an old newspaper and stuffed it into his bag, and then wiped off the knife before folding the blade back in and tucking it into his pocket. At least he wouldn't be going hungry today. Reno stood and started toward home again. Just one more sector to go... Then he could cook the little fucker, clean up, and head to work with a full belly for once. It _almost_ made up for having to leave Lira behind in Wall Market. Almost.

The redhead wiped his hands on his jeans as he walked, grimacing at the mess. Yet another reason he didn't care for hunting cripshays. The bastards bled _everywhere_. If you weren't careful, you ended up walking away from them looking like you'd just gone on a murder spree. At least he hadn't accidentally cut into the stomach this time. He'd have to soak for hours to get _that_ smell out. Plus it practically advertised to anyone downwind that you had food on you... and that was a great way to get yourself mugged.

He hoisted himself over the upturned bed of flatcar that had derailed and was lying on its side, and made his way past the Sector One pillar. A few people were out and about, but he largely avoided them. Reno didn't travel in this part of the slums very often, and he didn't know it well. Better to avoid confrontation than seek it out.

The teenager was just nearing the edge of Sector Two when his luck ran out.

"Hey! Kid!" a loud voice called out to him, and before he could even turn around to respond, a hand seized him by the shoulder, yanking him backwards. A moment later, he was spun around and backhanded rather viciously across the face, sending him tumbling to the ground. Large fingers clamped down on the front of his t-shirt and hauled him up again, bringing him face to face with an equally large man. Black hair hung in greasy clumps around his face, and bloodshot eyes stared at the redhead. "Hand over your cash," his attacker hissed, and Reno instinctively turned his head away from the man's rancid breath.

"Don't have any," he replied.

"Don't you fuckin' lie to me ya little slum rat! You got gil on ya. This shirt's practically brand new. Either you hand it over... or I take it."

Yeah... it was new, alright. But only because his friend, Kel, could him things like that on the cheap. He'd spent the last of his cash on cigarettes. Yesterday. He was tapped out.

"I'm tellin' ya... I don't got shit 'cept a goddamn cripshay I caught a little while ago! Let go of me, fucktard!"

The man's only response was an angry yell as he punched the teen in the face. Reno tasted blood. This wasn't good.

His hand reached for his knife. He'd killed plenty of cripshays and other vermin... but he'd never tried to take out another person before and his stomach twisted slightly at the thought. He had a feeling that it'd be a lot different... but judging by the way this guy was looking at him, it was either take him down quick, or get his ass thoroughly pulverized. He had the look of a junkie. Most likely wanted cash for a fix... and if that was the case, he'd be desperate. Reno wasn't going to talk his way out of this one.

He flicked the blade out and stabbed at him. The sharp metal penetrated the man's chest, and his grip on the redhead loosened and finally released as he staggered backwards and dropped to his knees. Reno, too, dropped to the ground, but quickly got to his feet again, prepared to run if he had to... but his assailant didn't come after him again. He fell, lying motionless a few feet away.

The redhead swallowed back against the sudden wave of nausea that hit him. He'd just killed someone. Sure, it was in self-defense... but he'd fucking _killed_ someone! He turned away from the body, and leaned forward, supporting himself with his hands on his thighs as he drew in a deep breath, trying to steady himself. After a moment, he stood, only to realize he was shaking slightly.

And that was when the second attack came.

"You little guttershit!"

Reno's eyes widened as he suddenly found himself with his own blade at his throat. Apparently the son of a bitch wasn't quite as dead as he'd thought.

 _'Oh, fuck...'_ he thought, searching his brain from some way... _any_ way... out of this mess.

"Let him go."

The voice was perfectly calm, and when Reno looked up, he saw that the owner of said voice had a gun trained on the pair of them. He was Wutaiian... and _definitely_ not from around here. Long, jet black hair was swept neatly back in a ponytail. He was dressed in a crisp, black suit, not a thread out of place, with polished shoes and a perfectly straight tie. He stared down Reno's captor with an alarmingly calm expression, and the redhead shuddered involuntarily. Somehow he could tell... this was absolutely _not_ the first time _this_ man had killed someone.

"Why don't ya make me, assho–"

The junkie didn't even get to finish the sentence. The gun went off, Reno felt a painful burning sensation in his left cheek, and then, suddenly, the man holding him hostage dropped. Reno's knife clattered to the ground. He darted away several paces before he dared turn back.

The man was most assuredly dead _now_. Blood oozed from a neat, round hold dead center between his eyes. He stared upwards at the Plate above them, a look of permanent surprise etched on his features.

A hand gently came to rest on Reno's shoulder and he jumped, half-expecting to be next on the stranger's hit list. Instead, the Wutaiian simply handed him a handkerchief. It was only then that Reno realized that sharp sting he'd felt was the bullet grazing him. He hesitantly accepted the proffered fabric, and pressed it to the minor wound.

"The next time you try to kill someone... make sure you're fully committed to it," he said. He bent down and retrieved the knife from the ground, handing it back to the teenager. "Otherwise, you're liable to wind up dead yourself."

Reno nodded faintly and took the blade. The man flashed him a faint smile and then turned and tucked his gun back into the holster under his jacket.

"I'll be seeing you again, Reno," he called out as he walked away. "Very soon, I suspect."

~end chapter 1~


	2. A Visitor

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 2: A Visitor**

 **by Desha**

" _I'll be seeing you again, Reno."_

The words ran through his head over and over on a loop. Who was he? And how the _fuck_ had he known his name? There _was_ something familiar about the man... but Reno was too shaken at the moment to place him. His hand trembled slightly as he poured a shot of whiskey and passed it across the bar.

"You alright, Red?" Hansen asked, before taking a long drag off his cigarette and coughing violently. "Ya look like ya seen a ghost." He picked up the glass and downed the liquor, coughing again.

Reno shook his head, and wiped down the counter. "Got mugged earlier. Almost died. Damn near shit myself. You know... typical afternoon in the Slums."

The regular laughed. "Well, the good news is ya survived to tell the tale. Try not to let it get to ya." He tossed a couple gil onto the bar. "Here, kid. Pour yourself somethin' strong. Kinda looks like ya need it."

The redhead smirked and collected the cash before reaching for the shelf and doling out a shot of vodka for himself. He drained it, and shuddered at the sharp burn the alcohol sent down his throat. Lira may have been right about the pay... but he'd have been hard pressed to find a more enjoyable place to work. The Lonely Dragon was great. The owner, Wilfred, didn't put up with any shit from the local assholes, and the regulars, with a handful of exceptions, were generally good people. He got treated like a human being around here, instead of just another slum rat from Sector Two. That alone was worth putting up with the shit pay.

Hansen turned his gaze back towards the television screen that hung above the bar.

"Fuckin' Shinra's at it again," he muttered, and Reno glanced up at the screen as well. The local news was showing video from Junon. A massive parade of troops. "You mark my words, kid... We're gonna be in a war sooner or later if those Shiva-be-damned Wutaiians don't fuckin' fall in line 'n let 'em build that damn reactor. Shinra ain't gonna put up with their shit indefinitely."

The redhead shrugged. "Not _my_ problem."

"Hmph. They start attackin' Midgar, it's gonna be _everyone's_ problem."

A loud snort interrupted the conversation. "Oh, fuck off, Hansen. They ain't stupid enough ta start something with Shinra Company," Wilfred proclaimed as he meandered out of the back. "They'll bitch and posture and threaten... and then they'll back down. The whole 'ancient warriors of the islands' bullshit is just that. A load of bullshit. They'll stick their tails between their legs and run just like everyone else does."

"Think _so_ , huh? Well, we'll just see which of us is right when those fuckers drop the Plate on our heads."

Reno shook his head and leaned back against the wall, chuckling. The way those two argued, a person would think they couldn't stand each other. Really, Hansen and Wilfred had been best friends most of their lives.

"They drop the Odin-forsaken Plate on us, it's not exactly gonna _matter_ which of us was right. We'll all be dead before we even know what's goin' on!" Wilfred laughed, grabbing a bottle from the top shelf and pouring his friend another shot. Hansen joined in on the laughter.

"I'll take over for awhile. Do me a favor and go finish up that inventory you started last night, will ya, Reno?"

"Sure, Boss."

Reno slipped through the gate at the end of the bar in into the back room. Crates were stacked shoulder-high all along the back wall... Wilfred's liquor shipment for the month. He'd put Reno in charge of checking the product against the invoice to make sure his supplier wasn't screwing him over. It was kind of a pain in the ass... but it wasn't difficult work. He grabbed a prybar and levered the lid off of the next crate.

As he started unpacking, his thoughts returned to the attack earlier in the day and the mysterious Wutaiian that had saved his ass. He lifted a bottle of Mideelian sa'ah out of the box, and stared at it for a moment. That shit was a throat incinerating 192-proof... 96% pure alcohol. Almost no one ordered it for anything other than a laugh at some unsuspecting lightweight's expense. In fact, the last time he'd even served it to _anyone_ other than Hansen...

"No fuckin' way..."

The last time he'd poured a shot of sa'ah for anyone else had been for a Wutaiian in a black suit. He'd looked a little rougher around the edges that night... and a hell of a lot bloodier... but Reno was almost certain it had been the same guy. He'd turned up damn near closing time, looking like he'd been in one hell of a fight. Three guys had come in a few minutes later, looking for him... and had come awfully damn close to tearing up the bar trying to find him.

"No _fuckin'_ way," he repeated, shaking his head. Sure... Reno'd done him a solid and hidden him from the fuckers. But what were the odds the guy would suddenly turn up _exactly_ when he needed a hand himself? And what the fuck did he mean he'd be 'seeing him again'?

Reno nervously set the bottle aside and checked it off his list. Maybe it _wasn't_ the same guy. But then... just how many Wutaiians in black suits _were_ there running around the slums?

That bothered him a bit, too. There was a very specific group of people who dressed like _that_. Shinra's Turks. Now _there_ was a bunch of assholes he didn't want to cross. They'd been known to make people just up and disappear. No body, no blood, no evidence of any kind... One day, some poor sap would be there, going about his life... the next, it was like he vanished into thin air. That sort of trouble Reno _definitely_ did not need.

He exhaled slowly. He was just letting his imagination run away with him. The guy wasn't a Turk, for Ifrit's sake. What the fuck would the Turks want with _him_? He was a sixteen year old slum rat who tended bar and, for the most part, minded his own damn business.

But that begged the question... just who the hell _was_ he? And what did he want?

* * *

By the time Reno got off work, the possibilities he'd come up with had started to get so ludicrous that he'd half convinced himself he'd just imagined the whole incident. He yawned as he made his way through the streets of Sector Three, towards Two. He needed a decent night's sleep. His head ached from over-thinking things.

At last, he staggered through the door of Lira's old room. She'd told him he could have it while he decided whether or not he was going to join her in Wall Market. It beat out his own shitty little hole in the wall by a long shot, so he'd happily taken her up on the offer. Besides... he'd probably spent more nights in her bed than in his own the past few weeks anyway. He'd all but moved in already. This just made the place officially his.

He yawned again, feeling his jaw crack as he made his way to the bathroom, stripping as he went, and climbed into the shower. The water that hit him was much too cold for his taste... but at least it was clean. He sighed softly as it rinsed away the grime of the day. If he had things his way, the water would have been as close to scalding as he could stand it... but the water heater in this building was pretty flaky even on a good day. At best, it managed lukewarm, and that was only if you could beat everyone else in the building to using it in the morning. Reno seldom woke that early.

Clean again, he toweled off and crawled into bed. He dragged the covers over himself, thinking about how much would have preferred to have Lira there with him to keep him warm tonight. He'd have to decide soon, he realized. She'd want an answer one way or another as to whether he was going to stay or go. The redhead fought the urge to groan in frustration, and instead closed his eyes and waited for sleep to claim him. He'd been doing enough thinking for one day. He'd worry about _that_ in the morning.

* * *

Four days later, Reno had all but forgotten about the attack over in Sector One and the mysterious Wutaiian. It was just another one of those things you had to put up with when you lived in Midgar's asshole. No sense in dwelling on it. He'd gone on with his life, gone to work, and picked up his pay for the week.

Thank Ifrit, because he was out of cigarettes again, and the nicotine craving was hitting him hard. Probably he'd be a lot less short on funds if he quit... but dammit, there were only so many things he had to look forward to during the day. He wasn't quite ready to give up on one of his three major vices just for the sake of saving a few gil.

Sex, smokes, and booze... that was what got him through the day. Booze was even more expensive than smokes, though, and sex was in somewhat short supply at the moment as well, with Lira three sectors away and not that many other takers for a scrawny, usually-broke teenager. That being the case... he _really_ needed a cigarette right now.

"Hey, asshole!"

Reno snickered as he walked up the steps of a nearby building, returning the boy's friendly wave.

"Please for the love of all things decent tell me you've got cigarettes," he replied.

"You got the gil, I got the smokes," the other kid answered, grinning widely.

"Don't know what I'd do without ya, Kel," Reno laughed, "Gimme whatever I can get for twenty gil."

Kel smirked and waved him inside. The redhead followed him upstairs to the second floor, and into a small living room. An old woman sat silently in the corner watching a TV with bad reception, her gaze never wavering from the screen. She didn't acknowledge the two boys. Reno frowned.

"... She's gettin' worse," Kel said quietly once they entered his bedroom, shaking his head. "Hardly ever talks these days. Just sits there, starin' at the TV. Sometimes it's not even on. Ma doesn't think she'll last the year."

"... That sucks." Reno remembered a time when Kel's grandmother had been a boisterous and friendly lady. The past couple of years, though... she'd gone downhill rapidly.

Kel sighed. "Could be worse, I s'pose. 'Least she's got Ma 'n me to look after her 'til then." He reached under the bed and hauled out a long wooden box, and extracted three packs of cigarettes.

"Oh, hell, yeah... Come to Reno..." the redhead grinned, handing over his hard-earned cash in exchange.

"Sure I can't interest ya in somethin' stronger?"

Reno snorted derisively and shook his head. "I pay ya enough for _these_ things as it is. I sure as fuck don't need an even _more_ expensive addiction."

"Suit yourself," he replied with a shrug. "Hey, how's Lira doin'? Haven't seen her around lately."

"She finally did it."

"What? Wall Market?" Kel asked, a little surprised. Reno nodded. "Huh. Well, if anyone could make _that_ work, it'd be her. She like it over there?"

"Dunno. Haven't seen her since I took her over a few days ago. I'll find out this weekend, though. Gonna go pay her a visit."

"Say hi for me."

The redhead laughed. "Why? She hates you." Kel snickered in response.

"Yeah, I know. So say hi for me. Can't let her start gettin' _too_ comfortable over there."

Reno rolled his eyes and started for the door. "Whatever, man. See ya around."

A couple minutes later, he stepped out onto the street, and paused long enough to pull a cigarette from one of the packs and place it between his lips. He dug out a match and lit it, taking a long drag off of it and moaning softly in relief as he exhaled. That was more like it.

One problem solved, he headed for home. He'd have to see what he could do for lunch. Now that he had some money on him, he could splurge on something that actually _tasted_ like food instead of just settling for anything that wouldn't kill him. Pay day was always his favorite day of the week.

As he mounted the stairs to his own lodgings, he couldn't help but think maybe he ought to try saving a little of it for a change. It never hurt to have a little something squirreled away for emergencies. Like, for instance that time a few years back that he'd gotten so sick he couldn't work for two weeks straight. No work meant no money, and no money meant no food. No food meant that he'd practically had to _crawl_ outside once he'd recovered and beg before he succumbed to starvation.

Saving gil when you already could barely afford to eat wasn't exactly easy, though. He sighed and pushed open the door. Who was he kidding? It was impossible on what Wilfred paid him. If he wanted to have any hope of that, he'd have to either talk him into upping his wages, or find a second job... and frankly neither option sounded too promising.

As he walked inside, Reno was suddenly acutely aware that he wasn't alone. The prickle of hairs on the back of his neck very quickly alerted him to the fact, and he spun around to face the intruder, one hand instinctively going for his knife. A sharp blow to his wrist sent it flying across the room, where it slid under a dresser.

The redhead's eyes widened in surprise... and then in utter shock as he recognized the intruder. Dark eyes observed him appraisingly, but the man made no farther move to attack. After a moment, he spoke.

"I _did_ tell you I'd be seeing you again."

~end chapter 2~


	3. The Job Offer

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 3: The Job Offer**

 **by Desha**

"There's no need for concern. If I'd intended you any harm, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now," the Wutaiian continued in that maddeningly calm voice of his. Reno narrowed his eyes, not sure he believed that for a second.

"Just who the hell are you?" he asked, "And why the fuck are you followin' me around?"

The man gestured to the little table in the corner, and Reno hesitantly took a seat. The Wutaiian did likewise, and rested his elbows on the table, steepling his fingers in front of him, and looking at the teenager intently.

"My name is Tseng. And I'm here on business. I've been watching you, Reno. And I want you."

A slender eyebrow rose, somewhat sardonically. "Yeah, well... if _that's_ the sort of thing you're into, try Wall Market."

Tseng chuckled softly. "That's not _exactly_ what I had in mind. I trust you remember our _first_ meeting? At that bar over in Sector Three?"

So it _was_ him. Reno nodded vaguely.

"I've been keeping an eye on you since then. And I like what I've seen. That's why I have an offer for you."

"What _kind_ of an offer?" the redhead asked, suspicion blatantly obvious in his tone. The Wutaiian smirked.

"The kind that pays far better than bartending."

Reno shot him an annoyed glare. "Stop with the cryptic bullshit and just tell me what it is you want me to do already. I don't have time for this shit."

Tseng smiled a surprisingly warm smile. "Very well. I work for Shinra Company. Specifically, I work for the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department."

"The... Investigation... what?" Reno queried, slightly confused.

"I suspect you might know us better by another name. The Turks. To put it succinctly... I'm offering you the opportunity to join us."

Reno vehemently shook his head. "I'm not workin' as some goddamn snitch... Ask someone else," he said, firmly. To be fair, he _had_ heard that the Turkspaid their informants pretty well. But he also knew damn well what happened to people who got caught running their mouths about other people's business.

"I'm not looking for an informant," Tseng stated. "I'm looking for a new Turk."

"... W-what?"

He shook his head, and flashed him a tolerant smile. "In case I haven't made myself clear, I'm attempting to recruit you, Reno."

"Let me get this straight. _You_... want _me_... to be one of Shinra's Turks?" He had to be bullshitting him. Or their had to be some kind of major catch to this. He was just a kid. He wasn't some trained killer. Hell, he wasn't even much of a fighter, truth be told. Most of the time, he ended up getting his ass handed to him if he couldn't talk his way out of something.

"Yes," Tseng stated simply. Reno could only stare at him for several long moments.

"... Why?" he finally asked.

The Turk laughed, plainly amused. "For one thing... because you're smart enough to ask me that question." He reached into his jacket and withdrew a small bundle. It took Reno a moment to realize that it was a stack of twenty-gil notes, strapped together with a paper band. "This would be equivalent to your first paycheck. Consider this an advance. You may keep it whether you choose to accept the job or not."

The redhead was fairly certain his jaw had just hit the floor. That had to be close to what he made in six goddamn _months_ at the Lonely Dragon. Easily.

"So... this is for real?" he asked, in disbelief.

"Entirely." The Turk stood and straightened his tie. "Think it over for a few days. I'll be in touch."

The Wutaiian moved to leave. As his hand turned the doorknob, Reno blinked, snapping out of his daze.

"H-hey..." he called after him. Tseng turned back.

"Yes?"

"So... just to be clear... if I decide to take you up on this offer, I get the fuck outta the slums. Right?"

"Naturally," he said with a faint smirk. "I could hardly be expected to come all the way down here to train you."

With that, he was gone, slipping silently through the door and closing it behind him. Reno remained seated at the table, staring blankly at the pile of cash in front of him. He reached out, hesitant to even touch it lest it simply vanish. That was _one_ paycheck. He could hardly begin to wrap his head around the idea. At last, he snatched it, thumbing the bills and seeing that it really _was_ one twenty-gil note after another. He'd half-expected to find worthless paper beneath the top one.

More cash than he'd ever held in his hand at one time... _and_ a one-way ticket to the Plate? It _had_ to be too good to be true. There _had_ to be some sort of catch. No one in Sector Two just got handed their dream on a silver platter without their being a catch.

Still... what were the odds of him getting anothershot at leaving the Slums for upper Midgar if he turned this down... pretty much _ever_ again? This might very well be a once in a lifetime chance.

Reno thumbed through the bundle of notes again. He was hungry. And he thought better on a full stomach than on an empty one. The first thing he was going to do with the small fortune he suddenly found himself in possession of was buy himself a _real_ meal. And then he was going to go see Lira a little early.

* * *

Lira stared at the stack of gil that sat unassumingly on the table between them. It had been several long minutes since she'd actually _said_ anything, let along answered Reno's query as to her thoughts on the matter.

"How do you even know this guy's on the level?" she finally asked. Reno shrugged, and pretended to study his surroundings. Lira's little room in the boarding house was actually pretty nice. The furniture looked new-ish and was it was clean. There was even a little bit of security downstairs to keep out the drunks and the troublemakers. He still wasn't quite sold on this whole idea of her working for Corneo, but at least she had a decent place to live.

"I don't. But if he's not... I'm mean, who the fuck else has that much money to throw around?"

"I don't like it, Reno. Is that even how the Turks _get_ new recruits? They just pop on down to the slums and hand some random kid a stack of cash?"

"He said he's been watchin' me."

"Which just makes this even weirder, ya ask me," she said, flatly.

"Yeah. But he _did_ save my ass the other day." He turned his attention back to the money. "... Lira... This _might_ be the only chance I ever get at the Plate. You said yourself Two's no place for me. Well, neither is Wall Market. If this is for real..."

She stood up and slipped around behind him, gently hugging him, and pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head. "I know, Reno, honey. If this is for real, you get the one thing you've always wanted. But what if it's not? Who _knows_ what he might do to you..."

His shoulders sagged. He knew she had a point, but the tempting allure of leaving the slums was hard to resist. It was risky. The son of a bitch had already shot one guy dead right in front of him. If he decided to do the same to Reno, his odds of surviving it weren't exactly stellar. Lira leaned down and kissed him again.

"I just don't want anything bad to happen to you, Reno..."

The redhead sighed. "Yeah... I know ya don't."

"... But you're gonna do it anyway, aren't you?"

He twisted around to look up at her. She was frowning worriedly, and he found that he couldn't bear to hold her gaze.

"... Yeah. I think I am."

Lira's arms tightened possessively and she nuzzled the back of his neck.

"Please, _please_ just be careful." She nibbled gently at his earlobe, which quickly turned into fleeting kisses along one side of his neck. Reno closed his eyes, enjoying the attention.

"So... How the Honeybee?" he asked quietly, changing the subject.

"Exhausting." Her hand slipped under his shirt, slowly caressing his chest.

"Heh... Can't be _that_ exhausting, if you got enough energy for this..."

His chair was suddenly dragged back from the table, and the next thing he knew Lira was straddling his lap.

"I've always got energy for _you_ ," she said, grinning widely before laying claim to his lips. He leaned back a bit, breaking the kiss.

"Seriously, Lira... They treatin' you alright?"

"Let me put it this way..." she replied, stroking his hair back. "It's not exactly perfect, but it's a _lot_ better than workin' a street corner ever was. And more importantly, I feel _safe_ here, Reno. For the first time in a _long_ time, I feel safe, even when you're not with me."

Reno swallowed sharply. That fucking son of a bitch, Jericho. Lira had been so terrified she wouldn't even leave her apartment for almost a month after the attack... and even then, it had been hard for her, especially when she'd had to venture out from beneath the safety of Reno's watchful eye and go back to work. She had been talking about moving to Wall Market for awhile before it had happened... but what that bastard had done to her had pushed her to finally go through with it. And it was why the redhead hadn't tried to convince her to stay.

Her finger tenderly lifted his chin, forcing his eyes to meet hers.

"It wasn't your fault."

"Yeah... but if I'da been there –"

"If you'da been there, Jericho woulda killed you. He almost _did_ kill you when you went after him." She placed a fleeting kiss on his lips. "I don't know what I woulda done without you, Reno. I really don't."

He quickly found himself divested of his t-shirt, and Lira's lips began a slow but thorough assault on his collarbone. She didn't like talking about it, and the conversation was clearly over for the moment. He found that his didn't mind that much. Reno picked her up, letting her wrap her legs around his waist, and carried her over to the bed on the far side of the room. They fell gracelessly into the sheets, their only objective being the removal of the rest of their clothing.

In the back of his mine, Reno vaguely wondered if Tseng was watching _this_ , too. But the thought vanished almost as soon as it formed, as Lira's mouth found its way to far more interesting parts of his anatomy.

* * *

The redhead counted the remaining gil carefully. The temptation to spend it all on whatever he liked had been difficult to resist... but somehow he'd managed. Besides... if he started flashing large amounts of cash around, he might as well paint a target on his back. Still, though, he couldn't remember having been better fed in years. And he hadn't spent even a _fraction_ of what Tseng had given him. Hell, if he was smart about it, he could probably live for a good six to eight months on this.

Though he wondered if that was true topside.

If this was just _one_ paycheck, obviously not. Living on the Plate wasn't cheap... hence why the slums existed at all. He wondered if getting by up there would be just as hard as getting by down here. He sighed and tucked the rest of the gil into his dresser drawer, and laid down on the bed. His hand slid beneath the pillow, fingers closing around the familiar softness he found there and dragging the object out.

He held the stuffed bunny aloft, studying him for a moment.

"What do _you_ think, Mr. Foo-foo? Am I makin' a mistake doin' this?" The toy remained stubbornly silent in his grasp. "Tch... fat lotta help you are."

He'd told Lira that he was going to accept the offer, and at the time, he'd meant it. But in the three days since, his resolve had wavered somewhat. It was a _big_ risk. And he really had no reason to trust a word that came out of Tseng's mouth. Hell, he knew virtually nothing about the guy.

For all _he_ knew, he might never even see the fucker again. Maybe this was just all one big – very expensive – joke. Bunch of shitheads from the Plate laughing their asses off at suckering some poor, pathetic slum rat.

But for some reason... he didn't think that was the case. Something about Tseng seemed legit. Maybe he was lying about making Reno a Turk... but the redhead was all but certain the man _was_ a Turk himself.

"The hell with it. I'm goin'," he said to the bunny. "He fucks me over, 'least I can say I _tried_ to get outta here, right? I'm not gettin' anywhere just sittin' on my ass."

The rather one-sided conversation was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. Reno shoved the stuffed animal back under his pillow and clambered to his feet. He crossed the room silently, uncertain of who would be paying him a visit _now._ Anyone who knew him would expect him to be asleep if he were at home this time of day, in preparation for working late at the bar.

He opened the door a crack, not bothering to remove the security chain. Not that the sad little chain was going to do much to prevent someone from kicking the door in if they really wanted to, but it at least gave the illusion of security.

He blinked in surprise at the sight that greeted him. Speak of the devil...

"May I come in?" Tseng asked, and the redhead quickly shut the door enough to slide the chain out of its track, granting the Turk access. He crossed the threshold, and closed the door firmly behind himself before turning to look at the teenager again. "I'll get straight to the point this time. Have you made a decision?"

Reno swallowed nervously. It was now or never.

"I... I'm gonna take you up on that offer."

Tseng flashed him a brief smile.

"Good. Start packing."

~end of chapter 3~


	4. Arrival

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 4: Arrival**

 **by Desha**

"I... Packing? Now?" Reno asked, surprised by the suddenness that was expected of him.

Tseng nodded. "Yes. Now. Our ride will be here in twenty minutes. It takes five to get to the pickup site from here. That leaves you with fifteen and counting."

"Uh... R-right. Yeah. Packing..." the teenager stammered. He looked around somewhat frantically before spotting his backpack hanging on the doorknob of the closet. There really wasn't much he needed to pack. His clothes and a few small items that had some sentimental value. Really, that was about it. Tseng glanced at his watch, as Reno began dumping the better-looking contents of the closet and dresser drawers haphazardly into the bag. The stuff that was so ratty and worn that he didn't even bother wearing it down _here_ he ignored.

That done, he started grabbing the few other things he wanted. A picture of himself and Lira in a battered, cracked frame, his cigarettes and the remaining cash Tseng had given him... and of course – when Tseng had happened to glance down at his watch for a moment – Mr. Foo-foo. Silly as it was, he couldn't bear to leave the little toy behind. It was too special to him.

A few other random odds and ends, and finally he zipped the now-bulging bag shut, frowning slightly as it occurred to him that the entirety of his life fit in such a small container. He shook the thought from his head and slung it over one shoulder, carrying it over to Tseng.

"Is that everything?" the Wutaiian asked, one eyebrow arching in what Reno could only assume was surprise. The redhead shrugged.

"Most of this shit was already here when I moved in. I don't have much to pack."

Tseng nodded, and ushered him out the door. Neither of them said a word as they made their way down the stairs and out into the street. Reno obediently followed the Turk as he led him down an alley, and out past the sector's pillar. At last, they stopped in an open area near a toppled building.

"... So... H-how exactly are we gettin' out of here again?" Reno asked, a little suspicious of this particular development. There was nothing of any particular interest out here. Certainly nothing that could take them topside. Tseng must have noticed his discomfort, because he chuckled quietly and pointed upwards.

Reno looked up and spotted... well, he wasn't quite sure _what_ he was looking at, at first. After a few moments, however, it became obvious, as the sound of rotor blades met his ears. He watched, slackjawed, as the helicopter descended and set down a short distance away, it's blades churning the air and sending up a cloud of dust. Tseng placed his arm around Reno's shoulders, guiding him forward and escorting him aboard.

The redhead looked around the inside with no small amount of interest. He'd seen Shinra's copters from a distance a few times, but had never had an up-close look at one. And he'd _certainly_ never been _inside_ one before. Tseng pressed him down into one of the seats in the back and strapped him in before taking a seat himself across from him and pulling on a headset that hung on a hook beside him. He motioned for Reno to do that same.

" _This will be a short trip, I'm afraid. I had hoped to show you a bit of the city while we were airborne, but unfortunately the weather isn't being especially accommodating today,"_ he said, his voice taking on a strangely electronic quality over the intercom. If the pilot could hear them, he gave no indication of it. He simply directed the craft back into the air.

As they swung out from beneath the Plate, Reno saw what he meant. Dark, ominous clouds lined the horizon, and as they climbed, droplets of rain began to spatter the helicopter's windows. As the edge of the Plate slipped past them, Reno found himself awestruck.

" _Whoa..."_ he breathed as the city came into view. He'd lived under it all his life... but he'd never actually seen it in person. Seeing it on television was nothing like looking out over the real deal. Everything about Midgar was _huge_. The city was huge... The buildings were huge... Even the roadways, in comparison to the crumbling streets down below, seemed huge. It was beautiful. The copter swung low, skirting past the Number Two reactor and heading towards the city center.

" _Back to the office, sir?"_ the pilot asked.

" _No. Drop us off at the main Sector One station."_

" _Yes, sir."_

They swept inward, away from the reactor, and Reno found himself gazing almost longingly at the city below. This was really happening. He _still_ almost couldn't believe it. The wind was picking up now, and the aircraft occasionally shuddered as it fought it. Lightning flashed in the distance, followed by a low rumble of thunder that the redhead felt more than heard. No wonder Tseng wasn't taking him on a tour... it looked like Midgar was in for a storm.

It wasn't long before they were hovering over a small helipad on top of what, Reno belatedly realized, was a train station. They descended, setting down again with a soft bump, and Tseng was quick to unclip his harness. Reno hurried to do the same, fumbling awkwardly with the unfamiliar hardware. After a few embarrassing seconds of struggling, the Turk's hands calmly brushed his aside, and released him.

The redhead flushed slightly at needing help with something that ought to have been relatively simple, but Tseng was already moving again. He hurried to hang up his headset where he'd found it, and grabbed his bag, hopping out of the door close behind the Turk. Once they were clear, the helicopter lifted off again, leaving them behind.

"This way," Tseng said, " _Quickly_ , if you please... I have a feeling we'll be getting rather wet if we linger too long."

And indeed, almost as soon as they made it down the narrow staircase and into the station proper, the skies seemed to open up and pour a deluge of water down on the city. Reno jumped slightly as thunder crashed, louder than he could ever recall hearing it before.

"... Is it always like this up here when it rains?" he asked.

"Not usually... As I understand it, this is the remains of a small typhoon that struck near Costa del Sol over the weekend. We're in for a day or two of this," Tseng replied, somewhat sourly. "I should have retrieved you yesterday, before it hit. Midgar is far more impressive when it's not being drowned."

"Looked pretty fuckin' impressive from where _I_ was sittin'..."

Tseng didn't comment, but the redhead was fairly certain he saw an amused smirk briefly flit across his face. The Turk led him through the throngs of people boarding and disembarking the trains as they pulled into the station. Reno'd thought _Wall Market_ had been crowded. The redlight district had _nothing_ on this place. Everywhere he looked, there were more people. Once or twice he came dangerously close to losing sight of Tseng in the crowd, and for a few panicked seconds had to rush to catch up... but finally, they emerged in a large parking deck.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed," the Wutaiian commented as the door swung shut, blocking out the noise of the crowds. "Usually when I take a new recruit through there like that, I lose them within the first hundred yards or so."

Reno stood speechless for a moment as he realized that the little game of chase he'd just been forced into playing had been done on purpose. His eyes narrowed as he went to voice his annoyance, but Tseng cut him off.

"Don't take it personally. I was only curious to see if you could keep up... and you may as well get used to being evaluated early on. There will be a lot of it in the near future."

He opened the passenger side door of the sleek, black sports car they'd found themselves standing beside, and motioned the teenager inside. Reno's previous complaints were quickly forgotten.

"... Do I get one of these?" he asked, hopefully, as he climbed inside. Tseng smirked.

"No. _My_ car is one of a kind."

He shut the door before Reno could say anything further, and circled around to the other side, letting himself in and taking a seat behind the wheel. He started the engine, and the next thing Reno knew, they were tearing through the city streets as the rain pelted the windshield. The redhead unconsciously tightened his grip on the armrest, vaguely terrified by the breakneck speeds. He glanced over at the Turk, who appear to be perfectly calm as the buildings whizzed by. He was beginning to think that 'calm' must have been Tseng's default state, and wondered briefly what it would take to piss him off. He quickly decided that he probably didn't want to find out.

The rain was coming down steadily now, and Reno found himself growing used to the speed of the car – enough to switch his gaze from the next potential hazard in the road to the sight of the torrents falling from the sky. It didn't rain in the slums. Occasionally it flooded... but that wasn't quite the same thing. The rain was oddly calming.

Lightning lit up the sky again, and a loud crash of thunder shook the city. The rain was nice... but _that_ he could kind of do without.

"I suppose that now would be a good time to introduce myself _properly_ ," Tseng said as they cruised through the streets... at a slightly slower pace now, and Reno couldn't help but think that the initial wild ride was another of the man's 'evaluations'. "My name is Tseng Itsudake and I am second in command of Shinra's Turks. As such, I am largely responsible for the training and care of _all_ new recruits. It's my job to monitor your progress and ensure that your immediate needs are met."

"Second in command? So... then who's in charge of _you_?" Reno asked.

"That would be Veld. You'll be meeting him tomorrow, along with anyone else not currently out of the city on assignment. _He_ answers to the head of our department, Heidegger. You probably _won't_ be meeting him tomorrow. He generally only makes an appearance when he's particularly annoyed with us. Heidegger is a member of the company board of directors, and answers exclusively to the President and Vice President."

"So basically you're sayin' he's someone I should avoid pissin' off at all costs," the redhead said, easily reading between the lines.

"It would certainly be to everyone's benefit."

Several more blocks passed by in silence as Reno tried to get his bearings. By then, though, he'd thoroughly lost track of where he was, having only a vague idea of which direction the train station was in. He hoped the next evaluation Tseng decided to spring on him wasn't going to involve navigating the city... because he was fairly certain that if he had to attempt that on his own right now, he'd wind up on a whole other continent somehow.

Which brought another point to the forefront of this mind. What, exactly, would happen if he failed one of those evaluations? Tseng _had_ said that most recruits didn't do so well at the station... Did that mean that they got another chance if they fucked up? Or was this his way of weeding out the weak before they got to be a problem? If he failed, would he be booted back down to the slums?

The thought unsettled him. As soon as people figured out his place was empty, someone would snatch it up. And Wilfred... The guy was pretty forgiving, but he hadn't even had the chance to tell him that he wouldn't be coming in to work tonight... or ever... which pretty much meant his job, meager though the pay may have been, was gone. Where exactly was he going to go if he didn't measure up?

"Reno?"

The redhead jumped, startled out of his thoughts, and noticed that the car had stopped. His head swiveled around to look at Tseng, questioningly, and was met with an amused expression.

"We're here," he said. He reached behind the seat and found an umbrella before climbing out of the car. Reno looked up at the large building a short distance away. Where was 'here', he wondered, taking in the surroundings and realizing a moment later that 'here' was apparently where Tseng lived. His door was opened and Tseng sheltered him beneath the umbrella as he got out, clutching his backpack to his chest.

"This is all yours?" Reno asked faintly. Being a Turk really _had_ to pay well if the guy could afford all this. Tseng chuckled and placed a hand between his shoulder blades, urging him forward.

"Only the first floor," he replied, "Come on. I'd prefer not to be soaked."

He ushered the teenager up the walkway and unlocked the front door, showing him inside. Reno hesitated just inside, eyes roving the living room.

"Shoes off, if you wouldn't mine. Then you may make yourself at home."

The redhead obediently toed the worn sneakers off of his feet and nudged them over to the side of the entryway before daring to set foot on the carpeted interior. He let his bag drop from his fingertips next to the couch, and took a seat, glancing back at Tseng again, uncertain of what exactly was expected of him. 'Make yourself at home' was pretty vague, after all. Besides which... he wasn't _at_ home. And the last thing he wanted right now was to do something that would immediately put himself on Tseng's shitlist.

The Turk took a seat in a plush armchair a few feet away.

"Tomorrow I'll be officially introducing you at headquarters. But for today... we'll simply go over what is expected of you, and then you're free to settle in and relax for short while. Once we get a break in this storm, I think a quick lunch is in order, as well as a little shopping. You'll need proper attire for your first day."

Reno felt some of the tension in his body ease a little and nodded his understanding. He didn't have to figure out how not to fuck up on his own. Tseng was going to tell him. He could handle that.

"First and foremost... You're still a minor. That particular detail may have little significance in the Slums but on the Plate, it means that you require a legal guardian until your eighteenth birthday. As you're to be under the command of the Turks, you've been named a ward of Shinra Company, with the immediate responsibility for your welfare falling to me," the Turk lieutenant explained, "It also means that you will be staying _here_ with me for the time being. We'll see to getting you your own apartment in a few months, once you're a bit more acclimated to life on the Plate."

The redhead nodded again and tried to conceal his surprise at that revelation. He hadn't expected to be so... taken care of... for lack of a better phase.

"As we will be living together for awhile, there are a few rules I expect you to follow. And you _will_ be punished accordingly should you break them. I trust that's clear?"

"Yeah... Got it," Reno replied, sounding somewhat resigned. He knew there'd be a catch. Sounded like he was going to find out what it was at last.

"Rule one... What I say goes, both on duty and off. If I tell you to do something... or _not_ to do something, for that matter... I expect you to obey, and to do so without complaint."

 _That_ seemed a little excessive... at first, anyway. Until Reno remembered that he was up here to work... not to fuck around. From what he knew of the Turks, they were professionals. And if he was going to _be_ one, he'd be expected to _act_ like one. He finally nodded.

"Rule two... You may do as you please, within reason, on personal time, but you will return home no later than ten p.m., or have an overwhelmingly good excuse as to why you failed to do so," Tseng continued at his acknowledgment.

"... What would you consider an 'overwhelmingly good excuse'?" Reno queried, with the faintest hint of challenge in his voice. He was used to doing what he wanted, when he wanted... for the most part, at any rate. That was going to be a hell of a change to get used to.

"Things beyond your control. A power outage on the trains... An injury that requires immediate medical care... Being stranded at some other location due to weather. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what does and does not constitute an acceptable excuse."

"So... I'm guessin' bein' out drinkin' and not wantin' to leave yet isn't gonna cut it."

"You guess correctly. Which brings up rule three," he said, smiling somewhat evilly, and Reno visibly cringed. What in the nine hells was he going to do if Tseng said no drinking? Or worse... no smoking? Or even worse than _that_... no sex?!

"And no... I am not prohibiting you from indulging in your vices," Tseng allowed... but only after a lengthy pause that the redhead was utterly certain was intended to make him think the worst. It had worked. "I do, however, expect you to do so with some level of responsibility. I trust you know your own limits. I will not tolerate you showing up at work hungover, nor is drinking while on duty permitted. I should also point out that bars on the Plate and the city police are not nearly as tolerant of underage drinking as you're likely used to. Should I have to retrieve you from the police station for that, or any other offense... I will not be pleased."

"Heh... Understood," he said, decidedly relieved that his new legal guardian wasn't banning him from alcohol. "Uh... what about smokin'?"

"Not inside the apartment, and it's also universally banned inside the Shinra Building as a matter of company policy. Otherwise, though I discourage it, it's entirely your choice. And though from what I've been able to observe, you don't use... as long as we're on the subject of prohibited substances, I will impress upon you that the Turks _strictly_ forbid the use of recreational drugs unless it is a matter of maintaining cover on a mission."

Reno shook his head. "Trust me... I'm not about to get into _that_ shit. I've seen what it does to people."

"Good. Then I suppose that just leaves a few minor house rules. Clean up after yourself, no guests without my permission... and if you value your life, don't touch my car."

Reno pulled his knees against his chest, making himself more comfortable on the couch and laughed at that last bit. Tseng, however, let a cool smile creep over his face.

" _That_ wasn't a joke." Reno's laughter very quickly subsided... and Tseng smirked as he stood up. "Come with me, and bring your things. I'll show you your room next."

He followed the Turk across the large living room and into a short hallway near the kitchen. Tseng opened a door and gestured for Reno to go in. He grinned widely at the sight that met him. The walls were painted a cool, light gray, and a ceiling fan spun lazily above the bed. The bed was neatly made, and the room itself was spotless. There was a small television on the dresser, and two long, narrow windows looked out over a small park behind the building.

"You'll find the bathroom and linen closet down the hall, and my own room at the far end. Why don't take some time to unpack and settle in, while I see if this storm is going to let up a bit in the near future?"

"... 'kay..." Reno replied, his attention more focused on the room than the Turk. Tseng left him on his own, shutting the door as he withdrew, and Reno set his bag down on the end of the bed. This was by far the nicest place he'd ever been allowed into... and somehow, it was his.

~end chapter 4~


	5. The Plate

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 5: The Plate**

 **by Desha**

After several minutes, Reno finally manage to shake himself from the daze he'd fallen into. He turned to his bag and unzipped it, pulling out the items he'd frantically crammed inside barely an hour ago. The first thing he happened upon was the photo of Lira and himself. He stared at it for a moment as it occurred to him that, while she knew he'd been planning on taking the job... she had no idea that he was already _here_. He wondered if there was a way to get word to her from the Plate... just so she wouldn't worry. He'd have to ask Tseng about that later. Maybe he'd let him borrow his phone so he could leave a message at the Honeybee for her.

He set the photo on the dresser next to the TV, and frowned at how out of place it looked with its mangled frame and cracked glass.

His clothes, likewise, didn't look like they belonged anywhere _near_ the pristine closet, but he unpacked them anyway. And Mr. Foo-foo... The bunny quickly earned a comfortable spot, nestled between the pillows on the bed. A moment later Reno picked him up again and sat down at the foot of the bed, clutching the toy to his chest.

This was his dream. This was what he'd wanted since the moment he was old enough to know that the Plate existed. So why was it that, now that he was here, he felt as out of place as that broken picture frame and his worn out clothes?

He stared down at the grime under his nails and took a deep breath. He could do this. He was _not_ going to screw up his one shot at this. Reno's fingers stroked the stuffed bunny's ears out of habit, and he laid back on the bed, staring up at the fan on the ceiling. A moment later, he closed his eyes and listened to the soft patter of the rain against his windows.

When he opened them again, he found himself curled around Mr. Foo-foo, in the center of the bed. He swore quietly under his breath. He'd fallen asleep. The redhead pushed himself upright and swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing up. He tucked the toy back between the pillows before hesitantly opening the door a crack and peering out into the hallway.

Tseng met him just a few steps beyond his door.

"Ah... Good. I was just coming to wake you. We have a short reprieve from the weather, and now is the perfect time to get something to eat and take care of a few other necessities."

Reno felt the heat rising in his face. It was bad enough that he'd fallen asleep like a fucking five year old who'd worn himself out at playtime... but Tseng had _caught_ him, too?

"Uh... H-how long was I out?"

"About a half hour," Tseng replied. "I'm not surprised. In fact, I expected you to be a little overwhelmed. It's one of the reasons I didn't take you to headquarters immediately."

"... Oh." Great. Really not the first impression he'd wanted to make.

"If you're concerned about my opinion of you... don't be. I prefer to be realistic in my expectations... and I'm certainly not expecting you to be perfect within your first twenty four hours on the Plate. Now... I'd imagine that you're getting hungry. There's an excellent Costan restaurant nearby, but if you'd prefer something else..."

"Uh... Anything's good, long as there's a lot of it. I'm starved." He really _was_ , he realized. Not that it was unusual. Reno was seldom _not_ hungry... but for once he hadn't actually noticed it until food was mentioned. Now that it was on his mind, however, it was suddenly all he could think about.

"In that case... there's a lunch buffet a few blocks over. If quantity, rather than quality, is your goal, I think you'll enjoy it."

* * *

"Sweet Shiva..." Reno breathed as he stared, eyes somewhat glazed, down the long buffet packed with food. There were only a handful of other intrepid denizens of Midgar who'd decided to take their chances at getting caught in the next round of pouring rain, leaving much of the restaurant empty. Those who _were_ there, however, were unhurriedly loading up their plates from the various offerings along the line. "Where the fuck do I even start?"

The question earned a quiet laugh from Tseng, who steered him to the stack of plates at one end.

"Anywhere you like. There's no need to rush. You can always come back for more if you're still hungry."

"W-wait... I can just come back up here and keep takin' stuff?!" the redhead asked, and turned to look up at the Turk, eyes almost as wide as the huge plates he was standing beside.

"That _is_ the general idea behind a buffet."

Reno eyed him suspiciously. "What's the catch? Can I even afford this?"

"There is none, I assure you. And lunch is on me today... not that this is a particularly pricey establishment. Go on."

He hesitated half a second longer, still not fully convinced something like this really existed, even in Upper Midgar, before at last seizing a plate and darting to the first section of the buffet. Tseng trailed him at a much more sedate pace.

It was unreal. There was every type of food he could have imagined... along with a few that he'd never have thought of... and he wanted to try them all. He started with the meat. Chicken, beef, pork... and then he added some fish just for good measure, as he'd never had it before. The things you found swimming in the slums weren't anything you'd ever want to try eating...

By the time he was following Tseng back to a table, the pile of food he'd collected was teetering dangerously. At the last moment, he stuffed a large hunk of bread in his mouth, unable to find room for it elsewhere, and hurried after his new boss. As they sat down, he noticed that Tseng's plate was nowhere near as overloaded. The Wutaiian glanced over at what Reno had gathered and shook his head slightly, but didn't otherwise comment.

He started in on the feast, and it was almost orgasmic. _Everything_ tasted amazing. It was easily the best food he'd ever had in his life, and there was so _much_ of it! Surely the residents of the Plate didn't eat like this _all_ the time, though. There was just no way someone could come here every day and not go broke within a week.

Reno suddenly heard muted laughter from across the table, and glanced up to find Tseng studying him.

"Slow down, Reno... I told you. You needn't rush. We're not in any hurry."

The redhead had to force down his current mouthful before he could answer. "Slow _down_? You kiddin' me?" he asked incredulously. "You put me in front of more food than I've ever even _seen_ in one place and ya want me to slow _down_? I mean, seriously... how does this even exist?"

The Turk smiled faintly. "Cheap suppliers and a large customer base. It's really more an exercise in gluttony than anything else. Normally these sorts of restaurants are quite busy this time of day, but not many people want to be out in this weather. Personally, I'm not really a fan. I tend to gravitate toward food that is made to order... preferably in a quieter, more relaxing setting."

Reno thought about that for a moment, and the idea that something like this was the _cheap_ option for eating up here was a bit... disconcerting. Particularly given that he still didn't know how much it was costing them. He was still very much trying to work out whether things up here were the same as things in the slums... just with bigger numbers all around.

"... Can I ask you somethin', Tseng?"

"Certainly."

"How much does being a Turk _really_ pay? I mean... hell, that stack of gil you handed me was probably half my pay for the year at the bar. I coulda lived off that for months in the slums. So... what's that get me up _here_? 'Cause I'm pretty sure it wouldn't last me months eatin' like this everyday."

Tseng picked up his napkin and dabbed lightly at the corners of his mouth.

"You're right. It most certainly wouldn't. Though how far it _will_ go depends largely on how you manage it. Suffice it to say we're paid more than enough to live very comfortably. But you _will_ be earning that comfort. Our job isn't easy," he replied, and then chuckled softly, "For now, though, you don't need to worry about it. Your well-being is my responsibility. I have no intention of allowing you to starve for lack of funds. Nor will you be overspending on my watch. As your guardian, your finances are under my control until you're of age, and I _will_ be teaching you to manage them appropriately."

Reno blinked in surprise. Not just at the revelation that he wasn't in charge of his own money... but also at how much it didn't seem to bother him. It was almost a relief in a way. Back home, he'd had to be careful with what he spent... and more often than not there were long stretches of time when he was flat broke for one reason or another no matter how hard to tried to avoid it.

"Reno... Out of curiosity, just how long have you been on your own?" the Turk suddenly asked. The redhead dropped his gaze to his plate.

"... Awhile. Mom died when I was five," he said with a shrug. "Was in an orphanage for a few years, but I took off when I was around nine. Place sucked."

"I see," Tseng said softly. "And you've had no adult to care for you since then?"

He shook his head.

"I suppose, then, that's something you'll have to get used to again. The Turks are very much a family, Reno. We look after one another. _I_ will look after _you_."

He really didn't know what to say to that. No one had ever offered him that before, let alone simply told him that that was what was going to happen. He'd had to grow up fast down below... Even so, though he'd never admit it to anyone, there were times that he still felt like a scared little boy.

Thunder rumbled again in the distance, snapping him back to the present.

"If you plan on visiting the dessert table, you may wish to do so soon," Tseng commented. "It sounds as though the next round of downpours isn't far off... and we _do_ have other errands today."

Reno's head snapped up.

"Dessert?" he repeated, enthusiastically.

* * *

Reno's eye twitched as the woman gave a slightly annoyed yank on his jacket's lapels.

"Don't _slouch_ ," she chided, for at least the sixth time, and muttered something about hems not being straight. Apparently he had terrible posture... at least according to _her_. Tseng was watching from a chair across the room, but beyond the occasional nod of approval, he hadn't moved to interfere with the tailor's manhandling of his new recruit.

The redhead scowled, but made an effort to stand up straight again. He hoped she'd finish soon. It was starting to make his shoulders ache. Truth be told, he was a little afraid to move too much. She'd stuck so many pins into the clothes, he was pretty sure he'd end up bleeding to death if he were to slip off the little pedestal she'd placed him on. It was a bizarre experience... and one he kind of hoped he wouldn't have to repeat for awhile.

Their first stop after lunch had been a different clothing store for, as Tseng had put it, off-duty attire... which, in English, seemed to mean jeans, t-shirts, collared shirts, socks, shoes, and everything else he'd need to fill up that closet back at the Turk lieutenant's apartment. That had actually been... kind of fun.

Their second stop, however...

The woman prodded him upright again. He prayed she was almost done. As it turned out, Turks didn't buy their uniforms off the rack. They were custom made... though, thankfully, Tseng _had_ at least implied that once they had his basic measurements on file, the process wasn't nearly as involved when new ones were needed.

"Alright... That should do it. Go ahead and take it off."

The redhead glanced down at his body, and the fabric that might as well have been fastened directly to his skin.

"... How?" he asked, bewildered. He wasn't sure removing the jacket was even possible without destroying the tedious work she'd just put into placing all those pins. The woman clucked her tongue at him and gently gripped the shoulders of the jacket, holding it in place while he slid free of it. She draped it over her arm and turned to Tseng.

"I'll have this one ready and delivered tonight... The rest by Monday."

"Thank you," the Wutaiian replied, and motioned for Reno to join him. He watched as Tseng signed his name on the invoice, curious. He could only assume he had an account of some kind with the business. In Two, virtually every transaction was straight up cash or goods... No _legitimate_ business let you buy shit on credit. Only the drug dealers did that... and only so that their 'clients' ended up in debt to them for life so they could use them to transport their product to other sectors.

The Turk turned and collected his recruit, guiding him out the door. The wind was picking up again, and the first drops of the coming shower were already falling as they climbed into his car.

"I think that covers your immediate needs... at least until tomorrow."

"What happens tomorrow?" the redhead asked.

"You're first day at headquarters. Which means we'll be quite busy visiting several different departments, as well as the Turk offices. I'll warn you now... It's going to be a long day. I suggest you get to bed early tonight. We'll be leaving at seven thirty in the morning."

Reno had to forcibly bite back a groan that he suspected wouldn't be much appreciated. Seven thirty sounded _ungodly_ early.

"Why's it gonna be so long?" he asked instead. Tseng started the engine and pulled into the street, heading for home.

"The Shinra Building is seventy stories high," the Wutaiian replied, smirking faintly, "The tour alone takes most of the afternoon."

* * *

No matter how hard he tried, sleep just wouldn't come. Reno turned his head towards the alarm clock on the nightstand. Red numerals glowed back at him, informing him that it was now one forty-seven a.m. He sighed in frustration and rolled over onto his stomach.

It just figured. The one time he actually _cared_ about being well-rested, and he couldn't fucking fall asleep to save his life.

The day had just been too much. Everything had been breakneck pace, and he'd barely had time to process any of it while it was happening. His brain was working overtime to catch up. It was hard to believe that less than twenty four hours ago, he'd been on his own down in the slums, going about his day just as he had every day, for years. And then suddenly some random fucker knocks on his door, gives him fifteen minutes to pack his shit, and stuffs him into a helicopter bound for the Plate.

If anyone had told him they'd gone through what he had today, he'd have thought they were out of their damn mind.

And, of course, it didn't exactly help that the butterflies in his stomach had mutated into some sort of insectoid hellspwn that wouldn't hold still for two seconds. He could remember ever being so nervous in his life. What if he screwed something up? What if the rest of the Turks weren't as impressed with him as Tseng claimed to be? What if he embarrassed Tseng so badly that the Wutaiian reconsidered this whole damn thing and booted him back to the slums ten minutes after they got to work?

Worse... what if he just plain couldn't handle it? The more he thought about it, the more utterly ludicrous the whole idea of _him_ being a Turk seemed. He still didn't really know why the hell Tseng had chosen him.

Reno groaned loudly and flopped over onto his back again. Laying here like this was driving him nuts. After another minute or two, he sat up and hauled himself out of bed, grabbing his cigarettes off the nightstand. He pull one from the pack and stuck it between his lips, and was a half-second away from striking a match to light it when he remembered that he wasn't allowed to smoke in the apartment.

"Goddamn it..." he sighed. It was still raining heavily... but that didn't stop him from dragging on a pair of soft, gray sweatpants and creeping out of his bedroom. The apartment was dark and silent. Even the light beneath Tseng's door was gone. Reno crept on silent feet down the hallway and out the front door, huddling beneath the small overhang that sheltered it. Lightning lit up the sky as he finally lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply.

The night air was chilly against his bare chest, but at the moment, he didn't care. It was better than lying awake, staring into the darkness of his bedroom for the next five hours. A strong gust blew an errant shower of raindrops into his little alcove, and he hurriedly shielded the cigarette from the onslaught until it shifted again. He flicked some ash into the wind and sank down to the ground, leaning up against the wall.

More than anything, he wished he had someone to talk to. That would have calmed his nerves in no time. Being alone with his thoughts, though... _that_ was torture when he was anxious about something. There was always someone up late in Sector Two to chat with. Here, though... save for the storm and the mako-powered streetlights, the whole block was quiet and dark. Reno finished off his cigarette pulled out another one. As he was struggling to get it to light, he failed to notice that the door behind him swung inward.

"Trouble sleeping?"

The redhead startled violently and spun to face the source of the voice, wide eyes falling on Tseng's silhouette in the doorway.

"For _fuck's_ sake... Don't sneak _up_ on a guy like that!"

"Don't allow yourself to be snuck up upon, and it won't be an issue," Tseng countered, though judging by the amused look in his eyes, Reno was pretty sure he wasn't being entirely serious about the recommendation. "Come back inside. I'll make you some tea."

~end of chapter 5~


	6. First Day

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 6: First Day**

 **by Desha**

Reno frowned at his reflection. Even with the suit, he still didn't _look_ much like a Turk... at least not in _his_ opinion. He sighed and did his best to tuck in his shirt before shrugging on the jacket. It really didn't help.

If he'd thought he was nervous last night, the anxiety that had been growing steadily worse as it got closer and closer to time to leave was almost unbearable... so much so that he was starting to wish he _hadn't_ scarfed down every crumb of food Tseng had set in front of him a short time ago. It hadn't even been particularly _good_... Tseng desperately needed some cooking lessons.

Now, though, his stomach was nearly as uneasy as _he_ was. The excitement of yesterday had taken on a somewhat dreamlike quality by the time he'd woken that morning... though that may have had more to do with the fact that even with the help of Tseng's tea, it had still taken him some time to finally drift off.

Also... he'd learned that he _really_ hated the taste of tea. It was like drinking pond water, for Ifrit's sake.

Yesterday had been overwhelming... but exciting. He was leaving the slums... He was working for fucking _Shinra Company_... He even had a place to stay and someone to look after him – which, though he would never in a million years admit it, made him feel a lot more relaxed about being in such strange surroundings.

But today was to be his first day on the job. And he was terrified.

The redhead reached for the narrow strip of black fabric hanging from the corner of the dresser mirror. It was the final part of his new uniform, and he'd saved it for last. With an uncertain glance in the mirror, he looped it around the back of his neck and froze, suddenly realizing that he had absolutely _no_ idea what he was supposed to do from there. He shrugged. How hard could it be? Half the people on the damn Plate seemed to wear them. It couldn't be _that_ tricky.

After about five minutes, however... he'd decided that he'd vastly underestimated the difficulty level of a tie.

A firm tap on his bedroom door drew his attention away from his predicament.

"Reno? We're going to be late."

Reno sighed in defeat and turned to the door. In frustration, he pulled it open and forcibly yanked the untied necktie off of himself and held it up, glaring at it petulantly.

"Okay... I fuckin' give up. What's the trick to this?" he growled, trying his level best to ignore the heat rising in his cheeks. He felt like an idiot. Tseng apparently agreed, because he seemed to be trying very hard to resist the urge to laugh. It took him a moment to school his expression – though a barely visible smile still remained.

"Give it here," the Turk replied, calmly, and the redhead gladly handed the accessory over. Tseng draped it over the teenager's neck. "Under, then over twice, up from behind, then down through the front," he continued, tying the knot as he spoke.

"... Swear I already tried that," the redhead muttered as his superior gently tightened the loop until the knot rested snugly against his throat. Tseng finally did allow himself a small smile.

"You can practice later. I'm sure it won't take you long to figure it out. Right now, however, we need to leave for the office."

Reno obediently followed him out to the car, and climbed into the passenger seat, and fidgeting with the tie as he sat down.

"Does it gotta be so fuckin' tight?" he asked when Tseng slid into the driver's seat and started the car. "Feels like I'm bein' strangled..."

"It's meant to be snug, yes," Tseng replied.

"... Do I have to wear it all day?" the redhead asked, hesitantly. He cringed at the whining tone that came out of his mouth, but the Turk merely laughed.

"Our dress code is... fairly _lenient_... on such minutia. For today, however, I would prefer you strive to make a good impression. Give yourself some time to get used to it. You may actually end up liking it."

Reno snorted disbelievingly.

"... Yeah. I doubt it," he replied, ignoring the other man's expression that very plainly said he thought otherwise.

* * *

"So... What do I get to see first?" Reno asked as they wove through the streets of Midgar. Now that he was actually on his way instead of sitting around waiting, some of his nervousness had tapered off, only to be replaced by renewed excitement. The rain had let up a bit, but judging by the pitch black sky to the southwest, they weren't out of the woods quite yet. "I heard there's a whole floor in there somewhere that's nothin' but a big trampoline. Is that really true?"

Tseng's eyebrow rose in curiosity.

"Where in Leviathan's name did you hear something like that?"

"Some guy I know," he replied. He frowned. "So... I guess that's a no, then?"

"I'm afraid our facilities do _not_ include a giant trampoline," Tseng chuckled. "There is, however, a swimming pool, a gym, several training areas, and a cafeteria, as well as a number of lounge areas for breaks..."

The Turk paused for a moment as he turned onto the freeway and merged into morning traffic.

"Our _first_ visit, however, will be to the ninth floor."

Well... _that_ sounded intriguing...

"What's on the ninth floor?" he queried.

"Several things... but of paramount importance to us today, the medical suite. Our first task of the day is have one of our staff doctors look you over."

It suddenly sounded a whole lot _less_ intriguing. Reno's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Why the fuck do I have to go to the doctor? I'm not sick..."

They exited the freeway and the towering Shinra Building came into view, looming before them. Tseng swung around to one side of the structure and pulled forward to a roadway leading underground, beneath the building.

"Because it's a requirement," he replied. The Turk held his ID card up to a small scanner and the gate in front of them opened, granting them access. "And because... when exactly was the last time you even _saw_ a doctor?"

The redhead shrugged. "Got stabbed awhile back and needed a fuck-ton of stitches. Guess technically he wasn't really a _doctor_ though... Used to be a medic or some shit in the army. He's just who everyone in my neighborhood goes to when they get hurt 'n shit." 

Tseng looked at the boy sidelong as he pulled into a parking space. "And before that?"

"Hell if I know. I kinda remember someone checkin' me over when I was a kid... Mighta been a doctor. Is this gonna take long? When do I get to see the really _cool_ shit?"

"I realize you're excited..." Tseng replied, smirking slightly, "but there are a number of formalities we need to go through before we start any actual training. A medical evaluation is only the first, so I suggest you calm down." He stepped out of the car and waited for Reno to follow suit before guiding him towards the parking deck's elevator.

"As I've already mentioned, the medical suite is on the ninth floor," he explained, pressing the button. "It's well-equipped, but hardly to the extent of a proper hospital. It's more than sufficient for treating minor injuries, however. I suspect you'll be getting to know the staff fairly well once we _do_ start training."

The redhead scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Never needed someone to clean me up after a fight before. Why would I now?"

Tseng cocked an eyebrow. "I suppose the injury that required that 'fuck-ton of stitches' was self-inflicted, then?" Reno glanced off to the side, refusing to admit that he'd just contradicted himself. The senior Turk seemed to take his silence as acknowledgment. "Trust me, you'll want to take advantage of it. It makes life far simpler," Tseng responded. "You're free to see whichever member of the medical staff you like. There were four, last I checked, though I personally prefer Dr. Ward. She's in charge of the department and has admitting privileges for Midgar General... and she is who will be examining you today."

"... Is she hot at least?" the redhead asked, hopefully. Tseng chuckled knowingly.

"I suppose that depends on how you feel about sixty-two year old women..."

Reno groaned and sagged against the wall of the elevator until it arrived on the ninth floor. "Figures..."

"Come on. I don't want you to be late," Tseng urged as the doors opened.

"What's the fuckin' rush? The little old lady goin' somewhere?" he muttered, dragging his feet slightly as he obeyed. Something told him this wasn't going to be his favorite part of his first day as a Turk.

"Turk or not, one does _not_ keep Justinia Ward waiting. I would also recommend against referring to her as a 'little old lady' unless you happen to have a fetish for rectal thermometers."

The redhead looked up at him, eyes going wide.

"... That's a joke, right?"

"You're welcome to try it and find out..." the Wutaiian replied, a hint of challenge in his eyes. Reno very quickly decided that testing boundaries with the doctor wasn't worth the risk of having something forcibly shoved up his ass. Not on his first day, at any rate. Tseng led him down the hallway to the wide door at the end, and pushed it open, ushering the rookie inside.

"Ah, there yeh are," a lilting voice called out in an accent that pegged its owner as hailing from Mideel. Seconds later, said owner appeared from a behind a screen. "I've been expecting yeh. Tsk... really, Tseng. _This_ is your new recruit? Yeh can't be serious... He's just baby."

Reno narrowed his eyes, glaring indignantly. "Who the fuck are you callin' a baby?" he retorted. He stared at her, taking in the woman's short, graying hair and the long white lab coat.

"Reno..." Tseng cautioned.

"Yeh'll watch that mouth of yers if yeh know what's good for yeh," Ward said, firmly. Reno started to reply, but a sharp look from the older woman quickly silenced him. She turned back to Tseng. "Alright... yeh can go, then. I'll give yeh a call when I'm done with the wee thing."

The Wutaiian Turk nodded and made for the door.

"H-hey... You're not just leavin' me with this old bat, are ya, Tseng?" the rookie asked, some of his former trepidation creeping back into his voice. He could deal with having to go through the hassle of a medical exam... but Tseng wasn't _really_ just going to leave him here in this massive building all on his own. Was he?

"And just who are _yeh_ calling an old bat?" Ward shot back... through to his surprise, she seemed more amused than angry.

"There are a few other matters I need to attend to, not the least of which is seeing to your security clearance. If I do them while you're here, you won't have to sit quietly while I fill out paperwork for the next hour. Besides which, I'll only be in Dr. Ward's way if I stay. You'll be fine. She doesn't bite..." Tseng said, before adding with a teasing smile, "... as far as I'm aware, at any rate."

"Oh, go on, yeh irritating thing! Back ta work with yeh," Ward replied, shooing the other Turk out of her domain. She shook her head and turned back to her patient. "Well, now... come with me, then, and let me have a look at yeh."

Reno sighed in resignation and followed as she walked towards a screened off area and gestured to a small exam table. He hesitantly took a seat.

"We'll just start off with a quick history," she said, picking up a clipboard. "Full name?"

"Reno James Donovan," the rookie replied, in a bored voice.

"Age?"

"Sixteen."

"Any allergies?"

The redhead shrugged. "Not that I know of."

"Do yeh smoke?"

"Yep."

"Drink?"

"That a trick question?" he asked, smirking as he remembered Tseng's caution about the drinking age on the Plate. Ward silently stared him down, until Reno finally rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine... yeah, I fuckin' drink."

"Thought I told yeh ta watch yer language," the doctor replied, "Any drug use?"

"Tried some shit a long time ago... hated it. Didn't try it again."

"Are yeh sexually active?"

Reno blinked, slightly caught off guard by the blunt question. "Uh... yeah."

"Do yeh use protection?"

"I'm not an _idiot_ ," he said, vaguely insulted. Besides which, even if he were an idiot, Lira would have killed him if he was ever anything less than careful... one distinct plus of having your sexual education taken care of by someone who was in the _business_ of sex. Ward looked up from her chart and chuckled.

"I don't think yeh are. But I _do_ have ta ask."

"Yes, okay?" he muttered, faintly embarrassed having to admit it to a woman old enough to be his grandmother.

"Good. Yeh'd be surprised how many I get in here that don't. Names of any previous doctors?"

"Why do ya need to know that?" the redhead asked, confused.

"To request yer medical records."

Reno laughed. "Tch... good luck with that. Don't think Old Sarge even _keeps_ any kinda records, 'cept maybe who still owes him favors."

"I see," Ward said, looking more than a little annoyed. "Yeh came from the slums, then, I take it."

"That a problem?" he asked, wary of her reaction. Though he didn't have occasion to run into many people from upper Midgar down in Sector Two, or even at the bar over in Three, he was perfectly aware that there were those who regarded people like him as beneath them... both literally _and_ figuratively.

"No. It would've been nice if that Shiva-forsaken mentor of yers had thought ta mention that little bit of information, though. I could've prepped the vaccinations yeh'll need ahead of time." She shook her head dismissively. "Well, no matter. It's only a minor delay.. I'll draw them up soon as we're finished with the rest of it and we'll do that bit last. What about yer family? Are they healthy?"

"Haven't got one."

Ward glanced up again, one eyebrow rising in curiosity. "Yeh just blinked inta existence one day, is that it?" she said, dryly.

"Tch... Only family I ever had was my mom. And she's dead," the teenager responded, fidgeting slightly. He really didn't like talking about his mother. He looked away from the doctor. "So I don't have a family anymore."

"Ah..." Ward gave him a contrite smile. "I'm sorry, Reno. I didn't mean ta be so hostile with yeh."

The redhead shrugged with feigned indifference.

"Do yeh mind if I ask how she died?" Ward queried, a bit more gently, "Was she sick?"

He swallowed sharply and refused to meet her eyes.

"Just sick of livin' in the slums," he said at last, "Couldn't take any more of that shit... so she offed herself when I was a kid. Look, can we not talk about this? It's not exactly a pleasant memory."

"Alright..." Ward replied, gently patting his knee, "I think I have all I need for now, anyway." The doctor set her notes aside, and picked up a neatly folded gown. "Why don't yeh get changed inta this while I go have my nurse see about rounding up those vaccinations, hmm? Then we'll get on with things."

Reno did as he was asked, and waited. She returned momentarily. Over the course of the next several minutes, the redhead found himself being poked and squeezed and manhandled, told to look up, look down, turn his head...

He flinched at the sudden sensation of icy cold metal against his skin as she listened to his heart and lungs. He suppressed an irritated groan when she insisted on measuring his height and weight.

And, in spite of a well-earned reputation for being utterly shameless, he found himself fighting to control the blush that rose to his cheeks when the exam moved on, without much warning, to the lower half of his body... a blush that increased drastically when the inevitable result of too much attention to that particular part of his body started to happen. He only _just_ managed to save himself from utter humiliation in that regard, and prayed the doctor hadn't noticed.

At one point he very nearly asked the damn woman if she was planning on at least buying him dinner after she was done feeling him up, but bit down firmly on his tongue before the comment could slip out. He _still_ wasn't sure if Tseng had been kidding about that whole rectal thermometer thing.

"Nearly done," Ward said at last. "Just one last thing to take care of and then I'll turn yeh back over ta Tseng."

'Thank Ifrit,' he thought to himself. The doctor probably knew him almost as intimately as _Lira_ did by now. He was positive there wasn't a square inch of flesh that had been left unprodded. The doctor disappeared a second time, and returned a few moments later with a small tray covered by a crisp, white cloth. She set it down beside the teenager, pulling away its covering.

Reno's eyes widened. He'd kind of figured he'd be getting a shot when the word 'vaccination' had come up, but...

"No fuckin' way..." he said, shaking his head vehemently. There were no less than eight separate needles, neatly arranged on the tray, each filled with its own deceptively cheerful-looking liquid. The green one, he found particularly disquieting.

"Oh, don't get yerself inta a state..." Ward chastised, "It'll be over before yeh know it. Yeh'll hardly even feel it."

But by then, Reno had already hopped down from the table and was backing towards the wall, silently debating what would be the most expedient route to get him the hell out of there.

" _Fuck_ no... You're not comin' anywhere near me with all that shit!" One needle he could handle. Maybe. If he didn't watch. But eight? What the hell was she planning to do? Turn him into a pin cushion?

He _hated_ needles. Just the thought of them made him slightly dizzy. Hell, he'd never even been able to tolerate watching other people use them... which, he supposed, was a good thing, insofar as it had always kept him far, _far_ away from the drug dens in Sector Two.

"Alright... Alright... Calm down." Ward covered the tray again, and cautiously approached her frightened patient, keeping herself between Reno and the door. "Poor thing... Come on, now. Sit yeh down and try and relax."

"Nuh uh... I'm good _right_ here," he replied, eying the woman with suspicion. He mentally kicked himself as he suddenly realized that he'd, quite literally, backed himself into a corner. As it stood, the only way out was through the doctor... and her desire sudden to repeatedly stab him aside, she'd been pretty nice to him in the time he'd been under her case. He didn't want to end up hurting her just to get out of something Tseng was probably going to drag him back in and make him do anyway.

"Yeh know this is required, don't yeh?" Ward asked, her voice even and reasonable. "Yer not going ta get out of it."

Reno looked over at the tray on the table, swallowing nervously. Images of being held down by Tseng while she did it flashed, unbidden, through his mind. Would it really come to something like that if he refused? Or would refusal simply disqualify him from being a Turk? Neither option seemed especially pleasant.

"Do yeh like candy?"

At the unexpected non sequitur, the redhead's eyes flicked upwards, locking onto hers. Hell, yes, he liked candy. He was sixteen goddamn years old. Of course he liked candy. Not that he got his hands on it real often... that shit was like gold to a kid in the slums. Hard to come by, and even harder to hold onto. He nodded mutely.

Ward chuckled softly. "I'll tell yeh what... If yeh come over here and sit down, and yeh let me get this taken care of, I'll let yeh have a little treat when we're done."

This was bribery, plain and simple, and he knew it. Furthermore, he knew better than to fall for something like that... not without clarifying the size of the bribe first, that is.

"How _much_ candy are we talkin' here?" he suddenly found himself asking.

"One piece per injection."

He hesitated. Eight needles in exchange for eight pieces of candy? Bullshit. He wasn't getting ripped off on this deal. Reno shook his head.

"Two pieces."

"Yeh drive a hard bargain," Ward laughed, "Alright. Two per injection. Though I think that'll just about clean me out. I hope I don't have any more difficult patients today."

"Tch... that's your problem, not mine, Doc. And I wanna _see_ it, first." He crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest, challenging her to refuse. Ward shook her head in amusement.

"Yeh stay right there, then. No running off on me."

She vanished behind the screen, and the redhead could hear her footsteps on the cool tile floor as she crossed the suite toward her office. She returned mere moments later, a large jar cradled in one arm, which she set pointedly on the counter.

"Do we have a deal?" Ward asked, patting the lid. Reno stared at the jar and its jewel-like contents. Any shred of resistance he might have still had died almost immediately. It was too much to turn down. He nodded and slowly approached the exam table, resuming his previous perch.

"Yeh don't have ta look if yeh don't want to," the doctor said. "I'll make it quick."

Reno took a deep breath and looked away. The first thing he felt was a cold wetness on his skin. It was followed by a sharp pinch, then three more in quick succession, and he whimpered softly in spite of his attempt to hold his tongue.

"Halfway there," Ward assured him, her voice taking on a much more gentle tone, and her hand tenderly caressed the back of his head as she moved to the other side of the exam table. "I'm going ta spread these out a bit so yeh don't end up too bruised, alright?" She gripped his other arm and repeated the procedure with the remaining injections. "There yeh are. All done. Not so terrible, now was it?"

"Yeah... I guess," the redhead grudgingly muttered. It, admittedly, hadn't been _awful_. But he sure as hell didn't want to go through it again. "I held up my end. Now hand over the candy."

Dr. Ward snickered and retrieved the jar, presenting it to him. The teen immediately twisted off the lid and fished out one of the colorful suckers. He wasted no time in unwrapping it and popping it in his mouth, savoring the sweet, sugary taste.

"Totally worth it..." he sighed, contentedly. Ward snickered.

"Yeh can get dressed now. I'll let Tseng know he can come and reclaim yeh."

He was on his fourth piece by the time the senior Turk returned. Reno emphatically ignored the raised eyebrow that questioned him when Tseng spotted the jar.

"Dare I ask?"

"Seems yer little Turkling is _not_ overly fond of needles," Ward explained with a somewhat affectionate smile, "We had ta work out a bit of an arrangement ta get him vaccinated. He's probably going ta be a wee bit drowsy the rest of the morning. If I'd _known_ he needed a full series ahead of time, I'd have just told yeh ta plan on giving him the rest of the day off from the start." She looked at Tseng accusingly. The Turk awkwardly cleared his throat.

"I apologize for the oversight."

"Hmph..." she snorted, derisively, "In any case, take him home and tuck him inta bed for awhile. But for Shiva's sake, feed the poor thing first. He's decidedly underweight. Should be a good twenty pounds heavier, as tall as he is. Other than that, he's perfectly healthy and cleared for training... starting _tomorrow_. Though I _do_ want him back in here for a a checkup after his first week ta check on his weight again. I know _exactly_ what you lot put yer new recruits through."

"Understood," Tseng replied, motioning for the redhead to join him. "Come on. Let's go." He turned back to Reno, and rolled his eyes at the sight of his rookie unwrapping yet another of the doctor's confections.

"You don't have to eat allof those _now_ , you know..."

The redhead pointedly ignored him. This one was cherry... his favorite.

"... But you're going to, aren't you?" Tseng sighed. He rolled his eyes and escorted the teenager back out into the hallway. "Well... It seems we'll have to put the rest of your introduction to Shinra on hold."

Reno glanced up from his newly acquired stockpile, questioningly. "Why?" he asked.

"Because Dr. Ward has ordered you to bed."

"Tch... I feel fine."

Tseng shook his head. "Now, perhaps. But in a little while, I have a feeling you'll barely be able to keep your eyes open. We have, I think, just enough time to stop and get your photo taken for your company ID... and then I'll take you home."

* * *

By the time he'd gotten his photo and his ID card, and stopped by the cafeteria for an early lunch, and made a 'quick' detour to turn in some paperwork Tseng had filled out for him during his visit with Dr. Ward... Reno had realized that the Doc hadn't been kidding about whatever it was she'd given him knocking him out. As they stepped into the elevator, the redhead leaned up against the wall, and let his eyes drift shut for just a moment.

The next thing he knew, Tseng was gently shaking him.

"I hate to say I told you so..." the man said with a smirk once the redhead's gaze had finally focused on his face.

"Thought that shit was s'posed to _stop_ ya from feelin' sick..." Reno muttered, annoyed at his own inability to remain alert. Tseng walked him through the parking deck and helped nudge him into his car.

"It does. You'll be fine."

"Mmmph..." he grunted in response, and closed his eyes, curling up on the seat. Whatever happened next was a mystery... because when he opened them again, he found himself tucked into his bed in Tseng's apartment. Though at that point, he decided he was too fucking tired to concern himself with the details of how he'd gotten there. Instead, he simply rolled over and went back to sleep.

~end chapter 6~


	7. A New Acquaintance

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 7: A New Acquaintance**

 **by Desha**

Reno groaned as an alarm blared at an obnoxious volume that was far too close to his ear. He rolled over, groping blindly in the general direction of the sound, and eventually managed to locate the snooze button. One thing he'd learned in his short time on the Plate... alarm clocks sucked.

Ignoring the temptation to just lay there quietly for a few more minutes, he forced himself out of bed. Yesterday had been a total bust. He'd awoken mid-afternoon, feeling more or less like himself again... but Tseng had stubbornly refused to head back into the office for what remained of the workday. It had been a bit of a disappointment... but the senior Turk had quickly made up for it by taking him out to eat again at the buffet restaurant from the day before.

Today, though... today Reno finally got to see what being a Turk was really all about. He was still nervous, but excitement was definitely winning out, and in spite of the early hour, he was eager to get started.

He dressed quickly, fumbling awkwardly with his tie. He still didn't like it... and though he'd managed a knot this time, it didn't look quite right, nor would it sit neatly against his throat like Tseng's did. He scowled at his reflection for a moment, annoyed, before finally turning and heading out into the little dining area off the kitchen. Tseng was already there, dressed and occasionally sipping a cup of tea as he ate piece of toast. The morning's newspaper was open in front of him.

"Good morning," he said, not looking up from it, and gestured to the plate that sat across from him, where more toast, along with a sliced orange and a bowl of oatmeal sat, waiting for the redhead.

"Mornin'..." Reno replied with a wide yawn. This whole getting up early thing was going to take some getting used to. But at least there was food. He quickly took a seat and dug in. "Any chance there's coffee around here somewhere?"

This time, Tseng did look up. "I think there may be some instant in the pantry if you're desperate. I'm afraid I don't often drink it myself."

He shrugged, and got up to search. "Long as it's not decaf, it'll do..."

"There will almost certainly be some waiting in our offices... though if Veld made it, I'm not sure it will be any better than the instant. His idea of coffee tends to have the consistency of mud. And the flavor of it, as well, in my opinion. We can stop somewhere on the way in, if you'd prefer something more palatable."

Reno finally located the mostly full canister of instant coffee tucked into the back corner of the little pantry and grinned.

"Nah, I can make this work," he replied, adding some to a mug and pouring out the remainder of the hot water left over in the kettle from Tseng's tea. He carried it back over to the table and reached for the sugar bowl in the center, dumping a thoroughly unhealthy dose into the concoction and giving it a quick stir.

"Is that meant to be coffee, or merely vaguely coffee-flavored sugar water?" the senior Turk asked, peering over the newspaper at him.

"It's whatever it takes to wake me the hell up. I am _not_ a morning person."

Tseng snickered quietly. "I've noticed." He calmly folded the paper and set it aside. "Well, if I can't temp you with Veld's alleged coffee, I'll leave the choice of where to start the day up to you. Would you rather tour the building or meet the rest of the team first?"

Reno paused before voicing his preference for the building tour, wondering which Tseng wanted to hear. If he chose the tour over the the other Turks... would that make him look like he wasn't interested in the team itself? His silence must have gone on a little longer than he'd realized, because Tseng suddenly spoke again.

"There's no wrong answer, Reno. The others won't take offense if you'd rather explore a little beforehand, and neither will I."

He relaxed slightly... and vaguely wondered if Tseng had some sort of psychic powers.

"I'd... uh... kinda like to take a look around, then..."

A slightly mischievous smile spread over Tseng's face.

"In that case... I hope you're prepared for a workout."

* * *

The elevator doors opened, and Reno found himself standing in a wide, open foyer. Directly across from him was a door labeled 'Stairs', and to his left, the Shinra Building's main doors and a large information desk. The space was already busy, packed with people, like himself, arriving for work. Two wide staircases flanked the space on either side, leading up to the second and third floors.

"This is the first floor concourse," Tseng said, leading him out of the elevator and pausing in front of a directory sign place centrally on the first level. "It contains, obviously, the building's main entrance and reception desk, and building security's base of operations is through that door, over there." He pointed out a small, nondescript door tucked back between the staircases that Reno hadn't initially noticed. "Security has branch offices every ten floors, and stations on every _other_ floor containing weapons and other equipment. For some Leviathan-forsaken reason, Security is under the command of the Soldier Division rather than the General Affairs Department. Technically speaking, they are supposed to defer to the Director of Soldier. In practice, we Turks have far more interaction with them than Soldier does, and they generally obey any order we give them."

He stopped short as they approached the stairs, and turned back to look at the redhead. "That does _not_ mean you have leave to order them around for your own amusement, however. Should a complaint to that effect be received, it will be dealt with swiftly and harshly."

"... Guessin' there's a Turk that pulled somethin' like that once and ended up pissin' off the wrong person?" Reno queried.

"An excellent guess," Tseng acknowledged. "The warning is now mandatory for all new recruits."

"Tch... There's always _someone_ who ruins it for everyone else..."

They continued up the stairs – and Reno could swear the senior Turk was trying hard not to laugh at his proclamation – to the second level. There, Reno spotted another bank of elevators, and several impressive displays of Shinra technology. The walls were lined with comfortable looking benches and potted plants.

"Level two is largely just a lounge area for employees on the lower levels," Tseng continued. "And perhaps something of a miniature museum." He gestured to one of the displays, where a large piece of construction equipment sat alongside an informational plaque and a model of the unfinished Sector Six Plate. "They change the items out about once a year. Occasionally more often, if a department has something particularly noteworthy to showcase. Last spring, it was all about the Lower Midgar Train Project."

"... They really gonna get all the different sectors connected up one of these days?" Reno asked, curious. The train project had long been rumored. _So_ long, in fact, that most people in the slums believed it was never actually going to happen. Only Wall Market currently had the distinction of housing a working train station.

"Mmm... From my understanding, construction will resume on the central pillar track this summer, with individual sector stations following at regular intervals. I believe the latest projection for completion is three years... though Urban Development does tend to alter their project timelines at an annoyingly frequent pace."

"Why's that?"

"Construction is somewhat beholden unto the weather... not to mention the department's budget. Maintenance and emergency repairs often get prioritized over new construction projects."

"In other words... they gotta keep the people up top happy before they worry about the slum rats."

"Essentially," Tseng said with a nod. "I expect that seems rather unfair from your point of view."

The redhead shrugged. "No real surprise." He glanced over at the staircase leading upwards, and noticed a small sign at the foot reading 'Shop'. "We got a store in here, too?"

"Indeed. It sells small items that are occasionally needed but a hassle to have to run out and procure elsewhere, as well as gift items for the general public," his tour guide replied, ushering him upstairs. "Employees are permitted to open an account that will deduct their purchases directly from their paycheck... It's very convenient. And also an excellent way to lose track of how much you're spending."

Reno smirked. "That your way of tellin' me you're not gonna let me have one?"

"Actually, no," Tseng chuckled. "As I said, it's very convenient, and there's no reason you shouldn't be allowed to take advantage of it. Though I _am_ going to have them place a fifty gil per month limit on yours."

"Thought I didn't get any say in what my money gets spent on 'til I'm eighteen," Reno replied, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"I believe I told you I was going to be teaching you to _manage_ your funds. You can hardly learn that if I don't allow you access to enough to have something to manage."

As they reached the top of the stairs, Reno glanced back at the Turk lieutenant, quizzically.

"Seriously?"

Tseng shook his head, laughing. "I'm your mentor, not your warden, Reno. I'm here to ensure that you obtain the skills you'll need to survive as a Turk. And part of that is learning how to live here on the Plate. Now... get your ID out. We may as well save ourselves a trip back later and set that account up now, while we're here."

* * *

The tour had continued on, floor after floor. Conference rooms and a huge presentation hall on the fourth floor... Advertising and public relations on the fifth, followed by Building Administration, Customer Service, and an entire floor of small dormitory rooms for staff working overnight who needed a rest.

They'd stopped briefly on the ninth floor to see the rest of the medical suite... and Dr. Ward, who'd nodded approvingly at the redhead's recovery from the round of vaccinations he'd been coerced into the previous day.

And up, and up. The fourteenth floor, they'd sailed by, with the only explanation being that it was currently unused and thus locked down. By the time they reached 32, Reno's legs were beginning to ache, and they weren't even halfway done.

"Whoa..." the redhead murmured, trying to take in the sight currently in front of him. They'd just come up from a large gym – apparently one of two in the building, the second one being farther upstairs and being geared more toward weight training than the lower one which had contained a walking track and basketball and squash courts. Now they found themselves standing next to a massive swimming pool. Farther on, Reno spotted locker rooms, a sauna, and even a hot tub. "We're really allowed to use all this whenever the hell we want?"

"Of course. In fact, you'll be here quite frequently. It's part of our standard workout routine."

He looked up in concern. "Uh... What if I can't... ya know... _swim_?" To be fair... he really didn't know if he could or not. He'd never had the opportunity to try. Sure, there were murky ponds scattered around Sector Two and other parts of the slums... but nothing you'd want to take a swim in. Not intentionally, at any rate.

"That's what training is for. No one comes into this line of work knowing everything."

" _There_ you are," a voice suddenly interrupted. "I've been searching half the building looking for you this morning."

Tseng's attention quickly shifted away from his new rookie, and refocused on the young man now walking towards the pair. Reno watched him as he approached. The guy couldn't have been much older than _he_ was... but he had the bearing of someone who expected you to grovel at his feet. He was sharply dressed in gray trousers and a black shirt, with a white vest on top. A white tie was knotted neatly at his throat. He brushed back a few strands of blonde hair from his face and looked down his nose at the redhead.

"Don't tell me _this_ is the new Turk you've been so excited about..." he said, sneering slightly. "Where did you even _find_ it?"

Reno scowled darkly at the young man. He could already tell he wasn't going to like the son of a bitch.

"Something I can do for you, sir?" Tseng replied, ignoring the question.

"Yes. I wish to attend a performance in Kalm tomorrow. As such, I require an escort. And don't try pawning me off on one of your subordinates again. _You_ will accompany me, personally."

"You could have simply sent that request to Veld, sir."

The snobbish young man snorted in contempt. "After that fiasco two days ago, I refuse to deal with _him_ until I receive an apology." He turned back to the rookie, and looked him over. "So... Does it have a name?"

The redhead opened his mouth to tell the bastard to shove it up his ass, but Tseng very quickly interceded.

"This is Reno," he replied.

"Hmm..." He began a slow circuit around the rookie, as though studying him from every angle, at last coming to a halt in front of him. A smirk crossed his face, and he took a step forward. Reno instinctively took one back... and belatedly noticed that he was now mere inches from the edge of the pool. He realized what the other teenager intended a moment too late.

"Rufus, don't!" Tseng shouted, apparently having come to the same conclusion, but by then, the blonde boy's hand had shot out, roughly shoving the redhead backwards. Accepting the inevitable, Reno didn't waste his time trying to regain his balance. Instead, he glared and seized hold of the other boy's arm, dragging him along with him. 'Rufus' gave a yelp of surprise, as they both toppled into the water.

It was deeper than he would have expected. Over his head, in fact, he found, as he tried ineffectively to stand up and succeeded only in scraping the bottom with the toe of his shoe. He flailed for a moment, trying to get back to the surface, only to slip to the depths with half a breath of air. A firm grip latched onto the back of his collar, hauling him upwards and he groped blindly for the edge of the pool for a moment, blinking the rivulets of water, now running down his face, out of his eyes. He sputtered and coughed, recovering from his unexpected swim. Rufus was already pulling himself out.

"Are you alright?" the senior Turk asked, crouching down in front of the half-drowned redhead.

"... Yeah."

" _Him_? What about _me_?" the other boy whined. "Just _look_ at me!" He flung his arms downwards, sending a spray of water across the concrete deck.

" _You_ can swim. _He_ cannot," Tseng replied, and the note of anger in his voice was unmistakeable. "I would appreciate it, sir, if you would refrain from drowning my new recruit before he's even been introduced to the other Turks."

The very obvious displeasure seemed to cow the young man slightly, and his haughty expression dropped. He glanced down at the redhead, and seemed only then to realized that he was clinging tightly to the grate that ran along the perimeter of the pool.

"Go and dry off. I'll be speaking to your father about this," the senior Turk continued, and Reno was a little surprised to see Rufus quickly scamper off towards the locker rooms without a further word. Tseng sighed in exasperation and shook his head, and then offered a hand to the rookie. Reno gladly took it and let himself be pulled from the pool, and back onto dry land.

"I apologize for that. Rufus can be..."

"A total _dick_?" the redhead supplied, glaring angrily in the direction the blonde boy had gone.

"I suppose that _would_ be an accurate description at times, yes," he replied, laughing softly.

"Just wait 'til I get my hands on that asshole... Who the hell _is_ he, anyway?"

"Rufus Shinra," Tseng said, "President Shinra's son. And, as such, I'm afraid retribution is out of the question. He's in line to be named vice president of the company within a year."

" _That_ little shit's gonna be runnin' things around here one day?!" Reno exclaimed, incredulously. "You _gotta_ be shittin' me..."

"I admit... this was probably not the _best_ first impression he could have made. I hope you won't judge him too harshly. He's really not as cruel as he occasionally comes across as being. I'm fairly certain he simply thought it would be funny... until he discovered that he put you in real danger."

"Tch... if that's his idea of a joke, kid needs a serious attitude adjustment."

Tseng chuckled, and placed a hand on the rookie's shoulder, guiding him away from the pool.

"Dealing with Rufus can be... complicated. Come on. We'll find you some dry clothes."

~end chapter 7~


	8. Introductions

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 8: Introductions**

 **by Desha**

It was shortly thereafter that Reno found himself dressed in borrowed training sweats, his hair still damp from his untimely dip in the company pool. They'd continued the tour, stopping briefly in the cafeteria on thirty-five and again in the General Affairs Department on forty-eight.

"So's this where we work?" the redhead asked when he recognized the name, looking around. The main area was filled with cubicles, each occupied by a lone worker, while the walls were lined with private offices. Tseng shook his head.

"No... The Turks have their own headquarters a bit farther up. General Affairs is simply our parent division," he replied, and gestured towards the cubes that seemed to occupy most of the floor. "This is the company secretarial pool. They handle the minutia of the company records, and tend to be deployed all over the building, wherever they happen to be needed. The offices belong to various managers and sub-managers, who oversee projects assigned to the department."

"But not us..."

"No, not us. The Turks are largely autonomous." The redhead frowned at the unfamiliar word, and Tseng chuckled. "I mean that we have a certain amount of freedom to act independently."

The whole place was abuzz with movement as the secretaries – mostly women, Reno noted – scurried about carrying papers and folders. The muted hum of conversation hung in the air. One particularly pretty, young, blonde girl caught his eye as she emerged from a room off to the side, her arms laden with folders. She flashed him a friendly smile... and promptly tripped over her own feet, her load scattering across the floor.

"Oh, no..." she groaned, and Reno hurried from Tseng's side to help gather them back up. She sighed as he stacked the ones he retrieved into a pile. "I can't _believe_ I did that..."

"Guess I'm just _that_ distracting," the redhead replied, grinning. The woman giggled.

"Well, you _are_ cute. Are you new? I'm pretty sure I'd remember seeing you around if you'd been up here before..."

"Yeah... Just started. If it makes ya feel any better, _I_ accidentally went for a swim during the tour, so... you're doin' way better than me right now."

She giggled again. "I'm Isabella. Um... Izzy for short," she replied, holding her hand out to him. He shook it.

"Reno." He handed her the last of her files.

"Would you... maybe like to join me for lunch later?" Isabella asked, and the redhead's grin widened.

"Love to... but I'm not really sure what the rest of my day's gonna be like, yet."

She pulled a pen from behind her ear and took hold of his hand, scribbling a number on his palm.

"Well, if you end up being free, give me a call. We can meet up in the cafeteria." She straightened the stack of papers and picked it up, smiling at him as she turned and started off toward her desk. "See you later, Reno!"

A hand clamped down on the redhead's shoulder and steered him back toward the elevator. Reno glanced back to see Tseng looking mildly amused.

"I had intended take you _out_ for lunch... but it seems you now have other plans."

"Heh... Ya know, I'm think I'm gonna like _this_ floor..."

* * *

The elevator chimed, releasing them on Fifty-eight. In the interim, they'd passed three floors that were the sole domain of Soldier (which Tseng had told him they would tour at a later date, as they required clearance from the Director of Soldier to access), the weapons demonstration lab, materia research, and a few other less interesting places like the antiquities department and reactor maintenance.

Reno stepped out into a fairly bland, tiled hallway, and noted immediately that things were a little different here. Most of the floors they'd visited had an open area that greeted new arrivals with a directory or reception desk. All that welcomed them to Fifty-eight was a large Shinra insignia on the wall in front of the elevator doors. The hallway stretched off in two directions, and then turned a corner at each end. Along the way, at intervals, were unlabeled doors, all of which were closed.

It wasn't the most interesting _or_ inviting of places.

"Welcome to Turk Headquarters," Tseng said.

"... This is _it_?" the redhead blurted out before having a chance to consider his words. Fortunately, the senior Turk laughed at his less-than-impressed reaction.

"There's a purpose to the utilitarian appearance. The Turks are a somewhat clandestine organization. We like to keep things a bit uninteresting at first glance to avoid anyone making their way up to the executive floors from getting too curious about what goes on here. Most people don't even realize this is _our_ floor."

He supposed that made a weird sort of sense. Why make something interesting if you wanted people to ignore it? Tseng started down the hall to their right, and began pointing out various locations.

"This is the archives room," he said, sliding his ID through an electronic lock and pushing the door open. Reno peered inside. The room was quite large and filled with filing cabinets that were taller than he was. "We are very _thorough_ in our paperwork. If the Turks were involved in something at any point, there is a record of it here. The archives go back to our founding... several years before I was ever recruited."

"... How long have the Turks been around, anyway?" the redhead asked, curious.

"Almost since the inception of Shinra... though it was only officially formalized about eighteen years ago. Prior to that, the company merely drew from a select group within the security department to deal with certain... situations... that needed to be handled quietly and efficiently. As the company grew, they were separated off into their own unit, which ultimately became the Turks."

"Hey, Tseng! Rufus was down here looking for you awhile ago."

The senior Turk turned from the room toward the new voice, and Reno peered around him, spotting a man with dark hair and glasses walking toward them. He was wearing a standard Turk uniform, though his right arm was in a sling, and there was a nasty-looking cut on this cheek that had recently been stitched closed.

"Yes... I'm aware. We ran into him on Thirty-two."

"We?" he queried, apparently only then spotting the redhead. "Oh! Right... You were bringing the new rookie in with you today."

"Luca, this is Reno. Reno... Luca is our resident computer expert, in addition to being an excellent swordsman."

"Pleasure," Luca returned. "Your run-in with the brat have anything to do with your rookie being out of uniform?"

Tseng sighed. "I wish you would refrain from referring to him as such. He _will_ eventually be vice president... and I _won't_ be coming to your aid should he overhear one of your various nicknames for him one day. But in answer to the question... yes. They both rather unexpectedly went for a little swim earlier."

Luca's eyebrows shot upwards and he laughed, clapping the redhead on the back. "Gave Rufus a taste of his own medicine, eh? Good for you. Little brat had it coming."

" _Luca_!" Tseng chastised, visibly annoyed.

"He's not vice president _yet_ ," the other Turk replied with a smirk. "Anyway... I've got an appointment on Nine to have this arm looked at. See you at the afternoon briefing. Good to meet you, Reno!"

Luca gave the pair a slight wave, and headed off to the elevators. Tseng, meanwhile, was already on his way to the next point of interest. He pushed open another door and ushered his charge into a comfortable little room filled with chairs and couches. A long table stood against the far wall, and on it sat a coffeemaker and a collection of cups and mugs.

A woman who looked to be closer to Tseng's age than Reno's had made herself at home in one of the chairs and was silently reading through a file folder as she sipped her coffee. Her long black hair hung loose around her face, and when she looked up, Reno could see that she clearly had at least _some_ Wutaiian heritage.

"This is the lounge," Tseng stated, "And _this_ is Remy."

" _That's_ our new addition?" she asked, derisively. " _Really_ , Tseng?"

Reno scowled slightly.

Tseng chuckled. "Don't get upset. She's only giving you a hard time."

"Whatever you say, Tseng..." she snorted, before turning back to her files and her coffee, and pointedly ignoring them.

"Be _nice_." Tseng cast back over his shoulder at her as he drew the rookie along, back into the hallway, leaving the woman behind. "Don't mind her. Remy always takes some time to warm to new recruits. But she's an expert at hand-to-hand combat, and a very good trainer besides. You'll be getting to know her quite well, soon enough."

"Doesn't sound like she's real impressed with me..." the redhead said, uncertainly. That sort of reaction had been his worst fear about today.

" _Remy_ is never impressed with _anyone_ ," someone asserted, and Reno was suddenly grabbed from behind. He felt the cold blade of a knife pressed to his throat. He froze, wary of attempting to make any sort of movement. "Well... maybe Veld," his captor amended. " _Maybe_..."

"Say hello to Kai, Reno," Tseng said, sounding almost bored by the fact that the teenager was being held at knifepoint.

"Uh... Hi?" Reno obediently replied, sounding nervous.

"Hi!" his as yet unseen attacker enthusiastically answered. The blade was removed from the vicinity of his throat, and he was allowed to turn to look at her. She was a short little thing, and thin as a rail, with brown hair and violet eyes. Unlike the other Turks he'd met thus far, her uniform was worn far more casually, with the jacket open and the shirt beneath untucked. She lacked a tie, as well, but seemed to have replaced it with a pair of stately white leather gloves. "So you're the newbie, huh?"

She set the blade between her teeth and then gripped him by each arm, pulling him around to face her properly, before retrieving the blade and calmly juggling it between her fingers.

"Let's see... I'm guessin' you're not a gunner. And you don't look like you can use a blade for shit. Too damn scrawny to be much of a tank... What's your fighting style?"

Reno blinked. "... _Usually_ it's run like hell and avoid gettin' my ass kicked."

"Hmph... Oh. One of _those_ types. Well, don't worry. We'll fix that soon enough." She glanced up at Tseng. "Ya want my advice, give the kid an EMR. Or see if he'd got any kind of aptitude for materia."

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind," the Turk lieutenant, replied.

"Always happy to help! And now... I'm off to work!" Kai flashed them a grin and waved, as she departed in the general direction of the elevators. Reno watched her go, vaguely conflicted about the conversation.

"... Um... What the hell was that?"

Tseng gave a quiet chuckle. "That was Kai. She can be a bit... direct."

"Yeah. Guess that's _one_ word for it..."

"I believe I'll be taking her recommendation, however, and we'll see how an EMR suits you. She's typically a very good judge of such things."

"The fuck's an EMR?" Reno asked, furrowing his brow. He wasn't quite sure if it sounded awesome or ridiculous.

"It stands for electro-mag rod. Essentially an electrified baton. Very effective at close range, particularly for people who possess better than average speed and agility."

Definitely awesome.

"I believe most of the others are currently on assignment at the moment, but we'll see who else we can find before reporting to Veld," Tseng continued. They rounded the corner and moved steadily down the next hall, with Tseng pointing out the restrooms, the weapons locker, the briefing room, and a few other things. Around the next corner were the Turks' sleeping quarters, for those times when they were needed on the premises overnight, or were simply too exhausted to make their way home after work. The final hallway, before they'd gone full-circuit, was filled with individual and shared offices. Tseng opened the door to one about halfway down.

"Well, lookie what the cat dragged in. We were _wonderin'_ when yeh'd be stopping by... Yeh bring the new kid?"

"I did, indeed. Allow me to introduce you." Tseng urged Reno into the room where he was greeted by a man an a woman. "This is Reno. Reno, these are the twins, Saya and Sato."

The woman, Saya, had long, sandy brown hair pulled back into a high pony tail.

"We're not really twins, yeh know," she said, her voice accented in a heavy Mideelian lilt. "Technically, we're second cousins."

"Twice removed," Sato added. "Not that anyone 'round 'ere seems ta care. We're kin 'n we look enough alike that we're stuck with that Odin-be-damned nickname fer life."

"And we wouldn't have it any other way," Saya grinned. "Have yeh met any of the others yet?"

"A few," Tseng answered for him. "We ran into Luca just as we arrived, and Remy was in the lounge. And Kai gave him her _usual_ welcome."

"Tseng! I'm disappointed in yeh!"

"Yeah... Yeh said _we_ could introduce ourselves first this time!" Sato declared. Tseng smiled.

"I'm afraid it was out of my hands. It's hardly my fault you two are holed up in your office."

"And just where would yeh have work? In the lounge with Remy? _That'd_ be real productive..." Saya cackled. "She's impossible ta be around, what with Veld evaluatin' her ta lead the Junon division. _And_ she's pissed at _this_ moron right now, ta boot." She smacked her second cousin twice removed in the shoulder.

"Junon division?" Reno piped up.

"Veld wants ta have some of us in Junon on the regular," Sato explained. "Means we need a commander down there, and Tseng dinna want the job. _He'd_ rather command the main branch one day. Remy's next in line, but she's got herself a wee bit of competition from Aaron. Makes her a right pain in the arse just now."

"I suspect she'd be less of one if _you_ would stop planting charges in and around her office," Tseng said, pointedly.

"Yeh cannae prove nothin', and yeh know it. If yeh could yeh'd already've dragged me inta Veld's office ta have him disembowel me," Sato replied, and he leaned back in his chair, hands folded behind his head, a smug look on his face. "'Sides... not that I have anythin' ta do with it, mind... it's just a wee bit of harmless fun. Nothin' that'd cause any real damage."

Tseng sorted derisively. "Tell that to Maintenance. Stop. Or the next time it happens, I'll have you officially reprimanded, evidence or no." He turned to leave, pulling Reno along with him as Sato laughed, knowingly.

"He blew up her office?" Reno asked, wide-eyed once the door had closed behind them. Tseng scowled back at the entryway.

"A small part of it, yes. Twice, now, in the last five days alone... Remy is not amused. Nor am _I_."

"... Okay, seriously. Are _all_ you guys completely nuts?"

"Sometimes I _do_ wonder..." Tseng sighed, but then smiled. "You'll get used to it. We don't have the luxury of such behavior in most endeavors. Thus some of us tend to be a bit... less mature than one might hope... around our fellow Turks."

"And some us of do _not_ have, or appreciate, such tendencies. I swear to Shiva, Tseng... If _one more_ _thing_ explodes around here, I will _not_ be responsible for my actions," Remy cut in as she strode down the hall toward, Reno assumed, her office.

"He has been duly warned."

"Hmph..." She brushed past them, and disappeared through one of the doors. Reno and Tseng had barely resumed their own course when a loud _boom_ shook the entire floor.

" _SATO!_ " an enraged voice screeched. Tseng shook his head and sighed.

"Reno... would you mind waiting for me in the lounge? I believe my presence is needed to prevent a brutal murder," he said, roughly pinching the bridge of his nose. "... Or perhaps _facilitate_ one."

~end chapter 8~


	9. Chain of Command

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 9: Chain of Command**

 **by Desha**

Tseng didn't wait for an answer from the rookie before taking off down the hallway at a sprint. Reno hesitated a few moments, torn between obeying the order or getting a good look at what had happened. On one hand, disobeying the first order he'd received since arriving at Turk headquarters probably wasn't the smartestidea he'd ever had. On the other... he _really_ wanted to see what Remy was going to do to Sato.

Once Tseng had rounded the corner, the redhead took off after him, promising himself that he'd just take a quick peek and then haul ass back to the lounge as he'd been told.

He peered around the corner, following the sound of angry, raised voices, and grinned as he spotted Tseng physically restraining the young woman... who was largely ignoring the Turk second in command, in favor of shouting at the laughing Mideelian standing the the doorway of his office.

" _You_ are a _dead man_ , Sato!" Remy cried. He just grinned back at her.

"We're all dyin', sweetheart... Some of us'll just end up in the ground quicker'n others."

"Sato, you are _not_ helping," Tseng muttered. Without warning, Remy stomped down hard on his foot, and when his grip loosened slightly, jerked her arm out of his grasp and elbowed him in the gut. Tseng staggered back, and the irate Turk rushed the laughing man across the hall from her, aiming a punch at his face.

" _ENOUGH!_ " a voice directly behind Reno thundered, causing him to jump in outright terror, and all activity suddenly froze in response. He instinctively darted out of the way, flattening himself against the wall as the new arrival stormed past him, ignoring his presence for the moment.

He was an imposing figure, with short, dark brown hair, and a clipped beard. His face was severe, and made even moreso by an old scar on his left cheek that arched from just below his eye, all the way to his chin.

"Sir..." Tseng began with a faint cough, one hand still clasped to his stomach, guarding the injury inflicted on him by Remy. The man held up a hand, silencing him.

"Put in _another_ request with Maintenance about the damage, and make sure nothing in there is still burning. Remy and Sato. My office. _Now_. Tseng, I'll speak with _you_ about this debacle later. See to your rookie."

With that, he herded the two feuding Turks off, towards a different office, disappearing with them through the door, which slammed angrily behind the trio. Tseng scowled and brushed past Saya, who had wisely kept out of things until the coast was clear, and approached the redhead.

"I _thought_ I told you to wait in the lounge!"

"... I –" Reno began, only to be cut off.

"Go! And no wandering around. Onemess is enough to deal with, right now."

Reno cringed and and did a quick about face, hurrying back in the direction of the lounge.

"Geez, Tseng... don't go takin' it out on the wee thing, eh? Wasn't anya _his_ doin'," he heard Saya chastise the other Turk in his defense. Tseng's reply, if there was one, was lost as the rookie quickly scurried into the lounge and shut the door behind him.

Reno exhaled slowly and made his way over the the large couch under one of the windows. He took a seat, pulling his knees to his chest. _That_ had been stupid. Tseng had been very clear about what he'd wanted him to do, and Reno had ignored him just so he could watch the fight. And now he was in trouble for it.

The redhead groaned and buried his face in his arms, resisting the urge to repeatedly slam his head into something hard. He hadn't been able to go _three days_ on the Plate without fucking up. He glanced up at the clock, and noted that it was almost noon. Three days? Hell, he'd only just barely made it two, really. And he'd been asleep for half of yesterday. He groaned again, and let himself fall onto his side on the couch.

The door opened, and he glanced up just enough to spot Saya entering the room, grinning widely.

"I'm an idiot," he stated, and she laughed.

"Ah, don't let _that_ little screaming fit worry yeh... Tseng's an asshole when he's pissed off, and that nitwit cousin of mine's an _expert_ at pissin' people off. He's not angry with _yeh_. He's just angry in general." She reached over and ruffled his hair slightly before pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Tell yeh what... how 'bout I show yeh the way ta the cafeteria? It's dead-on lunchtime and yeh look like yeh've spent half yer life half-starved."

Reno sat up, uncertainly. "... I should _probably_ just stay right here."

Saya snickered loudly. "Put the fear of Leviathan inta yeh already, has he, then?"

"Tch... Leviathan's got nothin' on _Tseng_."

The other Turk laughed outright at that. "Aw... poor rookie. He really does have yeh a bit on edge doesn't he? Well, suit yerself, then. If yeh change yer mind, I'll be in my office fer a bit yet."

With that, Saya slipped back out the door, leaving him on his own. Reno found himself grateful for her reassurance... but in the back of his mind still had his doubts.

* * *

Tseng gave the desk drawer one last blast from the fire extinguisher and slammed it shut. That Sato was a Leviathan-forsaken _lunatic_ sometimes. Saya seemed to have gotten all of the common sense in _that_ family. And Remy... the woman desperately needed to stop letting Sato get to her like that. If she thought Veld was going to assign her to head the Junon branch if she didn't get that temper of hers under control – assuming Heidegger actually approved the proposal – she was going to be in for a very rude awakening.

"Well, look on the bright side. If yeh get tired of bein' a Turk, yeh've got a promisin' career in the Midgar fire department ahead of yeh!"

Tseng set the extinguisher down with an annoyed thud, and turned to face the woman. "I _thought_ I asked you to keep him in line."

"Aye, yeh did. And I've done what I can. Yeh dunna even _want_ ta know what I talked him _outta_ doin' so far this week," Saya replied, with a wide smile. "But yeh know Sato. Got his own set of priorities, that'un. Self-preservation's not one of 'em."

"He's completely irresponsible."

"Oh, lighten up, Tseng. It was just a little prank. No one got hurt," she replied, and then paused, breaking into a wide grin. "Well... s'pose I shouldn't say that. Looked like Remy nailed _yeh_ pretty good there."

Tseng glowered at her, and stalked out of the office, intending to make a call to the maintenance department about repairing the desk. And painting over the marks left on the ceiling.

"Before yeh throw yerself _too_ deep inta obeyin' Veld's directive, yeh might want ta go 'n check on yer wee rookie. Poor thing was tremblin' like a leaf when I left him."

Tseng bit back a groan. _Reno_. This was definitely _not_ how he'd envisioned the rookie's introduction to his teammates. And it was far from the first impression of the group he'd _wanted_ him to have. He'd described them as a family, and that's what they were to one another. However... he'd somehow left out 'dysfunctional' from the description. He could just imagine the redhead wondering what in the nine hells he'd gotten himself into by taking Tseng up on his offer.

"Oh... and this came up for yeh with the mornin's mail. Figured yeh'd want ta give it to him yerself," Saya added, tossing him a small box. He opened it as she withdrew, and found the new PHS he'd requisitioned for the redhead yesterday. Tseng tucked the phone into a pocket and tossed the box into the trash before making his way to the lounge.

He found Reno kneeling on the couch, peering over the back of the large piece of furniture, through the window that overlooked Sectors 4 and 5.

"Reno."

The teenager very nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his own name, and awkwardly spun to face him, a look of surprise etched on his features. Tseng smirked slightly. Most of the team had long grown used to his stealthy comings and goings. It was refreshing to have someone who still reacted in such a manner. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the new phone.

"You're going to need this," the senior Turk said, offering it to him. The redhead hesitated a moment before slowly taking it from his hand. "It's pre-programmed with the team's numbers, so you needn't worry about doing that yourself. As it would seem that Veld is going to be... otherwise occupied... for the time being, I think it best that you go and have some lunch in the cafeteria. We'll continue the introductions and the tour when you get back."

Reno looked up at him with a vaguely confused expression.

"So... I'm _not_ in trouble?"

"For what?" Tseng asked, genuinely baffled.

"... For not listenin' when you told me to go to the lounge 'n wait instead of followin' you?"

The Turk lieutenant sighed and shook his head. "No. You are not in trouble for _that_. And I apologize if my frustration got the better of me earlier. Sato's behavior has been extremely... _trying_... lately." The look of relief that came over his rookie's face was rather pronounced, and Tseng couldn't help but feel more than a little guilty about that.

Today wasn't going at _all_ as he'd planned.

He'd wanted so badly to impress the younger man. Both with the company's facilities, _and_ with the Turks themselves. Instead, the highlights had included a run-in with a petulant heir, a near-drowning, an explosion, and a brawl, culminating in Tseng's own inexcusably harsh reaction to simple curiosity. At the rate he was going, he'd be lucky if he didn't end up sending Reno fleeing right back down to the slums by the end of the week.

"Go on and get something to eat. Perhaps give your new friend from forty-eight a call, if you'd like some company. I would join you myself, but while _you_ are not in trouble... judging by Veld's tone, I'm afraid that _I_ may be."

* * *

"So Rufus Shinra _really_ just _pushed_ you into the pool?!" Izzy repeated, scandalized. "Just like _that_?"

"Heh... yeah. Great start to the day, huh?"

She giggled quietly, and Reno shoved a forkful of baked ziti into his mouth. It was a bit on the bland side, but perfectly edible. Izzy giggled again.

"Terrible, isn't it?" she said in a hushed voice, "You'd think a company as big as Shinra could afford to hire some decent kitchen staff..."

"I've had worse," the redhead shrugged. "'Sides... I'll eat just about anything."

"You know, you still haven't told me what it is you do around here..."

Reno snickered. "When I figure it out, I'll let ya know. Right now, I'm just tryin' not to make a complete ass of myself. Ya know... again."

Izzy snorted in laughter. "No, come on, really. What's your job?"

"I... uh... I'm gonna be a Turk," he replied, feeling unusually unsure of himself just saying that. It didn't feel yet like he had the right to call himself any such thing. He half expected her to simply laugh in his face as soon as the claim left his lips. Instead, Izzy's eyes went wide.

" _Really_?!"

He nodded, and a grin spread over her face.

"So _that's_ why Tseng was with you when you turned up in General Affairs! I kinda wondered. You know... I've seen you Turks _around_ before but I've never actually _met_ one of you 'til now."

"So how do you know who Tseng is, then?" he asked, curious.

Izzy giggled yet again. " _Everyone_ in the secretarial pool knows who _Tseng Itsudake_ is. That man is absolutely _gorgeous_. Don't tell him or anything, but... there's kind of a betting pool going on who can get him in bed first."

Reno's eyebrow rose. "Seriously?"

"Oh, _yeah_. A lot of the girls upstairs are completely _crazy_ for him."

The redhead smirked. "Yeah? You got a bet in that pool?" he teased. Izzy grinned.

"Well... to be honest, I _did_ think about trying my luck. But, then I heard that he's supposedly got this girlfriend over in Junon, and I just figured I'd be throwing my money away."

It took everything he had in him not to let his surprise show on his face. Tseng had a girlfriend? For some reason the idea seemed vaguely impossible... though he wasn't sure why. The guy certainly wasn't bad looking, and though he was a fair bit older than Reno, he was still _pretty_ young. Still, though... he somehow just couldn't picture it. Probably, it was just a silly rumor.

"Besides... he's a little too old for me. I mean... I just graduated high school a year and a half ago," she continued, "So, Reno... What about you?"

"What _about_ me?" he asked, having somewhat lost the train of the conversation during his musings.

"Do _you_ have a girlfriend?" She gave him a sultry smile, and if the meaning behind her question hadn't already been blatantly obvious, her foot teasingly caressing his calf under the table certainly was.

Reno smirked and shook his head. "Don't have one, and not lookin'," he replied, and then grinned, "But... I'm not exactly against havin' a good time. Ya know... If you're interested in gettin' with _another_ Turk instead of my new boss..."

Izzy's smile widened, and her foot crept up to his thigh. "I'm suddenly not all that hungry anymore. Why don't we go somewhere quieter where we can... _talk_."

Being a Turk certainly seemed to have some pretty significant benefits. All he'd had to do was tell her that he _was_ one and she was practically throwing herself at him. Reno had to bite back a gasp as her foot slipped between his legs.

"Got somewhere in mind?" he asked, eagerly.

Just a few minutes later, he found himself being pulled enthusiastically into a small supply closet in an empty hallway on the thirty-fifth floor. His first full day as a Turk was finally looking up.

* * *

Remy and Sato finally emerged from Veld's office. The shouting between the two of them had echoed down the corridor until the Turk commander had at last decided he'd had enough and silenced them once again. Tseng had been encamped in his own office across the hall, waiting for _his_ turn.

"Tseng? Join me in my office," his superior's voice demanded through the closed door. Tseng sighed and stood up, resigned to his fate, and crossed the hallway. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

"You said you could handle sorting this idiocy out," Veld said, accusingly.

"Yes, sir. I... haven't been quite as successful as I'd thought I would be."

"I will not have various corners of Turk headquarters being blown to pieces every few days. Either _you_ get them in line, or I _will_. This is your last chance in this matter. One more incident, and I'm going to have to take care of it myself. It _cannot_ continue. Is that _clear_ , Tseng?"

Tseng tried not to flinch. He didn't like to disappoint his mentor... but thus far, what should have been the relatively simple task of maintaining order in the ranks had become an impossible hurdle. Remy was on edge over her potential promotion, and Sato was just enough of a jerk to relentlessly needle her over her anxiety. Their antics were not only making _him_ look bad personally... it was making the Turks as a whole look bad.

"Yes, sir," he said at last, dejected. What really stung was that it had been _Tseng_ who'd pushed for more responsibility. Keeping his subordinates in line was actually a bit outside his job description. As second in command, his _primary_ duties were to oversee training regimens, and act as a field commander on assignments. Making sure his fellow Turks didn't kill one another was more Veld's territory. But Tseng had always been something of an overachiever. He'd wanted the responsibility desperately. Moreover, he wanted to prove himself to Veld.

Which was also why he'd been so determined to recruit Reno. It had taken him months to talk to man into at last letting him take on a rookie of his own. And he had no illusions that a large part of Veld's decision to finally allow it was due to the heavy losses they'd suffered in a botched raid six months ago. Eleven Turks had been killed, each of them more than a mere acquaintance... they were as good as family. It had been a heavy blow to them all.

And it had more than halved their numbers. It didn't help, either, that word of what had happened had leaked to the ranks of the recruiting program... with all of the gory – and it _had_ been gory – details. Few of those going through the training and evaluations had stuck around, and only one of the few who remained had been far enough along to even be considered for promotion. Two others had been on thin ice... one of which had nearly washed out twice already. Veld had refused to promote _either_ of them, no matter how desperate they were.

Thus, they had a single rookie to replace eleven seasoned Turks. Rude had been promoted three weeks after the last funeral.

Tseng had stopped just short of literally begging to get Reno on board and train him in the field. Somewhat to his amazement, Veld had eventually relented and agreed. He was fairly certain the tipping point had been when he'd asked that the teenager be his first solo rookie. One that he would train entirely on his own. It was a right of passage that Tseng had long wanted to take on, but had been told repeatedly that he wasn't ready for.

"How is Reno adjusting to the Plate?" Veld suddenly asked, shifting the topic of conversation to what he almost certainly had to know was at the forefront of Tseng's thoughts.

"He's only been here since Monday, sir," Tseng replied.

"That's not what I asked."

"He's... still a bit intimidated and overwhelmed. But once he settles in, he'll be fine, sir."

"Where is he now?"

"I sent him to lunch." He carefully omitted the fact that he'd sent him to lunch largely because Tseng hadn't wanted his new rookie to watch him being reprimanded by his _own_ mentor. Losing his temper with the redhead the way he had had been embarrassing enough, particularly given that the boy really hadn't _done_ anything to warrant it. He didn't need Reno seeing his other flaws being put on display, as well.

"I'd like to meet him as soon as he returns."

"Yes, sir."

Veld nodded once, and took a seat at his desk.

"You're dismissed."

~end chapter 9~


	10. Rude

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 10: Rude**

 **by Desha**

Izzy grinned as she tucked her blouse back into her skirt and smoothed down her hair. She leaned in close to him and kissed him.

"Anytime you'd like to do _that_ again... gimme a call," she whispered in his ear. She kissed him again, and slipped out the door. Reno listened as the sound of high heels on tile faded.

" _Fuck_ , I love this job..." he breathed, wondering just how many more Izzys there might be upstairs. He hurriedly pulled on and straightened out his own clothes, then glanced at the little clock on his new phone... and grinned. He still had a _few_ minutes to kill before Tseng would start wondering where he'd disappeared to.

He was planning on seeing what sort of 'convenience items' the shop on Three sold. He had no idea whether or not this kind of thing was going to be a regular occurrence... but just in case, it never hurt to be prepared.

Reno opened the door a crack and furtively peered out. Once he was satisfied that the coast was clear, he slipped into the hallway and headed for the elevators, hitting the button for the third floor. A few other people boarded as it descended, most getting off well before he reached his destination. At last it arrived, and he stepped out onto the walkway that encircled the central atrium encompassing the first three floors of the building. He walked into the shop, listening to the quiet music playing over the speakers on the walls.

He hadn't had much time to browse earlier, so he took the opportunity to take a quick look around. There really was a _lot_ of stuff for sale. Beyond the cheesy gift items – of which there seemed to be an absurd amount – there were socks and ties, little travel kits, gym bags, workout clothes, swimwear, cigarettes (under a very prominent sign reminding him that smoking was strictly prohibited inside the building), laser pointers, sunglasses, watch batteries, phone chargers... it just went on and on. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for.

He started for the register, but paused in front of a display of sunglasses, and picked up a pair of particularly stylish ones. At thirty-five gil, they'd put a hell of a dent in his fifty gil a month allowance... but they _were_ pretty cool. And he _had_ the money to spend... why not enjoy it a little?

A few minutes later, purchases made, he was back aboard the elevator, heading upstairs again. He grinned as he put on the sunglasses and studied his reflection in the mirrored wall. Satisfied, he pushed them up onto his forehead. As an added bonus, besides just looking cool, they also sort of kept his permanently unkempt hair out of his eyes.

The elevator deposited him back on fifty-eight, and all seemed quiet. He wondered if Tseng was talking to Veld... or if he'd escaped his wrath by now. They hadn't quite finished the tour of headquarters, so Reno wasn't sure which office might be Tseng's. He supposed he could ask Saya... assuming she was still here. But she'd probably gone off to lunch herself at this point.

He opted to return to the lounge. Tseng _had_ to head back in that direction eventually. As he slipped inside, he discovered that the lounge wasn't as empty as he'd left it an hour or so ago. Another Turk sat silently at the table in the corner, writing up what looked to be some sort of report.

He was broad-shouldered and bald with the build of a brawler. If the rookie'd had to guess, he would have put the man's age at awfully damn close to his own. _Maybe_ older... but not by much. He glanced up as the redhead entered, and surprisingly warm brown eyes met Reno's. The Turk nodded once in acknowledgment and then went back to his report.

"Um... You haven't seen Tseng around by any chance, have ya?" he asked, a little hesitant to interrupt. The other Turk didn't look up again.

"Nope."

"... What about Saya?"

"Lunch."

"Oh."

He supposed he could just _call_ Tseng and let him know he was back. Though, if he was still getting reamed out by Veld, he _might_ not appreciate the interruption. He sighed and took a seat at the table. At least he had some company.

"I'm Reno, by the way."

"Rude," the other man responded, and the redhead blinked, wondering if his interruption was really annoying the guy _that_ much. It took him a moment to realize the 'Rude' was his name... not commentary on the rookie's social skills.

"You... don't talk much, do ya?" he replied. Rude glanced up briefly and shrugged, then went back to his report again.

"... If I'm buggin' ya, feel free to tell me to fuck off."

The steady, methodical writing abruptly halted.

"You're not."

Reno grinned and ducked his head trying to catch the other Turk's eye. "You ever say more than two words at a time?" he teased. Rude turned his head, looking away awkwardly.

"..."

"Heh... Guess that's a no." Reno snickered. "Don't worry about it. I talk enough for _ten_ people."

 _That_ drew a quiet laugh from his new acquaintance, and Rude finally focused on him directly.

"So..." the redhead continued, "Been a Turk long?"

"... About five months."

Reno's grin widened. "Oh, thank fuck... I'm not the _only_ new guy. Relatively speakin'. Gotta tell ya, this is a lot to take in all at once. And I didn't exactly get a whole lot of notice beforehand. But... I guess you'd know all about that, too."

Rude shook his head.

"Not exactly."

Reno cocked his head to one side, curious. "What'dya mean?"

He cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. "... I was in the recruiting program for almost a year before I was promoted."

"Recruiting program?"

"That's how it usually works. You're a special case."

"... What's so special about me?" he asked, somewhat taken aback. Rude only shrugged and looked down again, obviously somewhat ill at ease over revealing information that Reno hadn't known anything about.

Reno ran his fingers through his hair, huffing in irritation as they knocked the sunglasses he'd forgotten he was wearing askew. He pulled them off and set them on the table in front of him.

"So... you're tellin' me that the Turks _don't_ typically just show up at your door and tell ya that they've been watchin' you want you to join 'em?"

"..."

Reno sighed quietly. Apparently direct questioning wasn't going to work on his new friend. The redhead actually got the impression that it was more than just a fellow rookie being careful about talking about things he might not supposed to be talking about, though. Rude seemed... a little shy. Time to change tactics.

"You ever been down to that shop on three? Place has _everything_ ," he said, picking up his new sunglasses, "Got these down there. Tseng's gonna kill me if he finds out I blew through over half my limit on my first day... Couldn't resist, though. First time I've ever been able to just _do_ shit like that and not worry about it. Here... try 'em."

He held the sunglasses out and after a moment, Rude took them and obligingly slipped them on. He snorted softly.

"Spent half my paycheck down there my first week without even realizing it. I try and stay away from it now."

The redhead laughed. "Yeah... Tseng warned me about that. And then he put a 50 gil limit on my account so I couldn't _do_ that. _Whiiiiiiiich_ I probably woulda."

"... A lot different from the slums, isn't it?"

The rookie froze, suddenly on edge. "... How'd you know I was from the slums?" he asked, uncertain of Rude's opinion on slum rats.

"It's what I do," his fellow rookie replied.

"What's _that_ mean?"

For the first time since they'd started talking Rude grinned back at him and then flashed him a somewhat smug smirk.

"Your name is Reno James Donovan. Sixteen years old, from the Sector Two slums. No living family, but you spend a lot of time with a woman named Lira who recently moved to Wall Market to work for Don Corneo. Before Tseng recruited you, you worked as a bartender at the Lonely Dragon in Sector Three. You're afraid of needles, you don't know how to swim, and you prefer to smoke Plate's Edge brand cigarettes." He paused for a moment, and then added, "You also skipped out on lunch to fool around with a girl from forty-eight this afternoon."

Reno could only stare at him, slightly dumbfounded. Which only seemed to embolden the other man more.

"My specialty is intelligence and surveillance."

The redhead suddenly laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, well... you're fuckin' good at it, man. Uh... How'd ya know about what me 'n Izzy got up to earlier, anyway?"

"Hmph... Building has cameras in every hallway, and lot of other places, too. I just happened to be down in Security watching at the time. Saw you two sneak off from the cafeteria and kept an eye on you."

Reno smirked. "Enjoy the show?" he asked, teasingly. Rude flushed bright red and looked down at his report again.

"I wasn't watching _that_."

"Relax, I was just kiddin' around. Who'd put a camera in a closet, anyway?" he snickered. "Uh... heh... Could ya maybe do me a favor and _not_ mention anything about that to anyone else, though? I'm not sure me spendin' my lunch hour gettin' laid in a supply closet would go over so well with Tseng..."

"Mention what?" Rude replied, chuckling a little.

"Thanks, man."

They fell into a short silence, until Rude at last ventured, "... You doing anything after work?"

The other rookie shook his head.

"Not as far as I know... Ifrit only knows what Tseng's got planned, though," he replied, folding his arms behind his head and leaning his chair back so that it was teetered on its back legs.

"I _had_ intended on taking you on a tour of the city after work, actually."

Both men jumped slightly at the unexpected interjection... but Reno, in his reclined position, quickly lost his balance, the chair toppling over and spilling him onto the floor with a loud crash. He heard a snort of laughter from Rude's general direction and glared up at Tseng.

"Would you quit _doin'_ that?! You're gonna give me a fuckin' heart attack!"

Tseng chuckled and helped the younger man to his feet. "Veld would like to meet you," he stated. "And if you would prefer to postpone exploring Midgar in favor of getting to know one of your teammates better, that's fine by me. Both are equally as important."

"Meet you here at five?" Rude asked, offering him back his sunglasses.

"Keep 'em. They look better on you anyway," the redhead grinned. "See ya then."

Rude slipped the glasses back on and gave him a wave before returning to the report he'd been working on when Reno had come in. Tseng escorted his rookie out into the hall and around the corner, past Sato and Saya's office.

"This is _my_ office, incidentally," he said, gesturing to to a door, "I don't believe we made it quite this far earlier." He turned and took a few steps across the hall, knocking on a second door. "And this is Veld's office."

"Come in," a voice from within called. Tseng turned the knob and pushed the door open, and Reno hurried to follow him inside. The redhead glanced around. The office was a huge room that took up one corner of their floor. They probably could have fit four or five desks in there if they'd wanted to, and still had ample space. The walls were lined with shelves containing an odd collection of everything from weapons to more decorative pieces. He paused briefly in front of an intricately carved figurine of a little girl and her mother before continuing on and at last arriving in front of the large mahogany desk near the far end of the room. Tall windows stood directly behind him, their blinds open, leaving the Turk leader little more than a silhouette.

Tseng took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk, and Reno, after a moment's hesitation, occupied the other. Veld leaned forward, looking him over.

"You're out of uniform."

"Uhhh... Y-yes, sir," the redhead stammered, nervously. "I... um... met Rufus Shinra this morning."

"I see. And what was your impression of our future Vice President?"

Reno glanced over at Tseng, hoping for a clue as to what the man wanted to hear... but the Wutaiian Turk was utterly inscrutable. Fuck it... if he was going to fuck this up anyway, he might speak his mind.

"Guy's a real dick."

Veld studied him for a moment, frowning... and then laughed. Tseng, meanwhile, was pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.

"Well... at least you're honest," Veld commented, still chuckling. "I'm not going to mince words with you, Reno. I'm not nearly as certain as Tseng seems to be about you. But... I do trust my lieutenant implicitly. If he thinks you'll make a good addition to the team, I'm inclined to give you the opportunity to make me eat my words. Don't waste it."

"Yes, sir... er... no, sir. I won't."

Veld nodded. "In that case... Welcome to the Turks."

* * *

The remainder of the day went far more quickly than Reno would have thought possible. He and Tseng had continued the building tour all the way up to the sixty-ninth floor. The seventieth, he was told, was taken up entirely by the President's office and private rooms. Tseng hadn't specified what, precisely those rooms included, but Reno got the idea that they were largely for entertainment purposes... both for the president's own benefit, and for that of any VIP guests he happened to be meeting with.

They'd briefly explored the rooftop, where two helicopters sat, fueled and ready. One was the official transportation of the president and the other executives. The other belonged to the Turks. Reno had been particularly interested in _that_ one... and Tseng had promised him that he could eventually be certified to fly it.

By five, the redhead was starving, tired, and a little sore from all the walking around... but looking forward to meeting up with Rude again. He found him, along with Saya and Kai in the Turks' lounge... still wearing his new sunglasses.

"Hey," he said, stepping inside.

"Survived yer first day, did yeh?" Saya snickered, "What'd yeh do ta the poor thing, Tseng? He looks half-dead on his feet."

"Seventy floors is a lot to explore," the Turk lieutenant replied, before returning his attention to his charge. "I'll see you tonight. By _ten_."

Kai suddenly cackled. "Our new little Turkling has a bedtime!"

Reno scowled at the woman, heat rising rapidly in his cheeks.

"Our new Turk is sixteen, and thus has a _curfew_ because I will not have him wandering an unfamiliar city at all hours," Tseng retorted, though it didn't silence her snickering. "Is that a _problem_?"

"Not at all, sir. I think it's adorable."

The redhead suddenly wanted very much to sink into the floor. An arm encircled his shoulders, and he found himself drawn close against Rude's side.

"Be quiet, Kai."

To Reno's surprise, the woman _did_ at last go quiet, staring up at the pair of them.

"The silent rookie speaks..." she said, with feigned astonishment, and grinned. Saya calmly reached over and smacked her on the back of the head.

"Ah, quit teasin' the rookies, yeh little pain in the arse. They get enougha that durin' training."

" _You_ are just no fun at _all_ ," Kai replied, and stuck her tongue out at the other woman.

"Let's go," Rude said quietly, while the pair was preoccupied with one another. Reno smirked and joined him in his bid for the door, and before he knew it, they were aboard the elevator, heading downstairs to the parking deck.

~end chapter 10~


	11. Games

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 11: Games**

 **by Desha**

"... _Nice_."

Rude opened up the door on the passenger's side of the large, black pickup truck parked in one of the spaces reserved for the Turks. Reno grinned and hopped inside. He wondered if the company would give _him_ a car, or if that was something he'd have to save up for and buy himself. He kind of hoped it was the former...

Of course... he'd have to actually learn how to _drive_ first.

"So. What's the plan?" he asked, as Rude climbed behind the wheel.

"Food?"

"You fuckin' read my mind..." the redhead replied.

"You like seafood? Been playing around with some new recipes... It'd be nice to try them out on someone besides myself for a change."

"Heh... if I can eat it and not die, I like it just fine," he replied, smirking, "You like to cook or somethin'?"

"... It's a hobby," Rude replied, looking a little embarrassed.

"That's cool. I kinda suck at it. My friend Lira's not so great at it either, but at least her stuff comes out mostly tastin' like _food_ instead of like death..."

"She a friend... or a girlfriend?"

"Friend," Reno stated emphatically, but added, "with... ya know... benefits. We're not an item, though. It's... complicated. She's more like a sister."

"That you sleep with," Rude said, snickering.

"Like I said," the redhead laughed, "Complicated. What about you?"

"No girlfriend. Haven't really been in Midgar long enough to look... Only about a year and a half. I came to join the recruitment program, so I was more focused on training than dating. Then I got promoted to the Turks, and..." He paused, laughing to himself for a moment. "Well... you'll find out what _that's_ like soon enough."

They turned onto the freeway, heading into Sector Five. Traffic was heavy, with hundreds – maybe even thousands – of people heading home from work for the evening.

"So where'd you live before?" Reno asked.

"Rocket Town. Born and raised." He took the next exit, and several blocks later pulled into a parking lot. The building was much taller than the one Tseng lived in... but didn't look quite as exclusive. He saw balconies side by side, row after row. Obviously, smaller apartments and more than one tenant per level. Rude parked near the side entrance, and led him up to the second floor. Reno wasn't particularly surprised by how nice it was inside. That seemed to be the norm up here on the Plate.

"Want a beer?" Rude asked, tossing his keys on the counter.

"Oh, dear Ifrit, _yes_..." the redhead sighed. "Apparently I'm not allowed in the bars up here."

The other Turk sniggered, and headed to the fridge, extracting two bottles and passing one over to his guest. "Neither am I... technically. I look old enough I can usually pass with a fake ID. And if you ask nicely, Sato will pick you up something from the store. For a small fee."

Reno opened his drink, and took a long swig from the bottle. "... Any chance you could point me to where _I_ could get one of those fake IDs?" he asked hopefully.

"Could. Might not work for you, though. You look about twelve," he replied teasingly.

"Hey!" The redhead couldn't help the grin that spread over his face, though. He was starting to like this guy. Rude flashed him a smile and turned back to the kitchen. "Heh... Why do I get the feeling I'm gonna be gettin' that a lot?"

"Well, you _are_ the youngest Turk. Ever."

Reno choked slightly on the sip he'd just taken. "What'dya mean 'ever'? Like _ever_ ever?"

"Far as I can tell. Usually people who end up as Turks are either recruited because they already _have_ experience, or enlist in the recruitment program for a year or two, training and learning about the job. Just about everyone is at least eighteen before promotion... I was four months shy. Just turned last month. Most are in their twenties," said Rude. He snickered and added, "So... yeah. You're the baby of the family."

"Oh, terrific. _That's_ not gonna get old or anything..." Reno laughed. By then, Rude had gathered a slew of ingredients onto the counter and was seasoning a couple of generously cut fish fillets with salt and pepper. "So what's for dinner?"

"Almond crusted tilapia with grilled asparagus." He set a skillet on the stove and added butter and olive oil before turning on the heat.

"Sounds fancy... considerin' I have no idea what half of that is," the redhead said, peering around Rude's broad frame.

"Which half?"

"Put it this way... I recognized the word 'crusted'. And 'grilled'. And... ' _with_ '."

Rude snorted softly in laughter.

* * *

"Tseng... a word, please?"

He'd nearly made it to the elevator. He should have known better. The Wutaiian Turk halted his departure and turned back to his mentor.

"Of course," he replied, and followed the man back to his office.

"You're _certain_ this is what you want? It's not _easy_ training a rookie who's gone through recruitment and already _has_ a idea what he's getting himself into. Training one entirely in the field... hmph... There's a reason we don't generally do that, you know."

"And you believe I can't," Tseng said, sourly. Veld shook his head.

"I didn't say that. It's just... I would have preferred your first to have been someone _not_ so heavily skewed toward potential failure. He's just a child. Undisciplined, untrained... bordering on uncivilized, from what you've told me."

Tseng snorted. "He's far more civilized than _Sato_ , and we haven't dismissed _that_ lunatic yet."

The Turk leader cracked a smile at that. "I suppose you _do_ have a point there. Still... Why _him_? Why take on such a burden when you know you don't have to?"

"... It's... difficult to explain," Tseng said with a shake of his head. "I would likely not have returned from that mission in Sector Three had I not met him. He put himself at risk for someone he didn't even know. And the more I've watched him, the more certain I've become that this is the right choice for me... even if it _will_ be difficult."

"You always were stubborn," Veld sighed. "Well... Have it your way. But don't expect me to go easy on him just because he's young and inexperienced." He chuckled quietly. "Don't expect me to go easy on _you_ either, for that matter."

"Name one time you _ever_ went easy on me, sir."

* * *

Reno grinned and took his shot. The cue ball rebounded and sent the eight ball rolling... directly into the corner pocket. He laughed victoriously.

"So... _How_ many times do I have ta kick your ass before you finally give up?" he asked, leaning smugly against the table. After dinner... which had been amazing, in Reno's not-so-expert opinion... the pair had retreated to the little game room on the first floor of the building for a few games of pool. So far, Reno was not only in the lead... he was annihilating his opponent.

Rude snickered. "Should've known you'd be a pool shark."

"Hey, ya work in a bar, you end up playin' a lot," Reno shrugged. "'Sides... Once you figure out it's all about the angles, it's hardly even a challenge."

"Hmph... You want a challenge, huh?"

Rude set his cue down and walked over to a table across the room, and Reno hurried to follow, curious what he had in mind. The other Turk opened a nearby cabinet and pulled out a long wooden box before taking a seat. The redhead followed suit. The table itself was inlaid with an eight by eight grid.

"Ever play chess?" Rude asked, and Reno shook his head. He opened the box and began removing the various pieces for the game, setting them out in a very particular order on the board. "It's not that hard to learn... but its hard to _win_. Each piece moves in a specific way." He picked up a small tower-like figure at the end of the row. "Rooks can move any number of spaces, but only in straight lines." He set it down and picked up one from closer to the center. "Bishops can move any number of spaces, but only diagonally."

"Okay... So what's the goal?"

Rude picked up one of the two center-most figures. "To capture the king. You have to get your pieces into a position so that the other player's king can't make a move without being taken... while protecting your _own_."

Reno skeptically cocked an eyebrow. "And that's s'posed to be hard?"

"We'll see how you feel after a game or two," Rude replied, smirking. The redhead shrugged and made himself more comfortable.

"If you say so... Show me how the rest of these guys move."

* * *

Almost three hours later, Rude stared down at the board in disbelief.

"Checkmate."

The bald Turk shook his head, studying the pieces that surrounded his king.

"... Can't be." But it was... there were no moves remaining for him. The redhead sitting across from him grinned.

"Thought you said this game was _hard_ ," he teased. Rude groaned and tipped his king over, conceding the game.

"You sure you've never played this before?" Granted, he was no grandmaster... but he'd been playing chess since he was little. He _knew_ the game, and he knew he was at least _halfway_ decent at it. And yet, he'd just been thoroughly whipped by a kid from the slums who claimed to have never played in his life. _Eleven times_! The only game he'd managed to win had been their very first, and likely only because it had taken his opponent a little while to pick it up. "How can you be this good?" he finally asked.

Reno only shrugged again.

"I dunno. I just don't think it's all that hard. I mean, there's only so many places you can move, which means there's only so many places _I_ can move. I just... plan ahead so I don't get cornered. That's all."

He was playing against a goddamn natural. That was the only explanation for it. Rude laughed, and leaned back in his chair.

"... 'That's all', he says. Think I'm starting to see why Tseng was so interested in recruiting you."

"What, 'cause I'm good at games?" Reno queried.

"Because you see things like this different than most people. Bet you'd make a hell of a strategist with a little training."

"... Ya think?" he asked, uncertainly. The redhead leaned back, hands behind his head, apparently giving it some thought. Suddenly, though, his gaze snapped to something over Rude's shoulder, and he paled slightly. "Oh, _fuck_..."

"What?" Rude asked in concern.

"It's like five minute to ten. Tseng's gonna murder me if I'm late..."

Both rookies hesitated a second or two longer, and then shot out of their seats, running for the door.

* * *

Tseng glowered at the clock. Twenty minutes. It was _twenty minutes_ after ten, and his rookie was still absent. He was just reaching for his PHS to call him when the front door opened and a rather guilty looking redhead peered around it. Upon spotting the Turk lieutenant, he cringed, and slowly slipped into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Your curfew is at ten," Tseng stated, arms folded over his chest.

"... Yeah... I know."

"Then perhaps you're also aware that it is now ten _twenty_. Where have you been?"

"Just... with Rude. I wasn't payin' real good attention to what time it was, 'n we got into playin' some games, 'n... I, mean, I came straight here soon as we realized! I'm _sorry_ , alright?!"

"You're grounded for the remainder of the week. Work, and then home. That's it," Tseng stated. He hated to do it... but as Veld had said, Reno _was_ undisciplined. And he wasn't going to improve if his mentor let him slide on every little thing.

"W-wait... what?! I was only twenty fuckin' minutes late, and it was a fuckin' _accident_... and now I'm on some fuckin' house arrest bullshit?!"

"Precisely. Go to bed. You'll want to get plenty of sleep for tomorrow. Training begins, first thing."

Reno's eyes narrowed, and he stomped up to the older Turk. "Just what the _hell_ gives you the right –"

" _I_ am your commanding officer, _and_ your legal guardian, and that gives me _every_ right. You were aware of the rules, and you broke them. You will now deal with the consequences. Now... go to bed."

The redhead sputtered, searching for a response, and finding none suitable, at last simply stormed off to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Tseng sighed and sank down into his favorite armchair. Veld was right. This was going to be no simple task. But he'd made his choice and he wasn't about to give up and take the easy way out.

"Leviathan give me strength," he breathed.

~end chapter 11~


	12. Deeper Trouble

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 12: Deeper Trouble**

 **by Desha**

Reno punched his fist into one of the pillows on his bed, taking out his frustration on the bedding. Fucking Tseng and his _fucking_ rules. It was twenty lousy minutes. It's not like he'd gone out to the bars 'til two a.m. and come back drunk off his ass or got caught stealing food and had his ass thoroughly kicked by its rightful owners. He could see him getting pissed over something like _that_ … but twenty Ifrit-forsaken minutes late 'cause Rude had to drive him across town?!

The redhead growled in frustration, and flopped onto the bed. This was complete bullshit. Twenty minutes late and now he was restricted to this apartment any time he wasn't working for the rest of the damn week. It wasn't fucking fair.

It's not like he'd even really _agreed_ to that stupid ass rule in the first place. Tseng had just _informed_ him that he now had a ten o'clock curfew. For Shiva's sake... down in the slums he'd still be _working_ at ten.

In the back of his mind, he knew he was being a little irrational. There was a perfectly good reason his new mentor didn't want him out late. But goddammit, he was pissed off right now, and the little voice in his head warning him not to do something stupid was presently being drowned out by the impossible to ignore need to prove to himself that Tseng wasn't his fucking master.

That thought in mind, he wrenched open the drawer in his nightstand and pulled out the cash and smokes he'd brought with him from the slums, shoving them into a pocket, and crept over to one of the windows. Before he could talk himself out of it, he slid it open and slipped out into the night.

* * *

Tseng paused outside of Reno's door, debating with himself as to whether or not he should try to have a slightly less antagonistic conversation with the young man before going to bed. Ultimately, though... he decided that they _both_ needed a little time to cool off. He let the redhead be, and continued on, disappearing into his bedroom and shutting the door behind him.

Perhaps he'd been just a _bit_ harsh with the teenager. The infraction _had_ been a minor one... as well as unintentional. He'd simply been having fun with a new friend and lost track of time. Hardly an unforgivable offense. And he _had_ tried to make it back in a timely manner when he'd realized he was going to be late.

Tseng sighed and changed for bed. He'd reduce the rookie's sentence to something more fitting of the crime first thing in the morning. For now, though, he'd let the redhead calm down and sleep. Tomorrow _was_ his first day of training, after all.

* * *

Wandering at night made the Plate seem _almost_ familiar, with everything bathed in the soft glow of mako-powered streetlights. Reno calmly lit a cigarette, and inhaled a deep lungful of smoke as he made his way across the park. He didn't have any particular destination in mind... and he didn't intend to stay out long. He just wanted to prove, if only to himself, that he was still his own person... no matter _what_ Tseng might think.

It wasn't that he was ungrateful. If anything, Tseng had gifted him, in three short days, with a whole new life and the chance to escape the slow, withering torture of the slums. He could never repay him for that, and he _certainly_ didn't want to fuck things up.

At the same time, though, he didn't want to feel caged. The slums may have been bad... but there was a certain freedom down below that he'd been unexpectedly stripped of up here. Under the Plate, no one gave a shit if he stayed up all night, or drank himself stupid, or fucked around with half the girls in the neighborhood. Having someone who _did_ care was proving to be a little harder to get used to than he'd thought it would be.

He finished off his cigarette, and ground the butt beneath his boot. Maybe he'd overreacted a little.

Reno found that, by then, he'd traversed the entire park and come out on the next block over, and it occurred to him that he probably ought to head back before he ended up getting himself lost. The mako lights may have been familiar, but the terrain was decidedly not. One wrong turn and he'd have a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Before he could turn around, however, a sign glowing across the street caught his eye.

The redhead grinned, and hurried over. A quick side trip couldn't hurt.

* * *

"Alright. In you go."

Reno grumbled in annoyance as the officer escorting him gestured to the small cell in front of him. The redhead begrudgingly stepped inside, and the barred door shut behind him with a loud, metallic slam that caused him to flinch violently.

"You're gonna be sorry when you find out who I am," he said, trying his best to sound intimidating. He had a feeling the cop wasn't buying it. Though... _that_ was kind of was his own fault for heading out without his company ID. At sixteen... and still easily mistaken for someone younger... he should have known better than to expect anyone to actually believe him when he told them he was a Turk.

Particularly given that he'd been drinking at the time. Tseng had warned him that the bars topside weren't as lenient as the ones in the slums... but the Wutaiian son of a bitch hadn't said a damn thing about the liquor stores!

Though, in retrospect, that _probably_ should have been obvious... In fact, now that he thought about it, he remembered Rude saying something about Sato being up for buying booze for a fee. Why would that be a thing if the rookie could just walk in and buy it himself?

He'd only wanted to stock up a little, seeing as how he couldn't get into the bars and he didn't want to have to keep leeching off of Rude any time he wanted a beer. He should have just turned his ass around and gone home... but no. He'd walked into the liquor store like he owned the place, grabbed a six pack, and cracked one open on the way to the counter.

Sometimes Reno _really_ wondered if he was _that_ stupid. And sometimes he was forced to conclude that yes. Yes, he was.

"Oh, really?" the officer replied, clearly not having heard the teenager's inner monologue. "Something tells me, _you're_ the one who's 'gonna be sorry'... when I get ahold of your _parents_. Now... are you going to give me their number, or are we going to do this the hard way?"

Reno folded his arms over his chest and scowled. He couldn't have given the asshole Tseng's number if he'd wanted to. He'd left his phone back at the apartment alongside his ID.

"Suit yourself. Just means you're going to be in there even longer while I run your prints," the man said with a shrug, and turned on his heel, striding back down the hallway.

"H-hey! You can't just fuckin' leave me here! Don't I get a damn phone call?!" he called after him. That's what he'd always seen on TV, anyway. He'd sort of been counting on it, actually... He may not have known _Tseng's_ number off the top of his head, but Izzy's was still scrawled faintly on his hand. He could probably talk her into coming to bail him out... or at least getting in touch with Rude for him. His fellow rookie would _definitely_ come get him. He could be out of here and sneaking back through his bedroom window, and Tseng would never know. Hopefully...

"Soon as you're sober," the officer responded, not bothering to turn back.

"I'm not drunk, goddammit!" Reno retorted, but by then he'd already slipped through the door at the end of the hallway and back into the station. The redhead groaned, whatever bravado he may have still had quickly draining away. "Well, _that's_ just fuckin' terrific..."

Tseng was gonna kill him when he found out about this. Legitimately _kill_ him.

With a sigh, Reno took a seat on the uncomfortable little bench that was attached to the wall. No... Tseng wasn't gonna kill him. He was just gonna boot him back to the Sector Two slums first chance he got. For Ifrit's sake, the redhead hadn't even been a Turk a full week yet, and he was already sitting in a fucking jail cell. The Turk lieutenant had even told him, explicitly, within hours of bringing him up, that if this happened he wasn't going to be happy about it.

Reno had gotten the biggest break of his miserable, worthless little life, and he'd just fucked it up for some cheap booze. As the full weight of that reality settled on him, he felt his stomach turn. He didn't want to go back. Sure... he didn't _have_ to stay in Sector Two... but the slums were the slums, no matter which of them he moved to. He _hated_ it down below. Especially now, after seeing what he could have up here on the Plate.

The sixteen year old soon-to-be-ex-Turk pulled his legs up onto the bench and hugged his knees to his chest, burying his face against his arms. He was so _fucking_ stupid! Tears of anger, fear, and frustration prickled at the corners of his eyes, and he willed them back. He was _not_ going to cry over this. He'd found a way to live down below before... he could do it again. It wasn't the end of the world.

… It was just the end of his dream to get out of there and never go back, that was all. Because he had no illusions that he was _ever_ going to get a second chance at escape from that hellhole.

A moment later, a quiet sob finally escaped his lips.

* * *

Tseng was yanked unceremoniously from the edge of beautiful sleep by the insistent ringing of his PHS. The phone vibrated, clattering loudly against the tabletop, in between rings. He rolled over, and answered it instinctively. If he was receiving a call this late, it had to be important.

"Yes... ?" he answered, without looking at the caller ID. He'd expected it to be Veld, calling him with an emergency assignment. Instead, an unfamiliar voice answered.

"Is this Tseng Itsudake?"

"Speaking..." he responded, sitting up in bed and switching on the lamp on the nightstand.

"This is Sergeant Parkins with the Midgar Police Department. We have your ward, one Reno Donovan, in custody."

The Turk was out of bed in an instant, and moving quickly down the hallway. He shoved the door to Reno's room open, and found it empty, the window on the far wall open a crack. Before he could stop himself, he swore loudly in Wutaiian, and stormed back to his own room.

"Which station?" he snapped at the phone in his hand. At the same time, he was reaching for the clothes he'd only just changed out of.

"Substation F on 82nd," the officer answered.

"I'll be _right_ there."

Tseng stepped into the Sector One police substation less than ten minutes later, half expecting his new charge to be waiting defiantly at the door for him. Most likely in handcuffs. He approached the desk just inside, where an officer was seated, shuffling through a pile of paperwork.

"I was notified that my ward is in custody," he stated, doing his best to keep the anger he felt out of his voice. After all, it wasn't local law enforcement's fault that his rookie had snuck out, he presumed, in retaliation for being punished. No... The blame for _that_ lay squarely on _Reno's_ shoulders... and the little redhead was going to bear the full brunt of Tseng's displeasure just as soon as they got home.

And to think, barely an hour ago, he'd come to the conclusion that he was being too _harsh_ with the boy...

The officer looked up, setting the folders aside. "The redhead?"

"That would be him, I'm afraid," the Turk replied. The man nodded and turned toward the squad room.

"Hey, Parkins! The kid's guardian is here!"

An older police officer made his way to the front, holding out his hand in greeting. Tseng shook it, and followed him to his desk.

"How much trouble has he caused?" he asked. The officer chuckled slightly.

"To be honest... I wish all my arrests went so easy. He doesn't seem like a _bad_ kid. Little bit of a mouth on him, but... that's pretty normal for a teenage boy."

Tseng resisted the urge to sigh in relief. At least he wasn't going to be dealing with assault charges, or something equally as problematic.

"What exactly did he _do_?"

"I picked him up at a liquor store on 78th street. He was attempting to purchase beer and thought he'd help himself to one on his way to the register. He's being charged with underage drinking and disorderly conduct. The owner _has_ declined to press additional charges for theft, as he had enough on him to pay for it."

The Wutaiian Turk pinched the bridge of his nose roughly between his thumb and forefinger. Of all the _idiotic_ things to do...

"... I see," he said, flatly.

"Now that being the case... it's a three hundred and fifty gil fine. He can appeal it if he wants to... but just so you know, I make it a special point to show up for underage drinking cases, and he's on camera at the store where he was arrested."

"Oh... he'll _pay_ the fine," Tseng stated, with a note of finality. "Every last gil of it."

That would be most of Reno's first paycheck... which he would be receiving on Friday. Or, rather, _not_ receiving, as the case may be, given that it was now already spent.

"So... I gotta ask. Kid tried claiming he was a Turk when I picked him up. Didn't believe him, of course. He's just a kid. Then I ran his prints and they come back as not only a Shinra employee but a ward of the company, and I got to wondering. Is he... really?"

Tseng smirked slightly. At least Reno would be learning a lesson tonight about carrying his credentials with him whether he was on duty or not. "He... _will_ be. Assuming I can survive his training with my sanity in tact... May I have him back now?"

"Oh, right... of course. This way," the officer replied, shaking his head... likely at the thought of having just arrested a Turk and lived to tell the tale. Tseng followed him into the cell block at the back of the station, and moments later found himself standing in front of a small cell containing one rather miserable-looking redhead. The Turk second in command folded his arms over his chest and stared him down.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

The rookie swallowed sharply and almost immediately dropped his gaze to the floor. Tseng rolled his eyes. The officer unlocked the cell, releasing him to his mentor's custody.

"Let's go, Reno," Tseng said, sternly, and placed a hand between the teenager's shoulder blades, guiding him down the hall.

* * *

The drive back to his apartment was short and spent in silence. Reno, for his part, barely even moved, save to fasten his seatbelt. Tseng parked out front and ushered the young man inside. When he gestured for him to take a seat on the couch, the redhead nervously complied.

"Unbelievable. You were already in trouble, not to mention grounded, and you decide to _sneak out_... and _then_ you manage to get yourself arrested. I'm quite certain I warned you that there would be consequences if you did something foolish enough to force me to come and retrieve you from a prison cell..." he began, "And I believe I _also_ warned you that the rules regarding the legal drinking age in the slums... or more specifically, the lack thereof... do _not_ apply on the Plate."

Reno seemed to shrink in on himself.

"I trust you're prepared for those consequences?" the Turk lieutenant added.

"... Yes, sir," his rookie said, remorse more than apparent in his voice. He dared a glance up at the older Turk, uncertainly. "C-can I at least stay the night?"

Tseng blinked in surprise at the request, not following the teenager's train of thought.

"What in Leviathan's name are you talking about?" he asked, confused. He shook his head and sighed. "Nevermind... You're not going _anywhere_ anytime soon. In addition to the remainder of the week, you're now _also_ restricted to the apartment this weekend. Which is just as well, given that you will have no money for any of the activities you may have been planning anyway. Your first paycheck will be going to pay your fine. And... solely because I'm extraordinarily annoyed with you and know how much you dislike getting up early... we'll be getting up at _five_ tomorrow morning for a run and some extra sparring sessions."

He suddenly realized that Reno was looking up at him, thoroughly mystified.

"You're... not gonna send me back?"

"Back where?"

"... Sector Two?" the young man ventured cautiously. Tseng blinked, shocked out of his anger almost entirely.

"Of course I'm not," Tseng replied, his tone softening slightly, and the redhead's shoulders sagged in relief. "Reno... one, admittedly irritating, but overall trivial infraction is hardly enough to warrant your dismissal." He gently placed a finger under his chin and lifted head so that he was looking at him again, and was more than slightly concerned by the amount of uncertainty he saw in the teenager's eyes. "... though perhaps I should have made that a bit more clear to you. You are not disposable, nor do I suffer from the delusion that you will never make a mistake. I will not be returning you to where I found you for the sin of inconveniencing me."

The next thing Tseng knew, his rookie had launched himself at him, throwing his arms around him and hugging him tightly. The older Turk tensed at Reno being so suddenly attached to him, awkwardly patting the redhead's back. It was right about then that Tseng realized, for the first time, that with a rookie as young as the one he'd chosen... he was going to have to be a bit more than _just_ a mentor.

~end chapter 12~


	13. To Train a Turk

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 13: To Train a Turk**

 **by Desha**

Promptly at four forty-five the next morning, Reno found himself rather rudely awakened from a peaceful slumber as Tseng unabashedly strode into his room, flicked on the light, and began rifling through his closet. He tossed some workout clothes onto the teenager's chest, prompting a groan from the sleepy redhead.

"Time to get up!" he said, with far too much enthusiasm.

"What the fuck, Tseng? It's still dark out..." He rolled over, burying his head under the covers... which were quickly snatched away from him, leaving him huddled, unclothed, in the middle of his bed.

"Up," Tseng repeated. "As I informed you last night, this is part of your punishment. We have a two mile run this morning and then I will be acquainting you with the training hall ahead of schedule."

Reno sighed, forced himself upright, and grudgingly pulled on the sweats. Somehow, he wasn't the least bit surprised that Tseng had been serious about all that.

"Do I at least get breakfast, first? Or am I cut off 'til I learn my lesson?" he grumbled. The senior Turk chuckled softly.

"I see nothing to gain from starving you... nor would I dare risk the good doctor's wrath for doing so when she's already concerned about your weight. Your breakfast is on the table. Though if you wish to eat it, I suggest you hurry. We're leaving in ten minutes whether you're ready to go or not." With that, the Wutaiian withdrew from the room, leaving the redhead to finish his morning routine at a rapid pace.

A few minutes later, he took a seat at the table. Toast, fruit, and oatmeal. Again. Apparently Tseng wasn't much for variety. Not that it really bothered Reno. Food was food, as far as he was concerned, and he bolted it down without a second thought as Tseng watched in silence. He drained the cup of coffee that had been waiting for him as well, and then glanced over at his mentor.

"Alright... I'm ready to be punished," he sighed in resignation.

Tseng smirked and stood up, motioning for the teen to follow him out the back door of the apartment. Reno found himself looking out across the park he'd crept through last night. The mako lights still glowed warmly in the darkness of pre-dawn. The pair made their way down a short path to a wide walkway that stretched out into the morning fog.

"It's exactly two miles around," Tseng stated. "We'll start with a single circuit today, as you're not accustomed to our routine yet."

"Tch... Once around? Please. I could do that in my sleep. And a hell of a lot faster than _you_ could."

Tseng merely smirked. "Feel free to set your own pace, then. I'll meet you back here."

Reno grinned and took off at a sprint. If there was one thing he could do well, it was run. His speed had gotten him out of more than one sticky situation in the past. He'd have this done in nothing flat, and be sitting on a bench waiting for the Turk lieutenant to catch up.

… By the halfway point, he felt like he was dying.

Two miles was whole a lot farther than he'd realized. He staggered to a stop and leaned forward, his hands on his knees, supporting his upper body as he dragged in one gasping breath after another. In hindsight, putting everything he had into that initial burst might not have been the _best_ idea. He stayed like that for several minutes, one hand pressed tightly against the painful stitch that had formed in his side.

Quiet footfalls approached him from behind.

"What was that you were saying about doing this faster than me?" Tseng queried. Much to Reno's utter disgust, the man wasn't even _slightly_ out of breath. _He_ , meanwhile, probably looked like he was about to keel over. The redhead tried to think of something witty to say in response... but the best he could manage at the moment was an exhausted groan. Tseng smirked and jogged past him, leaving him in the dust.

By the time he _did_ finally make it back to where they'd started, he was drenched in sweat and ready to go back to bed. Tseng, on the other hand, was sitting patiently on the bench, waiting for him.

"Tomorrow we'll try for two laps," he said. Reno stared at him incredulously for a moment, and then dropped to the ground, letting his body fall into the cool grass with a soft thud, and lay there, motionless. The senior Turk chuckled. "Must you really be so melodramatic?"

"... Why the _hell_ would anyone wanna _do_ this to themselves everyday?!"

Tseng hoisted him back to his feet. "You'll get used to it. In any event, you have just enough time to shower and change for work. We'll begin your first _real_ workout when we get to the gym."

"... Can't you just kill me _now_ , instead?" the redhead groaned. "Do we really gotta drag it out?"

* * *

They arrived the Shinra Building shortly before six, and Tseng took him straight to the training hall on the thirty-third floor... where they both changed _back_ into workout clothes, and he was marched into the main workout area. Much to Reno's surprise, a familiar face was already there to greet them.

"Good morning, sir," Rude said to the Turk Second, backing away from the punching bag he'd been working at. He flashed the redhead a friendly smile, and, Reno noted, he was still wearing the sunglasses he'd given him.

"Ah, not you _too_ , Rude," Reno lamented. "Don't tell me _you_ get up before the goddamn sun to exercise, like _he_ does..."

"Not _always_."

"Rude, when you're finished would you mind joining us? Reno will be doing _extra_ sparring this morning as punishment for his... transgression... last night. He'll need a partner."

"Yes, sir.," Rude responded. Tseng nodded and led Reno off to the far corner of the hall. He found himself standing on a large, cushioned mat.

"Before we can accomplish much of anything, I need to get some idea of your current fighting skills," Tseng said, "So for now... I simply want you to attack me in any way you wish."

"Uh... 'kay," the redhead replied, hesitantly. Attacking a trained Turk seemed like a terrible idea, frankly. Especially one that he'd thoroughly pissed off less than twelve hours ago. He sighed inaudibly. There was no sense in stalling. He was getting his ass handed to him no matter what he did... might as well get it over with.

Reno aimed a punch at Tseng's face, putting as much force behind it as he could muster... only to have the Wutaiian side-step it easily. His own momentum carried him straight past the man and he hurriedly spun around to try again. This time, he feinted left and then attacked from the right...

Somehow, he wound up flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

"Ow..." he said, dully. The rookie grunted softly as he rolled over and pushed himself to his knees before staggering upright again. "Why do I get the feelin' you're enjoyin' this?"

Tseng merely smiled.

"Again."

He went for the legs next, hoping to knock the senior Turk's feet out from under him... or at least get him off balance enough that he could sneak in a last second punch. Unfortunately for him, Tseng saw it coming a mile away, and turned the attack back on him, sending him sprawling to the floor, facedown. Reno growled and scrambled to his feet again, charging his mentor with a burst of speed unexpected enough that it somehow got past the man's defenses.

Or maybe Tseng was just giving him a free shot out of sheer pity. He wasn't entirely sure which. Either way, the redhead tackled his opponent, dragging them both to the mat. Which would have been quite an accomplishment if he'd had the faintest idea what to do with him once he got him down. In his moment's hesitation, Tseng expertly flipped him, and then pinned him on his stomach, forcing his arm painfully behind his back.

"Had enough yet?" Reno asked, his voice slightly muffled owing to the fact that his face was currently pressed against the floor.

"I think I may have a _few_ more rounds left in me..." Tseng chuckled, releasing him.

Things carried on in much the same vein for the next hour or so, until Reno was so thoroughly worn out that was all but begging for a break. At last, Tseng relented, and the redhead staggered over to the bench along the wall. At some point in the exercise, he'd become very aware of the fact that Rude was watching him. As he took a seat, the other Turk joined him.

"I have an early meeting with Veld, so Rude, I'd like you to take over for a while," Tseng informed them. "Be upstairs at eight fifteen for the morning briefing."

"Yes, sir," Rude replied, and Reno managed a tired nod. Once he'd left them, Rude snickered and draped an arm over the redhead's shoulders. "Guess he was just a little annoyed about you being late last night."

"... Actually, I think he was _way_ more annoyed that I snuck out later and got arrested."

Rude stared at him for a moment, not saying anything. Finally he shook his head and stood up, pulling the redhead to his feet as well.

"I don't think I even want to know."

"Good. 'Cause I _still_ feel like an idiot." He followed Rude out onto the mat, and readied himself for round two. "Don't s'pose we could skip this and run down to the cafeteria instead?"

"... He's _already_ pissed at _you_. What makes you think I want him pissed at _me_?" the other rookie laughed.

* * *

Reno and Rude arrived at Turks Headquarters with a few minutes to spare, and Reno took the opportunity to avail himself of the free coffee in the lounge before the two of them made their way to the large conference room where the morning briefing was to take place.

"So... what is it that we do at this briefing, anyway?" the redhead asked.

"Veld and Tseng give us updates on company news, mention anything we need to know about ongoing operations, give us our assignments for the day if we're not already working on something... that sort of thing. It's how we keep everyone up to date on what's going on. There's an afternoon briefing at four thirty, too, but it's for the senior Turks. We won't have to worry about that."

He opened the door to the conference room and they found that several others had already arrived. Reno quickly recognized Saya and Sato, deep in muted conversation over a file folder at the far end of the table. Luca was chatting amiably with Kai and Remy... and another Turk, who Reno suddenly realized he recognized.

He was tall and thin, with spiked black hair and a tribal-style tattoo down one side of his face. Much like Kai, he was dressed more casually than some of the other Turks... lacking a tie, and with the top two buttons of his shirt undone. Reno was absolutely certain he'd seen him talking to Wilfred a few years ago... and not in the pleasant, I'm just being neighborly sense. The bar owner hadn't been especially forthcoming about who he was... but he certainly hadn't looked much like a Turk back _then_. He elbowed Rude and nodded to the man.

"I think I know that guy..." he whispered.

"That's Tres. Used to work for Corneo down in Wall Market."

That kind of explained it, then. Wilfred used to get his stock from a supplier in Sector Four. He'd switched to Corneo not long after _that_ guy had shown up looking all threatening and shit. He'd always sort of wondered if the two incidents were related.

The pair took a seat near the door, and a moment later, Kai broke away from her conversation and made her way over to them. She slipped around behind them, and placed an arm over each of their shoulders, leaning down between them.

"Hey, there, Turklings! What are _we_ whispering about on this fine morning?" she asked, loudly, drawing all eyes in the room over to them. Rude sank down slightly in his seat, obviously uncomfortable under the scrutiny, and Reno shot her a glare.

"Oh, nothin' much. Just wonderin' how someone so tiny can be such a giant pain in the ass..." he shot back at the diminutive young woman. Kai grinned and pinched his check.

"You are just such an _adorable_ little baby Turkling, trying to be all big and bad! So cute!" She ruffled his hair, earning her another scowl, and laughed, before wandering back to her previous seat.

"... Thanks," Rude said softly. "Hate it when she does that."

A moment later, Veld strolled in, followed closely by Tseng, and the quiet buzz of conversation tapered off.

"Good morning," the Turk leader said. "First and foremost... I believe most of you have already met our newest rookie, but for those who haven't, allow me to introduce you to Reno." He gestured to redhead, and smirked. "Try not to scare him off, please? Tseng seems to be looking forward to training him and I'd hate to deprive him..."

The comment was greeted with a chorus of snickers and chuckles, which was quickly silenced as he continued.

"Now that that's out of the way... on to business. Shay and Aaron report that they've found no further evidence of tampering at the Junon docks. It seems that the man they took down two days ago was working alone. The case is being turned over to base security for monitoring, and they should be returning this afternoon." He glanced down at a sheet of paper on the table in front of him for a moment. "Assignments. Rude... You're with Tres today for intelligence gathering in the Slums. Luca and Remy, escort duty for Professor Hojo. You'll probably be gone a few days. He needs some equipment from the lab in Nibelheim, and you know how particular he is about transfers."

Remy simply nodded, but Luca made no attempt to hide his groan.

"I'm still injured, ya know," he protested, motioning to the sling that still supported his arm.

"Take that thing off. You were cleared by Medical _yesterday_ ," Veld replied, shaking his head, "And you're babysitting Hojo, end of discussion."

"Wonderful..." the Turk sighed, and several of the other Turks sniggered. Reno didn't know who this 'Hojo' guy was... but he got the impression that no one around here liked him too much.

"Kai. As Tseng will be otherwise occupied with Rufus in Kalm today, you get the newbie."

"Yes!" she cried, flashing the rookie a feral grin. "Fresh meat!"

Reno glanced uncertainly over at Tseng... who only smiled somewhat less than apologetically. Something told him that him being paired up with Kai today was intentional.

"Saya and Sato," Veld continued, ignoring the excited Turk. "Any progress on _your_ currentassignment?"

"Some," Saya replied. "We've managed ta track down our thief's fence, and we've recovered most of what was taken from the shipment. We've got him downstairs waitin' ta be interrogated. The bastard that did the takin' is still in the wind."

"Find him, make an example of him," Veld ordered.

"On it, sir," the pair chorused.

"One last item," the Turk leader continued. "There has, apparently, been an outbreak of Mideelian Yellow Fever in Sectors Four and Five. Medical has advised that anyone living in those sectors be vaccinated against it if they haven't already. _I_ am taking it a step farther and requiring that all of you report to Medical by the end of the day, whether you've been immunized or not, for either the initial vaccine or the booster. I don't need sick Turks."

Reno was pretty sure he paled at that command. For Ifrit's sake... the Doc had just shot him full of all kinds of shit a couple days ago. Now he had to go through that _again_? There was some minor grumbling, but no one else seem particularly concerned by it. More irritated that they would have to take time out of their day to see to it.

"Alright, that's it. Get to work," Veld said at last, dismissing them. The group began to file out of the conference room. Kai hurried around to Reno before he could even get up, however, and grinned.

"Come along, my sweet little baby Turkling. Let's go get our shots now and be done with it." Her grin turned somewhat sinister. "And _then_... I get to show you how we Turks train."

Reno glanced over at Rude. "... Any chance I could switch with you?"

His fellow rookie snorted a somewhat derisive laugh as he stood up and followed Tres toward the door. "Not on your life."

"Oh, you're a _naughty_ Turkling, Reno," Kai chided, "Trying to pawn off your assignment on someone else... If I didn't know better, I might think you weren't looking forward to training with me!"

"Imagine that..." the rookie replied, dryly.

* * *

Medical was surprisingly crowded when they arrived. Apparently, there were _a lot_ of employees who lived in Sectors Four and Five.

"Next!" a familiar voice called out, as they joined one of the lines. It was echoed a moment later by another voice behind the next screen over. If nothing else, Shinra's medical team was efficient. The redhead found himself at the front of the line far sooner than he'd hoped to be.

"Next!"

He hesitated, swallowing sharply.

"Well, go on... We're on a tight schedule!" Kai said, nudging him forward, and with a resigned sigh, he slipped behind the screen.

"Back already are yeh?" Dr. Ward greeted him, smiling. "Well, sit yeh down. This won't take but a second or two."

"... Don't s'pose you could just _tell_ Veld that I'm good to go..." he muttered, taking a seat with no small amount of trepidation.

"Oh, for Shiva's sake... This is nothing compared ta yer _first_ visit. Now... off with the jacket and roll up a sleeve for me. I've got a lot of patients ta see today."

Reno did as asked and then turned his head away, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. He may have to _get_ the damn shot, but he sure as fuck didn't have to watch. Ward chuckled softly, and gave his hand a gentle squeeze, before wiping down his bicep with rubbing alcohol. Reno felt the sharp pinch of the needle sliding into him and bit back a whimper.

"There yeh are. All finished," Ward said, placing a band-aid over the injection site. Reno finally allowed himself to relax as he rolled his sleeve back down and shrugged into his jacket. Ward stroked a hand over the back of his head and held out something bright green to him. "Here... For being such a good little patient."

The redhead grinned, his earlier worry forgotten now that it was over and seized the green sucker from the doctor before hopping down from the table and making his way out. He tore off the wrapper and stuck it in his mouth as he spotted Kai emerging from her own appointment. She blinked in surprise.

"Hey, no fair! Why'd _you_ get candy?"

Reno smirked as he strode up to her.

"Perks of bein' a 'Turkling'," he shot back. Finally... a reason to be _glad_ he was the youngest.

~end chapter 13~


	14. Bruises

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 14: Bruises**

 **by Desha**

The executive helicopter set down in a small field just outside of town. Kalm was livelier than usual today, owing primarily to the small festival that was going on. Three days of music, theater, and other performances... somewhat high-brow for the little mining town, but Kalm seemed to be changing day by day, now that the local mako reactor was up and running. Several new businesses had opened, and there was even a burgeoning tourism industry now.

Rufus stood up as the rotors whined to a stop.

"Well? Hurry up... I don't want to miss the beginning of Loveless."

Tseng frowned slightly, and unclipped his harness, before sliding out of the pilot's seat. The Shinra heir had been in a foul mood since he'd arrived to pick him up for the day's outing, and he wasn't entirely certain as to why. It wasn't unusual for the teenager to be a bit moody... but Tseng himself rarely bore the brunt of his temper. The teenager had long had something soft spot for the Turk lieutenant.

To be fair, Tseng was fond of _him_ , as well. Rufus could be cold, calculating, and occasionally even a little cruel. But so much of that was superficial. He was surprisingly personable... even generous... if you could get past the protective shell. Few people seemed inclined to try, however, including some of the other Turks.

In fact, had Reno not been arrested late night, and subsequently needed to be disciplined, he would have brought him along on this assignment... if only to give Rufus the opportunity to make a better impression on his new rookie.

Rufus was already marching off in the direction of town and the Turk had to hurry to catch up or be left behind altogether. The boy was on a mission today.

"Sir... The performance doesn't start for another twenty minutes. There's no need to rush... and, as I believe I have mentioned on numerous occasions, it's very difficult to _protect_ you if you insist on distancing yourself from me. Please stay close by."

"I wouldn't have even _brought_ you if Father weren't so stupidly overprotective," he muttered, "It's _Kalm_ , for Ramuh's sake. I hardly think anything terrible is going to happen to me _here_. I don't need a babysitter... and don't for _one_ second think I don't know that's what all of you Turks refer to this as! I'm nearly nineteen years old, not nine!"

 _'You certainly wouldn't know it from the way you're_ _ **acting**_ _today...'_ Tseng thought to himself, though he knew better than to voice such an opinion.

"Are you armed, sir?" he said instead. The blonde boy paused in his bid for the town's main street, and turned back, looking slightly uncertain.

"Well... no," he admitted.

"Did you at least remember to bring your PHS with you this time?"

Rufus' hand went to his pocket, and he frowned.

"... No."

"And in the, admittedly unlikely, event that something _should_ happen while you're here... just what would you do to ensure your safety?"

The future vice president glowered and folded his arms over his chest.

"I suppose I'd simply sit back and be kidnapped or shot or ransomed..." he shouted, "... seeing as I'm utterly helpless, apparently!"

Tseng sighed and shook his head. "You're far from helpless, Rufus... but you _refuse to plan ahead for the possibility of trouble_. That's why your father insists on an escort. He came very close to losing you once. He doesn't want to go through that again."

Rufus snorted in contempt and turned on his heel, starting toward the festivities again. Tseng shook his head. He certainly understood the boy's desire to have a bit more freedom... but _he_ didn't want to put Rufus at risk any more than his father did. He genuinely liked the Shinra heir, and what's more, he had sworn to keep him safe.

"And who will be taking over your babysitting duty now that you've brought that... that... filthy little _slum rat_... into the company?! After all, I assume you don't dare leave him to his own devices for long."

Tseng blinked in surprise as he fell into step behind the young man. Was Rufus... _jealous_?

If so, it was his own fault, really. He'd been overly permissive with Rufus for years, his professional and personal relationships with the young man blurring to the point that it was hard to tell anymore where one ended and the other began.

He exhaled slowly and resisted the urge to groan aloud. It was going to be a long day...

* * *

"Come on, Rookie! Move your ass! Move, move, move!"

Reno would have responded... but at the moment, his lungs felt like they were about to burst. He reached up and gripped the ledge, hauling himself painfully onto the upper platform. He stayed there, panting, on his knees.

"Geez... This is pathetic. I really woulda thought you'd be in better shape!" Kai said.

"... Fuck... you..." the redhead managed.

"Aww... Sorry, but you're a little young for me," she said, grinning widely. She patted him on the head. "Okay, ready for the next section? Let's go!"

Reno raised his head and stared at her incredulously. She _had_ to be kidding. The woman had just dragged him though an obstacle course consisting of running, jumping, crawling, and now climbing. What the _fuck_ else could she possibly throw at him?

"... I'm... gonna... die..." he panted.

"Die later. Right now, you need to ride this zipline back to the ground and get through the last part of the gauntlet, taking as few hits as possible." She reached down, hoisting him upwards by the back of his sweatshirt. "Up we go... and then _down_ we go!" she laughed.

Kai was a fucking sadist. That was all there was too it. No _normal_ person enjoyed seeing someone suffer like this. Reno shakily reached up and grasped the handle that hung from a thin wire leading down some fifty feet to the floor below. And, to make things worse, he was starting to feel a little woozy... He wasn't sure if it was from the shot earlier – though it didn't seem to be bothering his taskmaster – or from hunger. His money was on the latter. Breakfast felt like it had been a lifetime ago.

When he stole a quick look at the large clock on the far wall, he discovered it was nearly one in the afternoon. They'd been at it for hours. His stomach gave a demanding growl at the realization.

"You gotta get _down_ if you want to eat, Rookie!"

The redhead glanced back over his shoulder glaring at her, and lifted his feet off the platform, leaving him dangling from the zipline. His weight began pulling him forward almost immediately, and before he knew it, he was traveling far faster than he'd realized the damn thing would be carrying him. The end of the line was approaching rapidly... and he had no idea how he was supposed to stop.

A moment later, it didn't really matter. He slammed into the padded post at the end of the drop. The impact knocked the wind out of him, and he fell backwards onto the floor. Several seconds later, Kai landed next to him on the mat with a soft thud.

"... You're _supposed_ to let go before you hit the pole, Rookie," she said, laughing softly.

"Now you tell me..." he coughed. She nudged him with her foot.

"Get up... you still gotta finish before you can have lunch! And remember... try not to get hit!"

The redhead staggered to his feet and stumbled forward, into a long channel lined by tall wooden walls. As he started forward, he wondered just what it was that he was supposed to avoid being hit _by_. The place was empty.

A loud _fwoomp_ from off to his right answered the question for him, and Reno had to throw himself to the ground to get out of the way of the incoming projectile. A ball about the size of his fist struck the opposite wall and bounced off before rolling across the floor. He quickly got up, and ran for the end.

 _Fwoomp, fwoomp, fwoomp._

Three more balls fired in quick succession. He managed to dodge the first two, but the third was too close. It smacked into his hip.

"Ow! Son of a bitch!" he swore. Those things fucking _hurt_! Another ball hit him in the ribs as he was recovering from his shock, and his eyes widened. They were coming _faster_! There was no way in hell he was going to be able to avoid all of them. In a panic, he protected his head as best he could with his arms and made a desperate run for it, being pelted the entire way.

Two more struck his hip in roughly the same spot, adding insult to injury. Another connected with his shoulder. Two more hit squarely in his lower back, fired from behind him. But he was almost there... just a few more steps...

A stinging pain in his left ankle sent him tumbling as yet another of the rubber balls bounced off of him. And as soon as he was down, they seemed to attack with a vengeance, pummeling him on the floor. He finally had to crawl the last six feet to safety or risk being pulverized. Kai was waiting for him.

"That was absolutely terrible," she sighed, kneeling down beside him. "Well... we'll just have to try again after lunch!"

"... Oh, dear Ifrit, please kill me!" Reno moaned, "Just kill me now!"

* * *

By the time Tseng and Rufus returned, it was nearly five. Far later than Tseng had expected to be gone for a simple play, but the young man had insisted on exploring the other offerings at the festival... and then stopping for lunch... and then catching an unscheduled performance of a string quartet in the main square. By mid-afternoon, the Turk lieutenant was all but convinced that Rufus planned to keep him there as long as he possibly could. It was only the reminder that it was Thursday, and thus his father was expecting him to join him for dinner this evening, that pulled him away from the performances.

"I trust you enjoyed your trip, sir?" he asked as they disembarked.

"Hmm? Oh... yes, it was very... pleasant," he replied. They slipped into the elevator, and Rufus pressed the button for his father's office. Tseng shook his head.

"Despite the general consensus among my subordinates... I can't read minds. If you're not going to _tell_ me what's on _yours_ , then I'm afraid there's very little I can do to rectify it."

"There is _nothing on my mind_ ," Rufus shot back, glaring. The elevator opened at the presidential reception area and the younger man stepped out.

That was about the least convincing lie Rufus had every told, and he was fairly certain he knew it. Still... where Rufus was concerned, he'd always found that it was better to let him open up in his own time rather than push him. Besides... though a mind reader he was not, Rufus hadn't exactly been subtle earlier. He had at least an idea of what was bothering him.

Tseng had been his personal security for years, at the request of his father. It was rare that anyone else was assigned to Rufus' detail, even when Tseng had had to juggle that duty with assisting in the training of new Turks. He had a feeling that Rufus realized that Reno was a little different than the others, even if he didn't fully understand the significance of a First Rookie.

"If you say so, sir," Tseng replied, "Good night."

Rufus gave a faint nod of acknowledgment, but didn't otherwise reply, as the doors slide shut and the elevator carried him down to Turk Headquarters.

Speaking of Reno...

Perhaps it had been just a _little_ vindictive of him to assign him to Kai this morning... but he suspected that his point, by now, had been thoroughly made. Breaking the rules resulted in punishment. And Tseng was not going to go easy on his rookie.

As the doors opened again on fifty-eight, Headquarters seemed surprisingly quiet. It didn't last.

"Hey, Tseng! Where the hell have you been all day?" a familiar voice queried. The senior Turk turned to his right and spotted Kai approaching from the direction of the lounge.

"Rufus was enjoying himself. It was rather difficult to get him to leave. How did training go?"

"Uh... Great! Just tops!" she replied, less than convincingly. She stretched her arms above her head and feigned a yawn. "Well, _I_ am just beat. Reno's waitin' for ya in the lounge. See you in the morning!"

Tseng watched her go somewhat suspiciously before making his way to his rookie. He pushed open the door... only to find the room a little crowded.

"Tseng is gonna murder her, yeh know..."

"Ha! 'Course he is, cousin mine... Why'dyeh think she took off runnin' 'fore he got back?" Sato replied, clapping Saya on the back with a laugh.

"... Uh oh... Speak 'o the devil..."

Tseng frowned as he stepped into the room properly. "What's going on?"

Sato snickered. "Oh... nothin', really. Just... ah... Kai sorta... _tenderized_... yer rookie for yeh." he said, stepping aside. "Ran the wee thing through the gauntlet. _Twice_. He, uh... Well, from what she told us he _did_ do slightly better the _second_ time."

Tseng darted forward in concern, only to come to a very abrupt halt at the sight that greeted him.

"Reno..." he sighed. Saya was right. He was going to _murder_ Kai. He'd told her to _challenge_ the redhead. Not torture him. Reno sat up, holding an ice pack against a large purple welt on his cheek, and winced.

"... Can we go home now?" he asked, pleadingly.

"Yes. We can," Tseng replied. He glanced over at Saya. "Should Kai arrive before me tomorrow morning, inform her that I would like a _word_ with her."

"Should I clear all the weapons outta yer office, too, while I'm at it?" Saya asked, chuckling. Tseng snorted softly.

"Feel free. If you really think I can't take her down unarmed, you clearly haven't been paying attention during training," he replied, looping an arm around Reno's waist and helping him to his feet. He frowned as the teenager flinched slightly at the contact. His frown only deepened as he realized that the redhead was limping slightly. He opened his mouth to question the twins farther, but was quickly cut off.

"He's just a wee bit bruised, is all," Saya assured him. "Nothin' too damagin'."

"For Kai's sake, that had better be the case."

With that, he escorted the rookie out of the lounge and down the hall, and shortly after, they were headed downstairs. Reno leaned heavily against him for support... though it seemed to be due more to exhaustion than injury. At least Tseng hoped so.

"Perhaps we should pay a visit to –"

He'd been about to say 'Medical'... but before he could make the suggestion, the doors opened on Nine, and the two Turks unexpectedly came face to face with Dr. Ward herself, apparently on her way home. It took her less than half a second to recognize an injured patient.

" _TSENG ITSUDAKE! WHAT HAVE YEH DONE TO THAT POOR BOY?!_ " she demanded, and the Turk lieutenant visibly cringed.

~end chapter 14~


	15. A Clean Slate

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 15: A Clean Slate**

 **by Desha**

"Yeh bring him _straight_ ta the medical suite, right this instant!" Ward continued, and Tseng found himself having to bear the impact of her purse against his shoulder or risk losing his grip on the redhead. " _Now_!"

Justinia Ward was a force to be reckoned with when she was angry... and at the moment, she seemed downright enraged. She was also about the only person Tseng knew outside of the company executives who wasn't the least bit afraid of the Turks. Tseng followed her without objection, careful to keep Reno between himself and the doctor for the time being. The sixty-two year old might not be much of a physical threat in general, but dear Leviathan, if the woman managed to get ahold of an _ear_...

He'd suffered that particular treatment at her hands only once. That was more than enough. It was worse than when his grandmother had done it to him as a child. And just as had been the case with his grandmother, Tseng had been rendered powerless in her ironclad grip.

"Poor thing..." Dr. Ward all but cooed at the redhead, who, for his part, seemed to be in a state of shock at the sudden flurry of attention directed at himself. It wasn't long before the rookie was perched on her exam table as the doctor inspected the plethora of bruises that covered him from head to toe. Tseng had to admit... even _he_ was a little surprised by the amount of damage he seemed to have sustained. What in the nine hells had Kai done to him? Surely she hadn't set the difficulty on the course any higher than beginner...

At last, Ward seemed satisfied that the injuries were largely superficial.

"Yer suspended from training until Monday," the doctor declared, and turned her gaze on the senior Turk. "Is that _clear_?"

"Perfectly," he quickly responded. There were plenty of other things they could tackle tomorrow that didn't involve the gym or the training hall. Ward gently prodded the redhead's ankle, and Tseng noticed, somewhat worriedly, that he flinched. The woman clucked her tongue in disapproval.

"And yer ta ice that ankle tonight. It's only bruised, but it'll heal much faster with a bit of cold." She turned and narrowed her eyes at Tseng, resting her hand on her hips. "And as for _yeh_... Just what did yeh do ta cause this, anyway?!"

Tseng dropped his gaze, chastised. "I had an assignment outside of the city today. Kai took over Reno's training, and it seems she... had him run the gauntlet. Twice."

"That _Shiva-forsaken_ obstacle course yeh've built on thirty-three?! Yer lucky this is _all_ that happened! What in Odin's name was that girl thinking, putting him through _that_ so soon?!" She shook her head somewhat violently. "No... Don't even _tell_ me. It'll only keep me up at night. The whole _lot_ of yeh are out of yer minds." Ward advanced on him, poking a finger firmly into his chest. "Yeh take him _home_. Yeh _feed_ him. And yeh make _sure_ he stays off that ankle tonight. And if I find out yeh've been ignoring me, _yeh'll_ be the next one on that table!"

The Turk lieutenant nodded somewhat mutely, and Dr. Ward, pressed a piece of candy into his ward's hand before finally sending them off. As the pair stepped into the elevator, the redhead looked up at him.

"Ya know... I kinda get the feelin' that I don't _ever_ wanna get the Doc pissed off at me."

"... You do _not_ ," Tseng replied, as the doors slid shut.

* * *

Reno woke the next morning to find himself so stiff and sore that, for a moment at least, he was half-convinced he was incapable of moving. His entire body seemed to ache. At last, he managed to lift an arm, inspecting the normally pale skin... which was presently a mottled purplish-black in several places. He sighed softly.

If _this_ was what it took to be a Turk... he wasn't sure he'd last another _week_ , much less through all of training. The redhead had no illusions about his ability. He was a weakling. Sure, he had speed and damned good balance... but he was shit in a real fight. Always had been. Hell, the only reason he could climb as well as he could was because he weighed next to nothing. It had nothing to do with upper body strength... or rather his serious lack thereof.

He stared up at the ceiling fan that spun lazily above his bed. He was warm... he was safe... he was comfortable... and he'd never be able to measure up enough to stay that way. If yesterday didn't prove that, he didn't know what would. And it wouldn't be long before Tseng figured that out, too, assuming he hadn't already. _Kai_ certainly hadn't been shy about informing him that his performance had been pathetic.

With a groan, he rolled over enough to see the clock on the nightstand... and groaned again, this time in dismay. It was five to eight. He'd overslept, and apparently Tseng hadn't bothered to wake him. Hell, _Tseng_ had probably left for work already. Reno pushed himself upright and swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing up and wincing as his injured ankle protested slightly at first.

Moving would help. He knew that from experience.

Reno made his way to the door, hoping that Tseng had left him something to eat. In spite of the doctor's demands, he'd just been too fucking tired last night to even make the attempt... and he was paying for that now. He was starving. At last, he dragged himself into the kitchen. And found it already occupied.

"You're up," Tseng noted.

"... Uh... shouldn't you be at work by now?" the redhead asked, slightly confused.

"I could hardly leave without _you_. You have neither your own car, nor a train pass yet... which we really should remedy today. Nevermind that the trains can be more than a little confusing for someone who's never ridden them before, particularly during the morning rush."

Reno somewhat sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "Yeah... I _kinda_ just assumed you probably wouldn't want me... ya know... there."

Tseng frowned and gestured for him to take a seat at the table.

"What happened yesterday should never have happened at all... The gauntlet is not meant for rookies who haven't yet undergone any sort of training, and Kai _damn well_ knows that. Her actions were completely irresponsible, and I will be informing her as such as soon as I see her next. It was certainly no fault of _yours_ ," he said, emphatically, and then shook his head. "I should have taken you with me yesterday instead of leaving you in her hands." Tseng sighed and sat down across from the redhead. "This week has not gone at _all_ as I had planned, I'm afraid..."

The Turk lieutenant was silent for a moment... and Reno couldn't help but wonder if he really _was_ reevaluating his decision make him a Turk in the first place.

"I have a confession to make," he said at last. "I... have never done this before. And I seem to be doing it entirely wrong. Unfortunately, _you_ are the one paying for _my_ inexperience."

Reno cocked his head to one side. "What d'ya mean you've never done this before?"

"A second in command doesn't simply start out training all of our incoming rookies. He works with the commander, sharing that responsibility, until his superior decides that he's ready to take on the task on his own. You're the first I've ever been permitted to train without Veld guiding me. It's... proving far more difficult than I had assumed, particularly given that my mistakes have a direct impact on you."

"... That mean you're givin' up on me already?" the redhead asked, cautiously. He'd known this whole thing had to be too good to be true. He was no Turk.

"Absolutely not," Tseng replied, lifting his gaze from the table. "I'm actually far more concerned about you giving up on me... if only for the sake of self-preservation."

The redhead snorted a quiet laugh. "What? 'Cause of this? Tch... This is nothin'. Had my ass kicked _way_ worse than _this_ before..." He leaned back in his chair, looking over the marks that littered his arms and chest. "Um... Tell ya what. How 'bout we just pretend none of this Ifrit-forsaken week ever happened and just start this whole thing over. I didn't sneak out and get picked up by the cops after you told me not to do somethin' stupid, and you didn't abandon me to be pummeled into dust by a knife-wielding psycho."

Tseng chuckled. "That is... generous of you."

"And, of course, that means I'm not stuck hanging out in my room all weekend... right?" the redhead ventured.

"I suppose you _have_ been quite thoroughly punished at this point, however unintentional it was."

"That a yes?"

"Yes. You are free to do as you please this weekend," Tseng replied. Reno grinned... He'd been hoping the Turk would say that. Because he _really_ wanted to check on Lira. "For now, however... get dressed. We still have a full day of work _before_ said weekend."

"Thought the Doc said no training?"

The senior Turk smiled faintly. "There are plenty of _other_ things for you to learn..."

* * *

A short time later, the redhead found himself staring somewhat blankly at the gun on the table in front of him. He glanced up uncertainly at Tseng, before awkwardly working the slide off. He frowned in concentration as various other parts followed. Tseng had taken the damn thing apart in a matter of seconds. Reno was quickly discovering that it wasn't quite so simple as he'd made it look.

"Tell me again why I'm doin' this?" he asked as a spring suddenly escaped his grasp, shooting across the table and skittering dangerously close to the edge. Tseng retrieved it for him and set it with the rest of the pieces.

"Because no matter what weapon you ultimately find that you prefer, all Turks are expected to be proficient with firearms. That includes general maintenance. To clean a gun, you have to be able to take it apart."

Reno finally snapped the last part out of place and grinned triumphantly.

"Ha! Got it."

Tseng smirked slightly.

"Very good," he replied, "Now... Put it back together."

The redhead's grin quickly faded. "W-wait... What? What'dya mean, 'put it back together'?"

The senior Turk laughed and took a seat next to him.

"A clean gun is of little use if it remains in pieces."

Reno glared at him. "Bet it'd still hurt like hell if I _threw_ it at you..."

"Perhaps. But you'd have to actually land a hit," Tseng said, smiling, "And frankly, I don't think you've progressed to that point quite yet."

The rookie muttered something unflattering before he sighed in defeat and resigned himself to attempting to reassemble the pile of gun parts... and hoped that this wasn't going to be the _entire_ day's activity.

* * *

Saturday was the one day of the week Tseng permitted himself to sleep in a bit... though he seldom let that indulgence extend much beyond eight thirty in the morning. When he awoke _this_ Saturday morning, however, Tseng couldn't help but think that something wasn't quite right. The apartment felt suspiciously empty. He made his way down the hall, pausing briefly to peer into Reno's open bedroom door. As suspected, he was missing. Tseng frowned and continued on toward the kitchen.

A few dishes had been left stacked next to the sink, but beyond that, there seemed to be no trace of the redhead. It was then that he noticed the sheet of paper lying on the table. He picked it up and cringed slightly at the god-awful handwriting that greeted him, squinting as he tried to make sense of it. Thankfully, it was a _short_ note.

 _'Tseng,'_ it read, _'Went to see a friend. Back later. Reno.'_

His first thought was that his young protege had made plans of some sort with Rude. The two of them seemed to have bonded surprisingly quickly. If that was the case, Reno would be fine... Rude knew the city well, and the young rookie from Rocket Town had struck him as being extremely responsible right from the start. Surely the two of them couldn't get into _too_ much trouble.

Though... if the aforementioned 'friend' was Rude, why not simply say so in the note?

* * *

Reno frowned at the schedule displayed prominently on the large screen. Tseng hadn't been kidding when he'd said the Ifrit-forsaken trains could be confusing. Thus far, he'd managed to get on the wrong damn one twice now. He'd gone from Sector One to Sector Eight, and from there he'd somehow ended up in Sector Four. He was _trying_ to get to Sector Five... and then, hop the train to Wall Market.

"... Okay..." he sighed to himself, "So, the Green line goes to Seven... and then I have to get on the... Red line to get to Five?"

"Red line's an express on Saturdays. You want the Blue."

Reno grinned at the sound of the familiar voice, and turned.

"Rude!" he sighed in relief. "What are _you_ doin' here?"

The bald Turk shrugged. "Truck's in for a tune up. Figured I get some shopping done while I wait. What's in Five?"

"Heh... Train to Wall Market. Assumin' I'm readin' this shit right," he replied, gesturing at the schedule. "Who the fuck came up with this mess, anyway?"

Rude snickered. "Transportation department. You're... going to Wall Market?"

"... Yeah. Lira, ya know? Shit happened so fast... she doesn't even know I'm up here yet. And I was _s'posed_ ta go see her Friday after she got off work. Probably wasn't real happy when I didn't show. Figure I better tell her what's goin' on before she gets too worried."

"Can't just call her?"

Reno shook her head. "I tried leavin' her a message at the Honeybee last night, but I kinda got the impression that they get a _lot_ of calls like that for the girls and they tend to ignore 'em. She doesn't have a phone of her own."

"Got cash on you?"

"... Some..." the redhead replied, not sure where the other rookie was going with this.

"You should get her one before you head down. Better than leaving messages she might not get."

"Heh... Not a bad idea. Any clue where I can buy one?"

Rude smiled faintly, and gestured to the stairs leading up to the street. "Let me introduce you to Sector Four..."

~end chapter 15~


	16. From One Market to Another

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 16: From One Market to Another**

 **by Desha**

Reno's gaze wandered from one shop window to the next. The underground market in the Sector Two slums had always impressed him those few times when he actually had the cash to spare to pay it a visit... but it had nothing on this. Everywhere he looked, there was something to buy. He trailed Rude as they passed clothing shops, jewelry stores, materia dealers... stores that sold weapons, others that sold every manner of restorative, and still others that seemed to trade in everything the other places _didn't_ sell.

"Four's the city's shopping district," Rude said, "You can find just about anything you could ever want here. Gets more expensive the closer you get to the center of the Plate."

"The whole fuckin' _sector_ is just... shops?" the redhead asked, somewhat wide-eyed.

"There are other businesses, too... like the Silver Swan Hotel and the Galleria Theater. And there's some residential areas out at the Edge. But, yeah. For the most part."

He led him to a small storefront with a pale green awning over the entrance, and the logo of one of the larger cell providers on the sign. A handful of other people lingered inside, some browsing the display models, other talking to sales associates.

"Tch... I don't even know what the hell I'm gonna get her..." Reno said, eying the dozens of devices on display.

"Something cheap but functional. Stay away from the high end phones. They'd just be a target for theft down in Wall Market." He made his way over to a shelf of inexpensive PHSs. "I'd go with something like this. Tres like them for his contacts in the slums. They get good reception, but they don't have much resale value."

"Sounds like a plan," Reno said. He picked out one with a pink shell. "What?" he asked, defensively at Rude's raised eyebrow, "It's not for _me_ , it's for Lira. She _likes_ pink."

His fellow rookie snickered quietly, but didn't comment as the redhead took his selection to one of the registers to have it activated. As they waited for the sales associate to finish up with his current customer, Reno examined the collection of tiny charms that hung from a little rack on the counter, and laughed as he found one shaped like a chocobo.

"Ya know... she'd totally kill me if she found out they had these and I didn't get her one..." he sighed, plucking it from its hook.

"She like chocobos or something?"

"Nuts over 'em, for some reason. I don't think she's ever actually seen one in person, but she loves 'em. Don't really get the appeal, myself. Fuckin' overgrown pigeons..."

Rude snorted in laughter, before quickly regaining his composure. Several minutes later, the pair made their way out onto the street, newly purchased phone in hand.

"Hey... uh... thanks," Reno said, awkwardly. "Gotta admit, I'm still pretty lost up here."

"No problem. Rookies gotta stick together, right?"

The redhead grinned. "No argument here," he laughed. "... So... you, uh... maybe wanna come meet Lira?"

"... You mean... go down to Wall Market?" Rude asked, and Reno couldn't help but notice the pink hue that suddenly colored his cheeks. The redhead smirked.

"Hell, yeah. I mean... if you're not doin' anything more interesting today. Come on... What are you? A virgin?" he snickered.

"..."

If anything, Rude's blush deepened, and he awkwardly cleared his throat.

"... Oooookay," Reno intoned, at the unspoken admission, "We'll just pretend I _didn't_ say somethin' that ended up makin' me sound like a total jackass. Seriously, though... Come with me. Lira's the best friend I've ever had. I'd love to introduce ya. 'Sides... she's a lot less likely to kill me for not showin' up last night if I have present _and_ a witness."

Rude laughed and nodded.

"Alright."

* * *

Tseng rode the elevator up to the twelfth floor of an apartment building in Sector Three. Kai had somehow managed to elude him all day yesterday... but since Reno was elsewhere this morning, it left the Turk lieutenant free to track her down. Normally, he wouldn't have intruded upon a fellow Turk's time off for something job-related and clearly not urgent... but she'd injured his rookie. And she was going to get a piece of his mind, weekend or not.

Moments later he was knocking on her door. He heard soft footsteps from within, and took the opportunity to glare at the peephole in the door when they paused. There was a moment's hesitation, before the door cautiously opened.

"... Uh... Morning, sir. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Tseng crossed his arms over his chest.

"You know perfectly well why I'm here," he said, an undercurrent of anger in his voice. "The same reason you so studiously avoided me on Friday."

"Yeah..." the young woman breathed, as she stepped aside, granting him access. Tseng stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "So, uh... How's Reno?"

"Bruised and battered," the Turk lieutenant stated. "Kai... What in Leviathan's name were you _thinking_? He could have been seriously injured!"

"But he _wasn't_. I made sure of that. And now he's got at least _some_ idea of what he signed up for."

"Kai..." Tseng said, warningly.

"Okay, look... maybe it wasn't my place. But he's just a little kid! I know you think he's gonna be this amazingly perfect fit for the team, but he's a goddamn _kid_. Did you even _explain_ to him what it is you're asking of him before you hauled him up here? What kind of sacrifices he's gonna be expected to make? How bad he could get hurt?"

"You're right. It _wasn't_ your place," Tseng snapped. "Reno is _my_ responsibility, and I'll thank you to stay out of it from now on."

Kai glared at him. "You might get to order me around on company time, Tseng... but this is my day off, and this is _my_ apartment, and I don't have to take any shit from you right now. And you know what I've been dying to say to you all goddamn week, Tseng? That you are gonna get that kid killed! You're gonna get him killed, and his blood is gonna be on your hands... just like Allisa's. And why? Because you want to prove that you're the best. Screw anyone who might get hurt along the way. If you really gave a shit about him, you'd take him right back where you found him. Sad as it is, he's a lot safer _there_ than he is with _you_."

Tseng inhaled sharply, having to work to keep his temper in check.

"Allisa's death was not –"

" _Bullshit_ , it wasn't your fault! You knew damn well what was gonna happen and you put her there anyway. And you know what? Allie knew the risks and she accepted them. I can forgive you for her death. I _have_ forgiven you for it... but I _don't_ want to see it happen again! Especially not to some poor little kid that doesn't know what he's getting into!"

"Kai..." he began, somewhat taken aback. He'd known that she still blamed him... but he hadn't realized just how deeply that blame went. And to at least some extent, he couldn't exactly hold it against her for harboring it. Alissa had been her partner... in more than just the professional sense... and she'd been killed following orders that Tseng had issued.

"Fine. I won't mess with your precious first rookie anymore. But I swear to Odin, Tseng. If he ends up dead because of _your_ arrogance, I'm never gonna let you forget it. Now fuck off and let me enjoy my goddamn weekend."

He opened his mouth to say something further, but thought better of it, and instead simply turned, shaking his head, and showed himself out of her apartment.

Kai was wrong. It wasn't arrogance that had gotten Allisa killed. A sacrifice had to be made for the greater good. Tseng had known that, and so had _she_. If he hadn't given that order, every last one of them would have died. For Leviathan's sake... he'd have gone himself if he hadn't been so badly wounded at the time. It needed to be done.

At least... that's what he'd been telling himself in the year and a half since.

Veld had always told him that there was no room for second guessing oneself. Once a decision was made, you had to own it. You had to justify it. And you had to live with it. Allisa's death had saved four other Turks, including both Kai _and_ himself, as well as half a dozen civilians. There had simply been no other way.

Tseng sighed and stepped back into the elevator. Kai just didn't understand.

* * *

Reno knocked softly on the door labeled 2C. After a few moments, it cautiously opened a crack, and then was suddenly thrown wide as a half naked woman suddenly launched herself into his arms.

" _RENO!_ Oh, thank Shiva!" Lira cried, as her arms tightened around him. Moments later she released him, and delivered a stinging slap to the side of his face. "Where in Ifrit's name have you been! I've been worried sick!"

"Ow!" the redhead shouted, recoiling slightly. "Fuck, Lira... I'm already beat all to hell. I don't need any more bruises right now!"

She blinked, apparently only then noticing the dark patches on her friend's skin, and gasped. "Oh, god... Reno... what happened?" she asked, all but dragging him inside. "How bad are you hurt? Who did this to you?!"

"Ah, take it easy... I'm fine."

"Bullshit!" By then she was already pushing back his sleeves and lifting his shirt to survey the damage. Her hand reached up to gently cup his face as she leaned in, kissing him deeply. "My poor Reno... Come let Lira make it better..."

The redhead grinned and let her coax him toward the bed for a few seconds before remembering that he hadn't come alone.

"Heh... I appreciate the offer, but you know I don't like an audience..." he teased. Lira paused and peered back to the door where Rude was still standing, somewhat frozen. His gaze, though hidden by his sunglasses, was very obviously locked onto the sight of the topless young woman in front of him.

"OH! Um... Hi, there..."

Reno grinned at his statuesque friend. "Enjoyin' the view?" he chuckled. Rude's face immediately reddened as he snapped out of the daze, and he dropped his eyes to the floor. Lira giggled and slipped out of the redhead's arms, back towards the door.

"Aww... Don't tell me you're shy..." She reached out, taking him by the hand and guided him into the room, grinning. "Sweetie, believe me... I've had more than just men's eyes on me all week long. You're not botherin' me at all." She turned back to Reno, a curious look on her face. "So who's your friend?"

"This is Rude," Reno snickered, "And... I think he might appreciate it if ya put a shirt on, 'cause I'm not sure he can take much more of you like _that_..."

Lira teasingly stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm not sure if I should be insulted or flattered," she joked, but did as she was asked, slipping a t-shirt over her head. "Alright... Now where in the nine hells have you been? You _promised_ me you'd come back to check on me on Friday after work. Do you have any idea how worried I was when you didn't turn up?"

"Yeah... I'm really sorry about that. I couldn't get away any earlier in the week, and I was dead on my feet by the time I got home last night. I tried callin' the Honeybee, but... I'm not really surprised they didn't give ya the message. Think the girl who answered figured I was a customer who was gettin' too friendly," he replied, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "Heh... so anyway... ya know how I told ya I was takin' that job? I've kinda been topside... since last Sunday."

"And they did _this_ to you?!" Lira demanded, roughly pushing up his sleeve again to reveal the bruises it concealed. Reno rolled his eyes.

"Oh, for fuck's sake... You know damn well how easy I bruise. It's not as bad as it looks. Trust me... Tseng's just as pissed as _you_ are that it happened. And the Doc up there's even more pissed than _he_ is... I don't think I have to worry about it happenin' again."

Lira seemed to relax slightly at that. Her attention shifted to Rude for a moment, before casting Reno a questioning look.

" _Anyway_... Like I said. This is Rude. He's new to the Turks, too. Not as new as me, but... 'least I got someone to share in my misery," he said, grinning. "Heh... and keep me from gettin' all kinds of lost up there. I'm not sure I woulda made it here before sometime _tomorrow_ at the rate I was goin' on my own."

Lira smiled and sidled up to the other rookie Turk, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Well, thank you for making sure he found his way, Rude," she purred. Rude tried to stammer a reply, but only managed a faint choking sound. She giggled again. "You _are_ shy, aren't you! That's so cute..."

"Lira, lay off the guy, will ya?" Reno snickered. "Or else I won't give ya the present I gotcha."

"Oh, please," she snorted. "Like _you_ could ever not give me somethin' you got me." But she did, obligingly, release Rude from her scrutiny, focusing all of her attention on the redhead once more. "So? What'd you get me?"

Reno sighed and shook his head. Sure... it had been an empty threat, but she didn't have to call him on it. His grin quickly returned however, as he handed over the bag from the shop in Sector Four.

"I just... With me livin' topside and all the training n' shit I gotta do, I don't know how often I'm gonna be able to come down and see ya for awhile. So... I gotcha this so we could still talk. Ya know... whenever. Had Rude put my number in it for you on the train ride down."

Lira pulled the phone from the bag, smiling, and awwed at the little chocobo charm he'd attached to it. A moment later Reno found himself in her embrace again.

"This is really happenin', isn't it? You're really doin' this..." she whispered. The redhead pressed a soft kiss against the top of her head.

"Yeah. I am. I already have." He smirked, and picked her up, carrying her over to the couch and plopping them both down onto the cushions, settling her on his lap. "But don't go thinkin' that just 'cause you're friends with a Turk now means you can start throwin' my name around to get whatever you want around here."

She gave a derisive snort. "Right... like anyone's gonna be intimidated by _you_ , Turk or not... you wimp," she teased. A quiet laugh escaped from Rude, as well, though he hurriedly covered it with a feigned cough. "See? Even your friend over there... who, by the way, is a hell of a lot more intimidatin' than _you_ are, even if he _is_ still the same color as _your_ hair right now... agrees with me."

"Gee... Thanks for the vote of confidence, Rude..." the redhead laughed.

* * *

It was nearing mid-afternoon by the time Reno said goodbye to Lira, and he and Rude made their way back to the train station. His fellow rookie hadn't said much during the visit... but he _had_ seemed to relax a little after awhile.

The redhead glanced over at him as they passed by a trio of girls on one of the street corners, Rude doing his best not to stare. Reno smirked and elbowed him.

"Ya _know_... We _are_ in Wall Market. Perfect opportunity to take care of that whole bein' a virgin thing," he said, teasingly.

"... Pass," Rude replied, awkwardly. The redhead raised an eyebrow, but only shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

They continued on in companionable silence for a few more blocks.

"... It's not that I'm not... _interested_ ," Rude suddenly offered, hesitation evident in his voice. "I just... get nervous around women."

Reno snickered. "Yeah... I kinda noticed..."

"..."

The redhead looped an arm around his friend.

"Tch... Forget I said anything. Just me making a stupid joke. And I _kinda_ do that a lot, so... don't ever take me _too_ seriously."

"Noted."

The redhead laughed at the serious note in Rude's voice. The pair at last reached the station, just as the next train to the plate was preparing to leave. They had to hurry to make it, hopping aboard just as it was starting to pull out and claiming an empty car all for themselves.

"So... _I_ don't have any other plans for today. You doin' anything?" he asked. Rude shook his head.

"Just gotta pick up my truck."

"Wanna hang out or somethin'? I'm... _kinda_ short on cash after gettin' that phone for Lira. And havin' to spend pretty much every gil I made this week to pay off the fine I got for gettin' arrested. But... I'll play ya at chess again or somethin'..."

Rude grinned slightly.

"Got a better idea. How about we get my truck and I show you around the city?"

"Now _that_ sounds like a plan."

~end chapter 16~


	17. Double Trouble

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 17: Double Trouble**

 **by Desha**

Reno stuck his head out of the passenger side window, laughing as the wind made an even bigger mess of his unruly hair, as the truck sped down the freeway.

"This is awesome!"

"What?!"

He snickered and pulled back inside the vehicle.

"I _said_ this is awesome," he repeated, grinning widely. "Gotta admit... It's fuckin' weird not havin' the Plate overhead, though. I'm not used to lookin' up and seein'... ya know... nothin'."

"... So, you never left the slums before Tseng recruited you?"

Reno shook his head. "Not really. I mean, I've been to the perimeter wall, where you can kinda see out past the edge of the Plate, but... leavin' the slums? Nah. Never had anywhere to go besides the Plate, and I sure as hell didn't have the money to get _there_."

"Why not leave Midgar altogether?"

"Tch... and go where? Got no family, got no friends outside the slums. Barely made enough to live in Sector Two without starvin'. Where was I gonna go? I mean, no one was _forcin'_ me to stay there, but... how was I gonna be able live anywhere else?"

"..."

Rude took the exit to Sector Seven, and Reno watched as the buildings zipped by.

"It was kind of the same for me," he said at last. "Until I heard about the Turks recruitment program... I always just thought I'd be stuck in Rocket Town working for my dad. Because where else would I go?"

Reno leaned back in the seat, and glanced over at his friend. They turned down a side street.

"What's Rocket Town like?"

"It's alright," Rude said with a shrug, "Actually, it's pretty nice, all things considered. But... it's boring. Most people either work for Shinra's space department, or they fly. Half the population are pilots of some sort. The other half are engineers. My dad runs an air freight company. I flew for him for a couple of years before I left."

" _That's_ your idea of boring?" the redhead asked, incredulously. Flying certainly didn't sound 'boring' to _him_. Rude snickered.

"It's not as glamorous as it sounds. I mostly just flew supply runs to and from Costa del Sol in a beat up old cargo plane. Dad didn't trust me with the longer jobs... Hadn't been doing it long enough."

"Yeah? What's your dad like? Got any other family?"

"..." Rude hesitated in his answer. "He's... Distant."

"What'dya mean?"

"He... used to be different, but..." His fellow rookie shook his head. "He was never quite the same after Mom died. It was just me and him, afterwards, but... we don't much these days."

"... Oh. Sorry." Neither of them spoke for a few moments. Eventually, though, Reno felt the need to break the silence. "... My mom died, too. Long time ago. It's rough, huh?" He cleared his throat and glanced out the window again before quickly changing the subject. "So... where are we goin' anyway?"

"Right here," Rude replied, as he pulled into a large parking lot. He flashed the redhead a quick smile and hopped out of the truck. Reno hurried to follow. "First stop on the Midgar tour... the Sector Seven Zoo."

Reno laughed and trailed behind his fellow rookie as they approached the main gate. "Isn't this kinda shit meant for little kids?" he asked, somewhat skeptically. Rude shrugged.

"... I guess. But if you're going to live here, you _have_ to see it at least once. And to be honest... I think it's pretty cool. Even if it is for kids."

"Heh... well, lead on, then, tour guide," the redhead snickered.

* * *

Tseng glanced down at his watch. Almost three. Reno had been gone for hours, and while he didn't want the young man to feel as though his mentor was constantly checking up on him... he _desperately_ wanted to check up on him.

His note had simply said 'back later'. Apparently, by that, the redhead had meant _much_ later. Tseng pulled his PHS from his pocket and flipped through his contact list, finger poised over the dial button when he reached Reno's name. He hesitated.

He didn't want his rookie thinking that he didn't trust him, either. Especially after the fiasco of a first week they'd both endured. On the other hand... Tseng was a little surprised to realize just how concerned he was, having let Reno out of his sight for the day. After all... the last time he'd done that, it had backfired rather spectacularly. He scowled and flipped the phone shut, pointedly shoving it back into his pocket.

Reno was fine, he was sure. Especially if, as he suspected, Rude was with him.

Then again... what if Rude _wasn't_ the friend the younger rookie had gone to see? But if not Rude... then...

Tseng suddenly froze in his tracks as it dawned on him that most of the people Reno would consider friends were down below... and he groaned at the realization. He hadn't _really_ run off to visit someone in the slums on his own... had he? Tseng was suddenly all but certain that the answer to that question was a resounding yes. Most likely, the girl... Lira. Which meant that he was in Wall Market. Possibly at the Honeybee Inn.

He swore softly in Wutaiian, and hurried back to his car, his present errand forgotten. The Honeybee was Corneo's domain, and Don Corneo did _not_ take kindly to unannounced visits from the Turks at his place of business... a fact that Tseng had failed to mention to the teenager. Corneo's men wouldn't recognize the rookie. But if Reno made the mistake of revealing who he was – and the Turk lieutenant could think of several scenarios just off the top of his head in which such information might come to light given that the redhead didn't know not to let it – there was no telling how badly wrong things could go.

He settled into the driver's seat, and pulled out his phone again. Best to not panic. First, he would try to get ahold of the boy and determine his whereabouts. Failing _that_ , he'd head for the Sector Five station, and catch the next train down.

* * *

"... Huh. Ya know, I always kinda thought nibelwolves were bigger," Reno commented. He leaned against the railing, peering out at the small pack of the animals that lounged lazily on a large pile of rocks in the center of the exhibit. Rude chuckled.

"Bet they look a _lot_ bigger when they're pissed off and trying to eat you."

"Good point," the redhead snickered. They wandered down the path, pausing in front of the various pens and cages. Reno had to admit... this _was_ kind of fun. And Rude made for pretty great company. He was glad he'd run into him earlier. "Ya know, you were right. This place is okay."

"Hmph... Told you so. Hey, look. Your favorite," Rude said, his tone undeniably amused. Reno turned his attention in the direction the other rookie was pointing and groaned. Chocobos.

"Ha, ha... very funny," he replied, rolling his eyes. Rude laughed and practically dragged him up to the creatures, who warked loudly at their approach. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no... keep those feathered fucks away from me. Chocobos do _not_ like me... and the feelin's mutual."

"Oh, come on. You ever even seen one in person?"

The redhead scowled. "Matter of fact, yeah. When I was like... nine. Fucker bit me. I still have the goddamn scar. Those things are all assholes."

Rude laughed, and walked up to one of the large birds, holding out a hand. The chocobo leaned forward over the fence, and butted its head against his palm.

"Yeah... they're real terrors," he teased. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a one gil coin, tossing it to the redhead. "Here... get 'em some greens from the machine. They'll love you forever if you feed them."

Reno snorted in contempt, but made the requested purchase. He carried the handful of vegetation over to the fence, and was almost instantly swarmed by four of the creatures.

"Ah! Hey, watch it!" he muttered as one of them immediately snapped up a leaf from his hand. Reno hurried to offer up the rest to the hungry birds. They warked happily as they claimed their snacks.

"See?" Rude chuckled. Reno opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the suddenly ringing of his PHS. He hurried to retrieve it and glanced at the caller ID displayed on the front. It was Tseng.

He went to answer it... only to have the device snatched out of his hand by a large, sharp beak.

"HEY!" he cried in shock, and watched in horror as the chocobo flipped his still-ringing phone up into the air and caught it again. "You miserable little _bastard_!"

Rude, meanwhile, was in hysterics, clutching at his sides as the redhead swore at the bird... so much so that he very nearly didn't hear his _own_ phone when it began ringing. It took him a moment to regain his composure... particularly with the enraged redhead still berating his new-found foe several feet away from him. He quickly cleared his throat and answered the call.

"Y-yes, sir? This is Rude..." he said, doing his level best to keep the amusement out of his voice.

" _I realize it's something of a long shot... but by any chance have you seen Reno today? I can't seem to reach him,"_ Tseng's voice queried. A snort of laughter escaped, unbidden.

"Um... yes, sir. He's with me. But he's... a little busy at the moment."

" _Doing what, exactly?"_ Tseng asked, suspiciously.

"... Trying to get his PHS back from a chocobo, sir," the rookie replied. Reno, by then, was climbing the fence as the chocobo darted back towards its herd, the device still clasped in its beak.

" _He's..._ _ **what**_ _?!"_ The sheer level of disbelief in the senior Turk's voice shattered what little self-control Rude had left and he burst out laughing again and watched as Reno stalked menacingly towards the avian.

"Alright, you goddamn son of a bitch. Hand it over!"

The chocobo whistled, and tossed the phone into the air again, but this time, instead of catching it, the bird swallowed it whole... and then looked up at the redhead with a decidedly smug expression.

" _NO!_ " Reno shrieked.

" _What happened?"_ Tseng asked.

"... I... think you're going to need to requisition him a new PHS, sir."

"Hey, you! You can't be in there!" an angry voice shouted, and Rude spotted two of the zoo's staff rushing toward the chocobo pen.

"... and... possibly post bail," he quickly added, before turning his attention back to the redhead. "Reno!"

Reno turned, only then noticing their approach, and ran for it, vaulting over the fence, and racing toward Rude. He grabbed him by the arm and began pulling him down the path.

"Think it might be time to go!" he shouted, and Rude nodded in agreement, falling into step beside him as they ran for the main gate. Unfortunately, security had apparently already been notified, and said gate was locked down, now under guard by several more staff members. Reno skidded to a halt and looked around for another means of escape. "Umm..."

Before he could find another exit, however, the sound of sirens filled the air. Two police cars pulled up outside.

"... Think we better just cut our losses," said Rude.

"... Rude, man... it was nice knowin' ya," Reno replied, slowly raising his hands in surrender. Rude looked over at him, uncertainly. "What? I'm pretty sure this is the last time you're ever gonna see me alive. Because Tseng really _is_ gonna to kill me this time."

* * *

Tseng walked into the Sector Seven police station nearly forty minutes later to retrieve not just one, but _two_ rookies.

"I'm here for the two young men you arrested at the Sector Seven Zoo," he said, without preamble, as he approached the desk. The officer seated behind it began to reply... until he got a good look at the credentials the Wutaiian was holding up.

"Er... Yes, sir," he replied, clearly surprised by the sudden appearance of one of Shinra's Turks, and reached for the phone. A few short minutes later, the two rookies were being escorted to the front of the building in handcuffs. "I'll be taking custody of them. Release them, please."

Once the cuffs came off, he said nothing farther. He simply fixed both young men with an annoyed glare and pointed to the door. Reno and Rude hurried to comply with the unspoken order. He didn't say a word until they had climbed into his car.

"What in Leviathan's name were you two _thinking_?!"

Reno sank down in the seat, and Tseng took a breath. He was angry, certainly... but they'd already been through this once, and it had resulted in the teenager being half-convinced that he was about to be expelled from the Turks altogether.

"... It was my fault, sir," Rude stated before the younger rookie could answer.

"No it wasn't," Reno objected, vehemently shaking his head. " _Please_ don't blame Rude for me bein' an idiot."

"You wouldn't have been anywhere near the chocobos if I hadn't dragged you there."

"Yeah, well, it's not like you _told_ me to jump the damn fence..."

"Not like I tried to stop you, either..."

Tseng glanced into the rearview mirror, studying the pair of them for a moment.

"Are you two _really_ arguing over which of you gets the privilege of taking the blame for this?" he asked, vaguely entertained by the unexpected discourse. "Because I'm sure there's plenty to go around..."

"... Yes, sir," they chorused.

"Just... explain to me what happened," Tseng said with a soft sigh. Reno shifted uncomfortably in the back seat and looked up at the ceiling.

"Rude was showin' me around a little, that's all. We stopped at the zoo and... uh... long story short, one of those stupid birds grabbed my phone when it started ringin'. So... I went in after it."

Tseng's reflected gaze shifted to the other rookie. "And what did _you_ do?"

"... Mostly just laughed... sir," Rude said, awkwardly.

"And then the zoo staff started yellin' at us. They looked seriously pissed off... so we made a break for it. And that's kinda when the police showed up."

"... How much trouble are we in, sir?" Rude asked. Tseng turned onto the on-ramp for freeway.

"I haven't decided yet. _Reno_ , however, will be spending the remainder of the weekend at home."

The redhead groaned and sank down farther into the seat. "The rate I'm goin' you might as well just lock me in my room for good..."

Tseng snorted softly. "I hardly think you'd learn much of anything if I did _that_. We'll discuss further disciplinary action... for _both_ of you... on Monday."

"... Sir?" Rude queried.

"Yes?"

"... Would it be alright if _I_ told Veld about this, instead of you doing it?"

Tseng smirked slightly. "If it assuages your conscience to confess to your mentor, you're welcome to do so. However, I have no plans to inform the commander of this incident."

Rude looked up in surprise.

"Sir?"

"Aside from the fact that I had to interrupt my _own_ weekend to come and reclaim the two of you... this is not Turks' business by any stretch of the imagination. Off duty, your time is your own. I see no reason to bother Veld with something so trivial."

"Oh, thank merciful Odin..." Rude breathed, and Reno immediately snickered at his reaction.

"Seriously? You're more afraid of _Veld_ than Tseng?" the redhead teased him, and Tseng chuckled softly.

"Well, I would certainly _hope_ so. Just who do you think trained _me_?" the Turk lieutenant replied.

"... Ya know... I just realized somethin'," said Reno. "None of this woulda happened at all if _you_ hadn't called me. So... if ya think about it, it's really more _your_ fault than ours."

Tseng very nearly laughed. The redhead was obviously joking, but the fact that he'd managed to voice that leap in logic with a straight face was obnoxiously amusing. More to the point, however, it seemed the senior Turk had been successful in not utterly terrifying his rookie for a change.

However... he certainly wasn't about to take responsibility for _this_ debacle.

"Don't push it, Reno..." he intoned, warningly.

~end chapter 17~


	18. Rookie's First Mission

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 18: Rookie's First Mission**

 **by Desha**

 _ **Author's note:**_ _Bonus points if you've been reading the whole series and recognize the cameo in this chapter... ;)_

* * *

It had been just over a month since Reno's arrival on the Plate, and he'd finally begun to settle into the routine.

By and large, that meant waking up early for breakfast, followed by two laps around the park – which, he was quite proud to say that he could now manage with only one or two short rests – and then a quick shower, more coffee, and the drive into work. Then it was the morning briefing, the firing range, the training hall, lunch, _back_ to the training hall, and then, if there was still any time in the day remaining, Tseng would take him downstairs to the swimming pool.

He fucking _loved_ the pool. In spite of his slightly less than pleasant introduction to swimming, Reno had quickly found it to be both easy _and_ a lot of fun... once someone actually showed him how not to drown.

Today, however, was not a pool day. Today was Monday, and nearly the end of the day, and that meant yet another trip down to the ninth floor to be poked and prodded and weighed, and told that he was too goddamn skinny. Dr. Ward was on a mission now, and Tseng was the sole target of her displeasure.

 _Actually_... that part of the visits was kind of fun to watch. The rest of it, though, he could do without.

As they stepped off of the elevator, Tseng seemed to brace himself. The redhead snickered softly, earning him a glare from his mentor.

"Ya know... we _could_ just skip this shit."

"And be hunted down by an irate Mideelian with access to multiple drugs, sharp instruments, and assorted medical equipment?" the senior Turk retorted, raising an eyebrow. His hand unconsciously moved protectively to his left ear. "Though I'll admit you've made a valiant effort, you've not driven my _completely_ out of my mind yet."

Reno laughed and followed him down the hallway to the medical suite. Dr. Ward was waiting impatiently when they arrived.

"Yer late," she stated.

"I most certainly am _not_ ," Tseng replied, indignantly.

"Oh, _really_? I told yeh _last_ week, that I needed Reno in here fifteen minutes early today so I'd have time ta draw blood and send it off ta the lab at Midgar General before they shut down fer the night. Yeh are therefore _fourteen_ minutes late, and that means my tests results won't be in until _next_ Monday instead of _this_ Friday."

Perhaps it was Reno's imagination, but he could have sworn that the older Turk paled slightly. Ward smirked.

"Ah... Remember now, do yeh?"

The Turk leader deflated and murmured a somewhat sheepish apology.

"Well... nothing for it now," the doctor continued. "Let's have a look at yeh, Reno... On the scale if yeh please."

The redhead obediently slipped off his shoes and jacket, and stepped up onto the scale. Ward clucked her tongue disapprovingly.

"Yer down another pound and a half," she reported, shaking her head, "Tseng, yeh have _got_ ta make sure the poor thing is eating right! I have told yeh time and time again, yeh can't work him as hard as yeh do and not replace all those calories he's burning!"

Reno groaned softly. "Doc... Don't get me wrong, I love bein' able to eat 'til I can't take another bite for once in my life, but seriously. Tseng shoves any more food down my throat at meals, I'm not sure I'm gonna survive it..."

For the past few weeks, his mentor had been particularly insistent about stuffing him. It was starting to take all the fun out of eating. Plus, he'd never actually believed that a 'food coma' was really a thing until he'd been subjected to the phenomenon no less than _four times_ last week. The first time had actually been kind of pleasant... After that, though, it just left him feeling like a useless lump lying on the couch until his body had sufficiently recovered.

He'd _always_ been a skinny little runt. Even moreso as he'd gotten older. And ever since he was twelve or so, he'd existed in a state of near perpetual hunger... He could never seem to get enough to eat. Not that that was unusual for _anyone_ in the Sector Two slums, but it had always seemed to hit him just a little harder than most people he knew.

"I have to agree with him, Justinia," Tseng interjected. "At this point, it feels like borderline _abuse_ to force as much food on him as I do. He simply _does not gain weight_."

The doctor sighed softly. "Well. I have to admit, I _am_ just a wee bit perplexed by it. That's why we're drawing blood today. I want ta screen him for parasites and metabolic disorders. Come sit yeh down, my little headache. I'll make this quick."

"... Do I _gotta_ do this?" he imploringly asked Tseng. The Turk lieutenant responded by escorting him over to the exam table and physically placing him on it. "Tch... coulda just said yes," Reno responded, sourly. _He_ knew he was puny... he didn't need a such a condescending reminder. Tseng smiled faintly.

"Alright. Just try and relax, now," the doctor said as she set a tray on the table beside him. Reno's eyes widened in horror.

"What in the _fucking_ nine hells is _that_?" he demanded, his voice rising sharply. The needle was _huge_. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Yeh watch yer language, young man," Dr. Ward admonished before patting his shoulder apologetically. "I know... it looks none too pleasant. But I promise yeh, yeh'll barely feel it, and it'll only take me a couple of minutes ta draw what I need." She glanced over at the senior Turk. "... Maybe it'd be best if yeh held onta him for me. Just in case."

Reno tensed as she rolled up his sleeve and wrapped a piece of rubber tubing tightly around his upper arm. As much as he would have liked to, he couldn't bring himself to look away as she wiped down the inside of his elbow, and expertly slid the massive needle straight into a vein. She snapped a small glass vial into place and untied the band on his arm. The vial suddenly fill with a gush of crimson, and Reno felt his stomach clench in response. Still... he couldn't take his eyes off of it. They remained locked there as she snapped the tube out again, and replaced it with a second. And then a third. By the _fourth_ , he was starting to feel more than a little woozy.

"You plannin' on _leavin'_ me any?" he asked, alarmed.

"Just two more," Ward replied, calmly. The redhead groaned as number five was filled. On number six, he felt himself falling and the doctor looked up in concern. "Tseng... catch him!" she demanded. That was the last thing Reno remembered.

The next time he opened his eyes, he was lying down, staring up at the ceiling. He moaned softly and turned his head, spotting the doctor.

"There, now... yer alright," Ward said soothingly.

"What happened?" he muttered, blinking as he tried to sit up. A hand firmly pushed him back down. Tseng's, he realized belatedly.

"Yeh fainted, that's all," she chuckled, fingers gently stroking his hair out of his eyes. "Not quite sure if it was the blood volume or just yeh being less than fond of needles. But yer alright now. Just lay back and rest a minute."

"We're done with this shit... right?"

Tseng chuckled. "Yes, I believe we are."

"I'll go and get yeh something sweet. A little sugar should have yeh feeling better in no time. Yeh stay put 'til I get back." She disappeared, but returned momentary with a glass of orange juice, which he was only too happy to drain, and his usual sucker. Also orange. Ward was right... he _did_ feel much better a few minutes later.

"Alright... yer free ta go. Yeh might feel a bit out of sorts for an hour or so, though. Yeh go home, and yeh eat, and yeh relax for awhile. Understood?"

"Yeah... got it." Reno slid off the table, staggering, slightly off-balance at first, but quickly recovered and let Tseng lead him off to the parking deck and home.

* * *

By the time they returned to the apartment, he felt perfectly fine. He flopped onto the couch, and turned on the TV, flipping through the channels until he found the local news. Tseng insisted he watch. Kept saying that Turks needed to keep abreast of current events and the public spin put on them. For the most part, he tended to find it bland and uninteresting... but hell, it was only half an hour, and it was followed by dinner. He could think of worse assignments to be given.

He stretched slightly, giving a small yawn. He was beat... Tseng had paired him up with Rude that afternoon, and then turned the twins loose on them both in the training hall. He had a feeling that Rude was going to be heading off to bed early tonight after that. He was giving serious consideration to it himself.

"We won't be leaving quite so early tomorrow," Tseng called out from the kitchen, and the redhead vaguely wondered what they'd be eating tonight. Not that he could have done any better himself... but the man's cooking really was _terrible_ and he didn't seem to be of a mind to go out tonight. Though, neither, for that matter, was Reno.

"Yeah? That mean I can sleep in?" he asked, snickering.

"So long as you're ready to leave by eight thirty."

The redhead looked away from the TV, curious now. Considering Tseng _usually_ made him get up no later than six, that was a hell of a deviation from their usual schedule.

"Seriously?" he asked with a disbelieving laugh. He glanced back over at the screen, which was now displaying the weather report for the week. Rain tomorrow, apparently. "I _actually_ get to sleep in on a work day?"

"Yes," his mentor replied. "Because tomorrow we will not be going into the office."

Tseng suddenly had the rookie's full and undivided attention. They weren't just deviating from the schedule... it was right out the window.

"So where _are_ we goin', then?"

"I think it's about time you got out of the city," Tseng said, as he continued setting the table. "And as it happens, there's a minor assignment to be dealt with in Kalm tomorrow. I've volunteered us for it."

" _Sweet!_ " Reno grinned and shut off the TV. "Are we flyin' there?" He'd been dying for another ride in the helicopter. And, maybe if Tseng was feeling generous... a lesson?

Tseng gave a soft laugh. "We are, yes. Hence why we'll be leaving late. The cargo we're to retrieve from the Sector Six Plate construction zone won't be ready until then."

Sector Six was the final piece of the Plate to be completed... and from what Rude had told him, it was close to being done. Shinra Company was planning to start moving the first residents in sometime next year. Apparently, it was big deal, because afterwards, they could start planning Midgar's expansion beyond the Plate.

"Since when are the Turks in the business of makin' deliveries?" Reno asked.

"It's a relatively infrequent request. However, we _do_ occasionally act as couriers for items that are of exceptionally high value or that are highly classified. In this case, it's both. We're picking up a new core regulator from the Number Six reactor. The reactor in Kalm is malfunctioning, and the maintenance team needs the replacement part to repair it before the problem gets any worse. Mako technology is classified at one of the highest levels Shinra has because of its importance to the company," the Wutaiian Turk explained, "It's something that falls to the Turks, not only because we're capable of guarding such items from theft, but also because no Turk would ever steal from the company themselves."

"Heh... never realized they trusted us so much."

Tseng chuckled in response. "Most of us would never dream of betraying Shinra Company. Loyalty tends to become seconds nature after awhile. But that aside, there's a reason we're as highly paid as we are. Industrial espionage simply is not worth the effort. There's also the simple fact that any Turk who _was_ caught in such a plot would be immediately terminated."

"... By which I'm _kinda_ guessin' you don't just mean they'd be fired..."

"Indeed."

"Anyone ever actually do somethin' that stupid?" the redhead queried.

"Certainly not in _my_ time with the company. I'm told that there was _one_ Turk who went rogue long before I was recruited, however, and tried to destroy the research lab in Nibelheim he'd been sent to provide security for. Along with the scientists working there. It didn't end well for him, as I understand it... though to be honest, there are several versions of that story that have been retold many times over. Frankly, I don't know which, if any, of them are true." Tseng shook his head. "It hardly matters, anyway. Whatever might have happened in the past, we are all perfectly aware of what would happen _now_."

* * *

At promptly eight thirty the following morning, Tseng and Reno left for the Shinra Building. Instead of reporting to headquarters, however, they rode the elevator straight up to the rooftop. Tseng ushered the redhead aboard the smaller of the two helicopters, placing him in the co-pilot's seat. Reno grinned excitedly at complex-looking bank of controls.

"Strap yourself in," Tseng said, sitting down beside him. The redhead reached for the straps on either side of the seat... and frowned in confusion as he realized that he didn't have a clue how to do this. The last time, it had been done for him, and if he was being honest, he'd had a lot more on his mind than safety procedures. He fumbled with it for a few moments before he realized that the Turk lieutenant was watching him, an amused expression on his face.

"Tch... How about a hint, huh, Boss?"

"First of all... it's a five point harness, so you'll need more than just those two straps."

Reno glanced down and easily found the other three, now that he knew to look for them. After that, it became fairly obvious how they fit together. The first two came down over either shoulder. Two more fell across his hips, and the fifth came up between his legs, very effectively holding him in place.

"Is all this shit really necessary?"

"While flying normally... no. If we were to crash, however, it's the difference between walking away, or... _not_ ," Tseng replied.

"... 'Kay... so since I don't really wanna die..." the redhead murmured, and tightened the straps until he was very securely tethered to his seat.

"I _hope_ that wasn't commentary on my piloting skills," Tseng teased, "I can always leave you here, if you'd prefer."

"No!" the redhead exclaimed, wide-eyed. "No, I'm good."

Tseng snickered and fastened his own harness. He pulled on a headset that hung from a clip nearby, and Reno hurried to find his own.

"... So..." the redhead ventured, as the engines started and the helicopter lifted off. "Is there like... an age limit for flyin' this thing?"

"Company policy requires you be at least eighteen to be certified," Tseng replied, and Reno groaned, leaning back in his seat. He'd be seventeen in just a few months. That still left an entire _year_ after that before he could fly. He heard Tseng laugh openly over his headset at his reaction. "However... _training_ can begin at any time."

The redhead beamed and opened his mouth to make the request, but the Turk lieutenant cut him off.

"Yes, we will begin flight instruction in the near future. _However_... you will be learning learn to drive first, as it's a bit more practical a place to start. Once you have that suitably mastered, we can tackle the helicopter."

"Heh... so when's my first driving lesson?" Reno asked with a grin.

Tseng shook his head. "As soon as I double check that my life insurance is paid up..." he responded, dryly.

Reno grinned and turned his attention to the scenery that whizzed by as Tseng directed the craft out toward the far edge of the Plate. The city looked amazing from so high up... and he couldn't help but be a little shocked by the amount of it that he had yet to see. He and Rude had been continuing their tours of Midgar on the weekends – minus the being arrested part – and even so, had only managed to explore a few sectors. There was still _so much_ left!

The Plate suddenly dropped away as they swung out over the unfinished portion of Sector Six, heading for the reactor at the Plate's edge, and Reno caught a brief glimpse of the slums below. Wall Market may have been the sector's most notable feature, but it was only a tiny fraction of what was down there. Tucked in against the city's central pillar, the redlight district was dwarfed by the rest of the area.

A very long time ago, it had been a small village, and many of the old structures were still standing. Sector Six was easily the nicest of the slums... owing largely to the revenue generated by Wall Market itself. But of course, most of those who worked the Market could never have hoped to live in the sector proper. Those homes were for the people who owned the businesses that flourished in Wall Market, investors in Corneo's ventures, and anyone else who had somehow or other come by the gil to afford it. It was the elite district of the slums, if such a thing could exist in a place like that.

The reactor suddenly loomed before them. Reno had never actually realized how gigantic the things really were. He'd only ever seen them from below – and very briefly upon his arrival on the Plate. They rose up above most of the buildings surrounding them. The Number Six reactor looked especially huge, given that most of the nearby structures were still incomplete. They set down on a small landing pad on one of the upper levels of the reactor, and Tseng shut down the engines.

"Let's make this quick, shall we? The reactor staff tend to be extremely busy and dislike interruptions to their work day."

Reno nodded and followed him out of the helicopter and towards the large door in the side of the building. A man waited just inside, arms crossed over his chest and impatiently tapping his foot on the floor.

He was forty-ish and broad-shouldered, with a bushy mustache and blond hair the peeked out from beneath the white hardhat he was wearing. Honey-colored eyes watched the pair closely as they approached.

"The reactor foreman," Tseng softly informed his protege before they were within earshot of the man. "He has to sign off on all equipment transfers personally."

"About time," he said brusquely in lieu of a greeting. "Come on. You're part's been waiting in the secure locker down the hall for ten minutes now. The sooner you take it off my hands, the sooner I can get back to helping my team figure out what this Shiva-forsaken piece of junk is doing."

"Problem?" Tseng asked.

"Strange readings on some of the pressure gauges for the intake system. We've been trying to figure it out all morning. If we don't get a handle on it soon, we're going to have to scale back production and run a full diagnostic. The Company is _not_ going to be happy if we have to do _that_." He snorted softly and added. "And my _wife_ isn't going to be happy, either, if I end up working late again tonight."

"We won't keep you, then."

He nodded and started down the hallway. "Today bring your kid to work day, or something?" the foreman asked, nodding towards Reno.

"Our newest recruit," the elder Turk replied. The other man's eyebrow rose.

" _Him_? Kid can't be any older than my little girl," he scoffed. Tseng chuckled while Reno scowled indignantly. Bad enough people thought he was just a kid... now he was getting compared to a girl?! They reached a large door, and the man slide his security ID through the lock. "Well... There she is. One brand new core regulator." He held out a clipboard to the Turk lieutenant. "Sign here."

Tseng quickly obliged.

"Need a hand with it?"

"I think we can mange from here. You have more pressing matters to attend to," he replied.

The foreman gave them a farewell nod, and headed off down the hallway, leaving the pair of Turks to their task. The regulator seemed to consist of a long metal cylinder about as big around as Reno's thigh and nearly as tall as he was. At one end was a large gauge, and several valve handles that had been painted various different colors. The other end separated into two curved tubes branching off in opposite directions. It rested on a wheeled dolly, which Tseng tilted back and began to push back the way they'd come. Reno ran ahead to haul open the wide cargo door in the side of the aircraft.

Once their delivery was securely strapped into the back, the two Turk returned to their seats, and Tseng had them airborne moments later.

"Heh... Next stop, Kalm?" Reno queried, somewhat excitedly, and his mentor nodded.

~end of chapter 18~


	19. Kalm and Chaos

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 19: Kalm and Chaos**

 **by Desha**

Reno was practically out of his seat before the helicopter had even landed in the wide open plains just outside of Kalm. The little town looked like something right out of a children's storybook, and for some reason he just desperately needed to see it up close... if only to prove to himself that it was real. In the distance, he saw several people making their way towards the Turks' landing site.

"Ah... our escort," Tseng commented, as he shut down the engines and stood, moving to the back.

" _We_ need an escort?"

"Unless you wish to carry this into town yourself," the Turk second responded with a slight smirk. "We'll turn over the regulator, and accompany it to the reactor as additional security. Then... our job is done."

"... That's it?" the redhead asked, not quite able to keep the disappointment out of his voice. He'd been hoping to see more of the village than just the stupid reactor. Tseng gave a quiet laugh.

"That's all we're here for, yes," he replied, "... But... we have no pressing need to return immediately. You will have ample opportunity to look around a bit before we leave."

Reno grinned, and quickly joined his mentor, intent on helping him to prepare the core regulator for the next leg of its journey. Tseng, however, waved him off.

"We do nothing, however, until we have verified their security clearance," he cautioned, and reached for the EMR that was clipped to Reno's belt. He gave it a flick, extending it to it's full length, and handed it back to the rookie. "You will be backing me up... just in case."

Reno lightly fingered the tiny control panel on the rod's handle. Tseng had introduced him to the weapon barely a month ago... and he'd quickly grown attached to it. Somehow, it suited him. The EMR seemed to play to his strengths... it's was all but made for people who were light and fast, providing a powerful punch of electricity that balanced out his lack of physical strength. It was a close range weapon that still let him keep some distance between himself and his opponent, giving him room to maneuver and move in for an attack, or retreat and regroup.

So much so, he'd even taken a little bit of revenge on Kai during a sparring match for sending him through the gauntlet. She'd spent the rest of the day rather obviously avoiding anything that required her to sit down after that.

Tseng slid open the door and climbed out to speak with the new arrivals, while Reno hung back, doing his best impersonation of a threatening individual. He was pretty sure no one was buying it.

Finally, however, Tseng seemed satisfied that the group was, in fact, the people they were supposed to be meeting and motioned them toward the helicopter. Reno scrambled out of the way as they collectively hauled the regulator out of the aircraft, and hefting it between the four of them started back toward town with the two Turks in tow.

"So... That's _really_ all we came for?" Reno asked as they reached the reactor near the center of the village. Tseng chuckled softly as the transfer paperwork was signed and handed back to him.

"I told you this was only a minor assignment. More a nuisance than a mission, really," he replied, smirking, "Just what were you expecting?"

The redhead shrugged. "I dunno. Guess I just always thought Turks handled... ya know... exciting shit. All I've done for the last month is spend most of my day in the gym, and now I'm a delivery boy."

Tseng placed a hand on Reno's back and guided him away from the reactor.

" _You_ are a rookie. You don't get to do the 'exciting shit' until you've got a little more experience and training under your belt. Don't be so impatient."

"Tch... How am I s'posed to get any actual experience if I just spend all my time training?"

"For today... by being a delivery boy," Tseng replied, smiling. "Now, let me show you around a bit. Kalm tends to live up to its name... it can be a very relaxing place to visit."

* * *

"Just what are yeh doin' now, yeh pain in the arse?" Saya asked, rolling her eyes as she walked into the office she shared with her cousin. Sato was fiddling with some sort of electronic board... and in her experience, that never boded well for anyone within a fifty foot radius. It usually resulted in something exploding.

"Nothin' that concerns yeh, cousin mine," he replied with a grin. He snapped the board into place on a narrow metal box and flipped a switch. The device beeped twice, ominously, and then shut down.

"Whatever that is, it better not be armed..." she muttered, taking a seat at her desk. "I swear ta Odin, if yeh end up settin' my paperwork on fire again..."

Sato snickered and tucked his creation into a gym bag, setting it off to one side of his own desk. "Aw, don't get yer panties in a bunch. It's just a wee surprise fer our dear little Kai. Ta thank her fer foistin' off that trip ta Fort Condor on us last week."

Saya rolled her eyes. " _Yeh_ were the one that volunteered us when she asked, yeh idiot."

"Aye... but Kai dinnae mention that we'd be there eatin' those damn field rations fer two days straight."

"Well, don't yeh expect me ta rescue yeh when Tseng decides ta finally beat some sense inta that fool head of yers..."

Sato let a wide grin steal across his face.

"Ah, but yeh see... there's the genius bit 'o this little joke. Kai's still on Tseng's shitlist after what she did ta the newbie. I'd be willin' ta bet he'll... uh... look the other way a bit. Just this once."

Saya snorted derisively and turned her attention back to the report she needed to file. Trust Sato to come up with something like that. Though she had to admit... Kai and Tseng _had_ been a little cold toward one another since the woman had taken it upon herself to introduce Tseng's rookie to the gauntlet ahead of schedule. Not that she could really blame Tseng for being upset... Reno hadn't done anything to deserve _that_ sort of punishment. She'd been a little ticked at Kai, herself, truth be told. Saya liked the little redhead, and seeing him so pulverized that day had brought out the mother hen in her.

He _was_ a sweet little thing... if, much like Sato, a bit impulsive. She hoped that Tseng would get him trained _out_ of that trait after awhile. One Sato on the team was more than enough. In the meantime, though, she was content with helping out with his training whenever needed. The kid was shaping up to be a competent fighter. He was good at anticipating his opponent's moves, which helped to make up for his overall lack of skill, experience, and physical strength.

Saya leaned back and stretched. It was going to be a slow day... she could just feel it. Well... at least she had Sato's latest creation to look forward to. That would certainly inject some excitement into an otherwise boring afternoon.

Without warning, a loud _boom_ shook the corridors of Turks headquarters, causing both Turks to jump violently. The rumbling went on for several seconds, and Saya grabbed for the small lamp on her desk, catching it before it fell to the floor. When it finally stopped, she stared at her cousin accusingly.

"What in the _nine hells_ have yeh gone 'n done _now_?!" she exclaimed. Sato shook his head in denial.

"Wasn't one o' mine, I can promise yeh that!" The pair were on their feet moments later, rushing into the hallway. They met Veld and Luca in the hallway.

"I wasn't me!" Sato declared, as they approached. "I swear!"

"I know. It's the number six reactor," Veld quickly informed them. "It's... bad. _Very_ bad. All Turks are on standby to assist with search and rescue operations."

"What's happened?" Saya asked. Veld shook his head.

"I don't know yet. But Luca and I saw the explosion from the lounge. There's... almost nothing left of the reactor itself. And the Sector Six plate has visibly shifted. Meeting room in twenty. I'm going to see if I can get some additional information from Heidegger."

"Yes, sir," the twins chorused.

* * *

Tseng was right... Kalm certainly seemed to live up to its name. The people were friendly, the streets were tranquil, and a soft, cool breeze blew in from the ocean to the north. Reno wasn't quite sure if he loved it or was slightly creeped out by it. Or possibly both. It was so very different... nothing like Sector Two. Nothing like the Plate, either, for that matter. After awhile, he decided that Kalm was a nice place to visit... but he didn't think he could stand living there. It was just too... quiet. He liked the constant bustle of the city.

They'd stopped at a little cafe near the center of town, and were presently enjoying a quick snack at one of the tables outside. Tseng had insisted, apparently still somewhat beholden to Ward's command to feed his his rookie in spite of his protests the previous day.

"So... this place is a mining town... right?" Reno asked around a bite of his chicken salad sandwich.

"Yes. The miners work the Mythril Mines to the south, as well as a few quarries and materia veins east of here. I plan on taking you to Junon at the next available opportunity. You'll be able to see it from the air. The entrance, at any rate."

"Ya know, it's weird. I don't think I ever actually _realized_ how fuckin' big the world really is 'til now. Can I ask ya somethin'?"

"Of course."

"How much of it have you seen?"

Tseng chuckled softly. "Quite a lot. I was born in Wutai, so I am intimately familiar with my homeland. As a Turk I've been to many more places."

"Like Rocket Town?"

"Yes... Why?"

The redhead shrugged. "Just curious. Rude's from Rocket Town."

"I'm quite certain you'll have the opportunity to visit one of these days. Though to be honest, Rocket Town isn't the most entertaining of locations. Unless you happen to be _very_ interested in space exploration or aeronautics."

"Heh... That's kinda what Rude said, too. Still kinda wanna see it, though." He grinned suddenly. "But ya know where I _really_ wanna go some time?"

"I would venture to guess Costa del Sol," Tseng replied, smiling. "That seems to be the destination of choice these days."

Reno paused, considering for a moment, but shook his head. "Wouldn't mind that, too... but I _really_ wanna see the Gold Saucer. Seen commercials for it on TV all my life. Never thought I might have the chance to actually go one day..."

Tseng groaned faintly. "I think I would almost prefer Rocket Town," he replied. "That place is _far_ too... flashy... for my taste."

"Flashy sounds good to _me_ ," the redhead snickered.

"Of course it does..." Tseng sighed, but smiled indulgently. "Well... perhaps once you've accrued some vacation time you can –"

Before he could finish, a deep, reverberating _boom_ seemed to echo across the plains. The people on the streets of Kalm stopped in their tracks, urgent queries as to what had happened buzzing in the air.

"... Tseng," Reno breathed, pointing behind him, in the direction of Midgar, his eyes wide. The senior Turk twisted in his seat, and had no trouble spotting what had caused his young rookie such concern. A black pillar of smoke was rising from the city. Tseng frowned and stood up.

"I'm afraid we'll be cutting our visit short," he said. A moment later, his PHS began to ring.

* * *

The helicopter flew high over the remains of the Number Six reactor. Tseng kept them at a safe distance... close enough to get a look at the damage, but far enough out to avoid any potential mako contamination. And the damage was certainly extensive. Though much of the structure was still obscured in thick, black smoke, it was readily apparent that a good portion of the reactor was simply... gone.

More worrying, however, was the precarious angle at which a large section of the unfinished Plate now rested. Teams were already working to secure the central portion, but closer to the edge, the danger of mako poisoning was too great to send in crews from Urban Development. Veld had told him that the centermost quarter of Sector Six – where the damage was minimal – was currently being separated from the rest of the massive structure, just in case of collapse.

Aaron, Remy, Tres, and Rude had already been dispatched to Wall Market to evacuate the area into neighboring sectors. The rest of the Turks, with the exception of Tseng and Reno, who were in the air, as well as numerous members of Soldier, were dispersed around the damaged Sector, as close to ground zero as they could safely get, helping to remove survivors from the danger zone.

Reno had tried a number of times already, and failed, to get ahold of Lira. He couldn't help but worry about her. Thankfully, she was in Wall Market, and not the outer sections of the Sector Six slums... but still. If the pillar went, the Plate would drop. And if the Plate dropped, no one was getting out of there alive. He stomach twisted nervously as he tucked his PHS back into his jacket.

Lira was smart. She wouldn't stick around the Market after word of what had happened started to spread. He just hoped she didn't get caught in the panicked rush to flee that had to be going on down their right about now. Hopefully, she'd high-tailed it over to Five or Seven before the mass exodus had started.

"Reno... We're going to be picking up injured. I need you in the back keeping things organized. We're going to try to get as many people back there as possible," Tseng suddenly said, interrupting his train of thought. The redhead nodded, and unstrapped himself, clambering into the cargo section of the aircraft. Tseng circled a small park in Sector Five and set down. The helicopter was suddenly rushed by the waiting crowd, and Reno watched somewhat in shock as they had to be forced back by Shinra personnel. He thought he briefly spotted Kai amongst those working crowd control, but she quickly disappeared from sight.

A moment later, she didn't matter. People were being brought forward, some on stretchers, some staggering with help from rescuers, and Reno soon had his hands full trying to shuffle them into the cramped space of the helicopter. He somehow managed to get eleven on board before conceding that there was just no more room and hauled the door shut. Those who hadn't made it inside banged on the metal paneling in desperation.

" _Tseng! That's all we can take!"_ he reported over his headset, swallowing nervously against the adrenaline rush that was telling him that they needed to get the hell out of there before they got swarmed.

" _Understood."_

The copter lifted off again, and the redhead found himself able to breathe again at last, safely soaring above the chaos. Tseng headed straight toward Midgar General, and as they approached the large building near the city center, Reno couldn't help but wonder just how many trips this was going to take...

* * *

"Stay close, rookie. Don't want you gettin' lost in this mess," Tres said, and Rude was only too happy to oblige. Aaron and Remy had already broken off from them and started herding people towards Sector Seven. He and Tres were directing the flow of foot traffic into Sector Five.

"Rude!?" a voice suddenly called out, and the young Turk turned toward the source of the sound. It didn't take him long to spot the one familiar face in the sea of panic... she was still wearing one of the Honeybee Inn's signature bee costumes... and when he did, he took on the risk of distancing himself from his current partner and making his way over to her. A moment later, Lira had her arms wrapped tightly around him. "Is Reno okay?" she asked, "No one can get any cell service right now. Someone said it's because the reactor's leaking so much mako!"

"... He's fine. He's topside, with Tseng."

The woman breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and released him, smiling gratefully.

"When you see him, could you tell him I'm okay, too? And that I'm heading to Sector Five and not to worry?"

Rude nodded.

"Thanks," she replied, and waved before rejoining the stream of evacuees. "Be careful out there!"

A hand clamped down on Rude's shoulder before he could call anything after her.

"Hmph... Been havin' a little fun in the slums without me lately, eh, rookie?"

"... She's a friend of Reno," he responded, more than slightly embarrassed by the implication. The last thing he needed was for his fellow Turks to start thinking he made a habit of visiting the local brothels. Tres shook his head and chuckled.

"Man... that kid _sure_ gets around. Anyway... Socialize later. We got a lot of people to wrangle."

Several screams were heard from the crowd, and without much more warning than that, an all-out stampede started, as the the people rushed for the Sector Five gate. A moment later, Rude realized why. The Pillar was beginning to buckle.

A large section of the towering support broke away, crashing into the slums below. It was well outside of Wall Market, in the residential area, but if it gave way... everything else was coming down with it.

"Ah, fuck. Move it, Rude! They're not payin' us nearly enough to get turned into pancakes!"

The rookie found himself being dragged into the current, and had to work to stay in Tres' wake as the senior Turk elbowed his way through until they were safely within the confines of Sector Five. The pair made their way back, away from the refugees, and could only watch as more and more of the pillar began to break off. Tres let out a low whistle as a particularly large piece crumbled.

"That fucker's comin' down any second now. This is gonna be bad. Come on. Let's find some cover."

They took shelter behind the stone walls of what Rude was fairly certain had once been a small cottage. Only two of its walls still stood, but what remained was surprisingly solid. Something high above them creaked loudly, and then the pillar broke entirely. Tres pulled him down into the juncture where the two walls met, and moments later there was an earsplitting series of crashes and rending of metal, and suddenly a cloud of dust enveloped them. Rude coughed harshly in the suffocatingly thick air, and covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve, trying to breathe through the fabric. It didn't help much, and soon, his eyes were stinging, too. All around him were the sounds of destruction and terror.

* * *

"Holy fuck..." Reno breathed, peering out through the cockpit's windshield. Tseng, though he certainly must have heard him over the headset, said nothing. The Plate had just... disappeared. No warning. It had just dropped out of sight and was gone. Seconds later, a massive cloud of dust erupted from where it had once been.

He turned his gaze toward the center of the Plate. The detached section of Sector Six was still in place... barely a quarter of it's expanse. The rest was now a twisted wreck on the ground far below. Shinra had protected Wall Market, the redhead suddenly realized. Which, he supposed, made sense in a sick way. The redlight district was popular with the denizens of the Plate. And from what he'd overheard from conversations before the daily meetings, Shinra Company had a couple of fingers in that particular pie as well.

And he found himself undeniably grateful for that just then. Because if Wall Market was safe, then Lira was safe.

" _Tseng,"_ a new voice interjected over the radio, and it took Reno a moment to recognize it as Veld. _"I need you down below. Emergency extraction."_

"Yes, sir... We're on our way,"the Turk lieutenant responded.

"What's goin' on?" Reno asked, and Tseng shook his head grimly.

"... Someone's hurt," he replied as the aircraft darted into the chasm left by the fallen sector.

"Tch... Lot of people are hurt."

"One **ours** is hurt,"Tseng amended. Reno felt his stomach drop. There were four Turks down below. Rude was one of them...

~end of chapter 19~


	20. Loss

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 20: Loss**

 **by Desha**

Reno watched mutely as the helicopter dropped down into the slums. Tseng took them under the damaged Plate, directly over Wall Market, and the redhead _hoped_ that the guys up top had the damn thing secure... because there was fuck all holding it up from down below anymore.

The devastation was unbelievable. Though the Market was safe enough, the outlying districts had been virtually obliterated. Twisted steel and broken concrete was all that was left. Smoke rose in a few places, and showers of sparks intermittently erupted in the distance. The air was still thick with dust from the collapse, making it hard to see.

The gate leading over to Sector Seven eventually came into view, and Tseng took them down, landing just outside of a little playground. Hundreds of people lingered just beyond the gate Reno spotted someone waving frantically from the ground. It took him a moment to recognize the figure as Remy.

"Stay with the helicopter," Tseng commanded. "If anyone gets too close, fire a warning shot into the air. If they don't turn back... shoot _them_. We can't afford to be overrun."

Reno blinked in surprise at the unforgiving order, but nodded. He supposed he understood. Panic made people do stupid things... and they were no good to anyone if a bunch of idiots managed to commandeer the copter. Still... it seemed awfully heartless.

Tseng slipped out of his harness, and Reno did the same. The redhead crouched beside the door and drew his gun as the Turk lieutenant hopped out and sprinted toward the other Turk. He saw Remy shake her head, and gesture at something on the ground. They spoke for a few seconds, and then the woman was running for the aircraft, her arm clutched tightly to her chest. As she approached, Reno saw the blood mingled with dirt on her now-pale face. Her shirt, too, was stained bright red, and her hand was bundled up tightly in her jacket.

Reno reached out and helped to pull her inside, settling her in one of the seats in the back before turning his attention back to the open door. By the, Tseng was there as well, a heavy burden in his arms. The rookie's breath caught in his throat as he realized what it was.

Tseng's expression was grim as he laid the body on the floor of the helicopter and climbed in after it, pulling the door shut behind him. Aaron was motionless, his eyes closed, and Reno looked up at his mentor not daring to ask. He didn't have to. Tseng shook his head and shrugged out of his jacket, placing it over the fallen Turk's face, before returning to the pilot's seat.

The redhead sank back against the side of the craft, sliding to the floor.

He'd barely known the man. Aaron seemed to spend a significant portion of his time in Junon and Fort Condor and Kalm, rather than hanging around the Turks' headquarters in Midgar. Large and intimidating in appearance, he'd turned out to be both friendly and patient with the rookie the few times Reno had gotten to train with him. Like Remy, hand to hand combat had been his specialty...

Reno glanced over at Remy, whose somewhat blank gaze was locked on the man. By all appearances, the two of them had spent most of their time butting heads... but he doubted that she'd actually _disliked_ her teammate.

The helicopter rose steadily, cresting over the edge of the Plate, and heading straight for Midgar General. He wasn't sure what the hurry was. Aaron was already dead. It wasn't as if a few minutes would make a difference. It was only when Remy's arm dropped limply to her lap that he realized that Aaron wasn't the only reason they were going there.

The redhead clambered to his feet and knelt down beside her. The woman was unresponsive and breathing shallowly.

Reno tentatively unwrapping the fabric from around her hand... and quickly _re_ wrapping it when the blood began to gush. He clamped down on the injury, applying pressure.

"Hey, Tseng?!" he called out, worried, "... I don't think she's doin' so well..."

He felt vaguely ill. He wasn't sure what had happened, but in the brief glimpse he'd had of her hand, he was fairly certain that a finger or two had been missing.

"We're nearly there..." Tseng replied, and Reno couldn't help but wonder if that was meant to reassure _him_ or the Turk lieutenant himself. Minutes later, they were descending again, landing on the roof of the hospital with a gentle bump. Almost immediately, the door was hauled open and the cramped space invaded by medical personnel, who quickly took over for the redhead and carried the unconscious woman out, laying her on a gurney. Reno watched as Remy disappeared into the building. A second crew soon carted Aaron away behind her.

"Reno... The door..." Tseng prodded him, startling him from his shocked stupor.

"R-right..." the rookie murmured in reply and robotically slid it shut. He glanced back. Blood had pooled on the floor, both where Aaron had been, and next to Remy's seat. It was on his hands. His clothes. He swallowed harshly wiped his palms on his thighs before making his way back up to the cockpit, reclaiming the copilot's seat.

"Are you alright?" the Wutaiian Turk asked, as he sent them airborne again.

"... Yeah." Truthfully, he wasn't. He was a _long_ way from alright. Somehow, though, he couldn't bring himself to admit that to Tseng.

* * *

The sun had set before the Turks had finally been recalled from the rescue efforts, as relief from Junon began to arrive. No longer needed on the ground or in the air, most of them had returned to headquarters for updates and a quiet place to rest. Reno was laying on one of the couches in the lounge, staring up at the ceiling.

"... Hey."

The redhead lifted his head, and glanced over at the source of the greeting.

"Hey," he replied.

Rude strode inside, looking exhausted, and the redhead hurried to make room for him on the couch.

"... Is it true?" he asked.

"... Yeah," Reno replied, quietly. "Haven't heard anything 'bout Remy yet, but Aaron... He was gone before me 'n Tseng even got there."

"..." The bald Turk sat down beside him, and ran a hand over his scalp, shaking his head. After a moment he looked up again. "Saw Lira. She says to tell you she's okay. Made it into Five before things got bad."

"Oh, thank Ifrit," the redhead sighed, relieved. "I've been tryin' to get ahold of her off 'n on for hours now. Fucking reactor's leakin' too much mako to get a decent signal."

"Tres says they'll have that under control by morning." Rude sighed and got up. "Gonna grab something from the cafeteria. You coming?"

"Nah... Not feelin' real hungry at the moment." He was having a hard time getting the image of Aaron's lifeless body out of his head. And when he finally _did_ manage to do so, it soon was replaced by Remy and her mangled hand. Between the two of them... no. He definitely wasn't in the mood to eat, for once. Rude nodded in understanding.

"You and Tseng staying here tonight?" he asked before he left, and the redhead shrugged.

"Dunno."

He hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Turk lieutenant since they'd returned. He'd disappeared into Veld's office, leaving the rookie to his own devices.

"Hey... Turklings..." a new voice broke in. Kai was suddenly standing in the doorway. "Got a job for ya. When you're finished, Veld says you can knock off for the night."

"What is it?" Reno asked, dragging himself off the couch.

"Copter's a mess. Hose it down, get all the crap off the blades and the windows, and..." She paused for a moment. "... wipe down the interior. Bleach the floor. Sorry, guys... I know it's a shit job, but it's gotta be done, and everyone else is busy."

Reno felt sick. He _really_ didn't want to do this. Rude, however, gave a resigned nod and headed for the door. The redhead grudgingly followed.

* * *

"Do we know what caused it yet?" Veld asked. Tseng shook his head.

"We have interviews scheduled with the survivors from the reactor crew first thing tomorrow. We'll know more then. The foreman informed me there was some sort of issue they were trying to fix this morning, though. It may have had something to do with the explosion."

"There's been no claims of responsibility, as of yet... so you may be right about that. Hard to believe something of this scale might be nothing more than an accident. Still, until we know for certain, we will be operating under the assumption that there was some sort of sabotage. I've recommended a level two security alert at the remaining reactors. The president has agreed."

"Has there been any word on Remy, sir?" Tseng asked. He and Reno had gone straight back into the fray after they'd left her with the medical personnel, and hadn't stopped. In fact, this meeting was the first break he'd had _since_.

"She's alright. Relatively speaking," Veld replied. "She lost a lot of blood, and half of her left index finger, but they've got her stabilized. They managed to save the rest of her hand, too, though she may have some nerve damage. She's going to be on medical leave for at least a week, and out of the field for several more."

Tseng sighed. "She led me to believe it was only a minor injury when we arrived. Thankfully, Reno was paying a bit more attention than I was."

"Nothing like trial by fire, is there?" Veld replied. "He did well today."

"Yes, sir." The Turk lieutenant hesitated a moment before changing the subject. "Have... you informed Aaron's family yet?"

"I've been in contact with his sister, yes. I'm going to see her in person shortly. Would you care to accompany me?"

"Yes, sir, I would. Aaron was good friend. It's only right."

* * *

Reno had been staring at the pool of mostly dried blood for several minutes now, waiting for Rude to return from the supply shed on the far side of the roof. Neither of them had been looking forward to this part of their assignment. They'd intentionally started on the outside just to put it off as long as possible. But the outside of the helicopter was now spotless, and they were out of excuses.

His fellow rookie returned momentarily with a bucket, and a bottle of bleach.

"Tch... guess we might as well get it over with, huh?" Reno sighed. Rude nodded, and the pair of them scrambled into the copter. The scent of bleach water quickly filled the small space, and Reno turned away as Rude sloshed the mixture across the bloodstained floor. He swallowed back against the bile that rose in his throat as it mixed with the deep red puddle and began to run. The dried edges, however, stuck around, requiring them to scrub to clean away the rim of gore.

He felt slightly dizzy after a few minutes, but shrugged it off. He hadn't eaten since that morning. It was no surprise he was starting to feel the effects of it. But the more they scrubbed, the worse it seemed to get. The dark crimson gradually turned to a watered-down pinkish brown hue, and the scent of bleach seemed to grow heavier by the second, and his stomach churned uncomfortably.

Finally, he tossed his brush back into the bucket and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.

"... Reno?" Rude queried.

" _Fuck_..." he groaned, and darted for the open door. A moment later, he was on the ground, retching. When it finally stopped, he spat, trying to rid himself of the sour taste, and climbed shakily to his feet, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He drew in a deep breath and turned back to find that Rude had followed him in concern. "... I'm good now," he said quickly, brushing past him to get back to work.

"..."

"Do me a favor, huh, Rude? Don't... ya know... mention that to anyone."

"... No problem."

It wasn't as if he'd never seen blood before. Hell, he'd seen moreblood than _that_ just cutting up a cripshay for dinner. Somehow, though... it was different when you knew _whose_ blood it was. Especially when you knew that person wasn't around anymore.

Still... that had been humiliating. What the hell kind of Turk puked all over the place over a little blood? One thing was for sure, though... he didn't care if he hadn't eaten all day. He definitely wasn't going to be hungry any time soon.

By the time they were done, you'd have never known the blood was ever there. Aside from the fading smell of bleach, everything was just as it had been that morning. The two rookies were shortly thereafter on their way back down to the fifty-eighth floor. As they arrived, Rude glanced at his watch and groaned.

"It's almost ten already."

"Tch... no wonder I'm beat," Reno replied. "Hope Tseng's ready to head home..."

"Tseng left with Veld awhile ago," Luca said, rounding the corner, and slipping past them and into the elevator. "Went to talk to Aaron's family. 'Night, guys..."

"Oh. Great. Guess I'm takin' the train, then," he muttered, and then glanced hopefully up at his fellow rookie. "Unless I could maybe talk you into givin' me a ride?"

"Hmph... Normally, I'd say yes. But I think I'm just gonna crash here tonight. Some of the others probably will, too."

Reno yawned and cracked his neck. "Ya know what? Fuck it... that sounds like a _much_ better idea right now."

* * *

It was late by the time Tseng and Veld left Aaron's sister's home. The Turk had had a large family, and somehow they'd all managed to gather themselves into the little condo in Sector Two to hear the two senior Turks' explanation for his death. Most of them had taken the news surprisingly well... though Tseng had little doubt that had something to do with Veld's earlier phone call. They were already over the initial shock by the time the Turks had arrived.

Tseng rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted... and at the moment, all he really wanted to do was fall into bed and not move for a solid eight hours.

"Does it ever get any easier?" he asked, wearily, stifling a yawn.

"No... It doesn't," Veld answered. Tseng shook his head and climbed into the passenger seat of Veld's car.

"I realize it's in the opposite direction, but would you mind dropping me off at home? I'll pick up my car in the morning."

Veld snorted softly. "And your rookie as well?"

Tseng froze for a moment and then swore, loudly, in Wutaiian. How in Leviathan's name had he so utterly forgotten about Reno? The Turk Second withdrew his phone from his jacket pocket and tried to dial out. There was still no signal. He swore a second time.

"What do you suppose the odds are that he's made his way home on his own by now?" he asked. The Turk leader smirked slightly.

"I would think _you'd_ be a better judge of that than I would, Tseng..."

He sighed and shook his head. He and Reno were the only Turks who made their home in Sector One. It would be irritatingly out of the way for anyone to have given him a ride. Nevermind that he'd already heard several of the others mention plans to utilize the sleeping quarters at the Shinra Building tonight. Unless the redhead had braved the train system with the city still in a state of emergency and while likely just as exhausted as _he_ was... he was almost certainly still at the office.

"Headquarters, then," he replied, resigned. So much for sleeping in his own bed tonight. He might well be making use of the sleeping quarters himself, at this point.

"You _could_ simply leave him to his own devices. He's perfectly safe there."

"I could. And then I could spend half of the morning tomorrow letting you berate me for abandoning him simply because I was tired, and the other half wallowing in my own guilt because you would be absolutely right."

Veld chuckled, and started the engine, taking them back towards the Shinra Building.

"I just said you could _do_ so. I never said it would be free of consequences."

* * *

It had taken some time... and several annoyed Turks whose doors he'd knocked on during his search... but Tseng had finally come across Rude in one of the little rooms, who had directed him to the door directly across the hall. He found Reno curled up in the center of the mattress, sleeping somewhat fitfully.

The little redhead twitched violently in his sleep and murmured something incomprehensible, and Tseng suddenly realized that he was dreaming. He reached a hand out, intending to soothe him, but was surprised when the rookie was startled awake at the slightest touch.

"Tseng?" he asked, suddenly on alert, bright blue eyes gazing up at him in the soft light from a small lamp he'd left on.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to wake you."

The rookie relaxed and settled back against the pillows.

"S'okay... I'm usually a pretty light sleeper," he replied, sleepily. "There a problem?"

Tseng drew the covers up over him a little higher, and shook his head.

"No. I was only checking that you were alright. I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Reno."

"'Night..." the redhead mumbled. Tseng was almost certain the teenager was already asleep again before he'd even slipped back out the door.

~end chapter 20~


	21. Doubts

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 21: Doubts**

 **by Desha**

Tseng winced as he sat up. It never failed. These Leviathan-forsaken mattresses always seemed to leave his back and shoulders in knots. He dragged himself to the edge of the bed and leaned forward, trying to stretch out some of the stiffness. It certainly didn't help matters that he felt like he'd only just gone to bed.

Though, in retrospect, that wasn't far from the truth... after hunting down Reno last night, he'd spent another hour and a half going through the incoming intelligence reports on the reactor explosion before Veld had finally noticed the light in his office was still on and ordered him to get some rest. He'd lain awake for some time afterward. In the end, he was fairly sure he'd only managed perhaps three or four hours of actual sleep. The clock beside the bed informed him that it was now ten after six in the morning. Even exhausted, his body had only allowed him to miss his normal wakeup time by ten minutes.

Somehow, he suspected that Reno hadn't had that problem.

Which was why, when he walked into the lounge a few minutes later, he was a little shocked to find the redhead looking pale and tired, clutching a cup of coffee like a lifeline while he sat on the couch, watching the television in the corner. The morning news was on, showing aerials of the smoldering remains of the Number Six Reactor. He glanced up as the Turk lieutenant entered.

"They're sayin' fifteen dead, and at least another twenty still missin'," he stated dully, "And that's just on the Plate."

"I hate to say it... but it could have been significantly worse, had it been one of the other reactors. The fact that Sector Six is... _was_... largely uninhabited is directly to our benefit. Most of the casualties will have been reactor workers and others at the site of the explosion."

"... And a Turk," the redhead said, softly. Tseng took a seat beside him, and let his hand rest on the back of the rookie's neck, squeezing gently.

"And a Turk," he agreed.

"... No one's even gonna care, are they?" Reno asked, "We were all out there, tryin' to help. Aaron probably saved a lot of people's lives. And no one's gonna give a shit."

Tseng comfortingly rubbed the teenager's back.

"Unfortunately our job tends to be a thankless one."

The redhead was silent for a moment, his fingers clutching the mug in a death grip.

"No one'd give a shit if it had been me, either, would they..."

The Wutaiian Turk gripped the teenager's chin and pulled his gaze around to meet his.

" _I_ would. As would everyone else in this office. Aaron's sacrifice will not be forgotten by the Turks, even if it is never acknowledged by anyone else."

The redhead looked away. "I hardly even got the chance to get to know him..."

"Another unfortunate reality of this job. Sometimes... we lose someone much too soon."

Reno fell silent, and Tseng resumed the gentle, rhythmic stroking of his back. He sighed and thought back to what Kai had said to him nearly a month ago now. Perhaps it really _had_ been arrogant of him to recruit the redhead the way he did. He'd been... excited... to at last have the opportunity to prove to Veld that he was ready for this. So excited, that he'd given very little thought to explaining the risks of being a Turk to a wide-eyed teenager who he knew desperately wanted to leave the slums. He was regretting that, now. He should have told him... even if it would have risked having Reno turn him down.

"Have you eaten?" he found himself asking, and couldn't help but silently berate himself for choosing to change the subject rather than push the rookie to keep talking. Coward.

Reno shook his head. "Not real hungry."

"Starving yourself won't bring him back," Tseng stated, "When is the last time you _did_ eat?"

The rookie shrugged.

"I'll assume that means you skipped dinner last night. And we were working through lunch, which means the last food you had was in Kalm. Justinia will have my head if she finds out."

Reno snorted a halfhearted laugh at that comment.

"Come with me. We're the first awake... That means it falls to us to secure breakfast for anyone else who stayed behind last night."

"Tch... that a rule?" he asked, at last glancing up at him.

"It is... _polite_ ," Tseng replied with a faint smile. "And also... though we grieve for the dead, we can't allow ourselves to forget the living. Let's take care of our friends, shall we?"

Reno nodded and set his mug aside, before getting to his feet. Tseng led him out of the lounge and down the hall to the elevators in search of breakfast.

* * *

When Rude woke up, it was to the sound of an argument, and in his half-asleep state he could not for the life of him figure out who in Shiva's name was in his living room or why they were yelling at one another. It was several confused moments before he remembered that he wasn't at home in his own bed, and said excessively loud conversation was coming from the hallway outside the Turks' sleeping quarters.

With a groan he dragged himself from the cot and staggered to the door, wrenching it open and thrusting his head out to see what was going on.

"I'm warnin' yeh... Don't yeh do it. Bad enough about Aaron... and poor Remy's outta rotation fer Odin only _knows_ how long. Yeh don't need to be makin' things harder on everyone else!" Saya demanded, glaring at her cousin, arms folded firmly over her chest.

"The whole team needs a bit of a pick me up after this, yeh ask me," the Mideelian Turk retorted. "Yer all too serious, that's yer damned problem."

"Oh, shove it up yer arse, Sato. Veld and Tseng've got enough on their plates without havin' ta deal with shite blowin' up! And the wee rookies are plenty on edge, don't yeh think? Jokes like _that_ they don't bloody need, and neither does anyone else! _Yer_ problem is that yeh don't know when ta stop. Grow up, yeh bastard."

"It's just a wee laugh!" Sato protested.

"I swear ta Hades... if yeh set off so much as a _firecracker_ this week, Tseng'll be the least 'o yer problems... because I'll put yeh in the hospital _myself_!"

Sato growled indignantly and stormed off, leaving the other Turk standing in the middle of the hallway. She shook her head, and only then seemed to notice that they'd had company.

"Sorry, Rude... Did we wake yeh?"

"... Don't worry about it," he replied. Saya shook her head.

"Can yeh believe that idiot wanted ta set off one of his stupid creations ta wake everyone up this mornin'?" she scoffed. "Thought it'd be a right laugh. Somehow, I dunnae think anyone woulda thought it was funny. I swear... sometimes I wonder how in Odin's name the two of us can _possibly_ be kin." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Anyway... How'd yeh sleep?"

"Fine," Rude said with a shrug. Up until his unexpected wakeup call, that is. He'd been so beat last night, he was pretty sure he was asleep before his head had hit the pillow. Even being briefly woken again by Tseng hadn't phased him.

"Well... that's good, at least. I slept like shite. 'Course bein' next door ta Sato didn't help. The son of a bitch snores like an Ifrit-forsaken behemoth. I'm goin' fer some breakie before Veld decides ta hold the mornin' meeting early... Yeh want ta come?"

He glanced over at the door to the room Reno had slept in last night, debating on whether or not he should get _him_ up as well. He had to have been starving by now, given that he'd refused to head down to the cafeteria with him last night before bed. Though... if the twins screaming match hadn't roused him, the redhead was probably about dead to the world right now. It might be better to just let his fellow rookie sleep while he could.

"... Sure," he said at last. He could always bring something back for Reno.

Rude and Saya started towards the elevators, only to be greeted by the aforementioned redhead and Tseng as they disembarked, their arms laden with bags bearing the name of a nearby bakery. Saya laughed.

"I always _knew_ yeh were psychic, Tseng," she declared. "Yeh've gone and read my mind..."

* * *

A great deal of the rest of the day was dedicated toward investigating the reactor explosion... at least for the senior Turks. The two rookies, however, were sent off to the training hall shortly after the morning meeting to begin their regular routine. Neither was particularly happy about it, but Reno was especially put out.

"Tch... Why the _fuck_ are we down here while _everyone_ else is off doin' shit that actually matters?" he groused. Rude quite effortlessly pinned him on the mat and smirked.

"Because we're rookies. Rookie train. Then they train some more. And when think they're done training, guess what they do..."

The redhead couldn't help but laugh at that.

"They get sent off to save the company like the total badasses they are?"

"You wish," Rude snorted. "And on what planet do _you_ qualify as a badass?"

"Well, _that_ was a little harsh, don't ya think... ?"

"You're pinned facedown on the floor with someone twice your size sitting on you."

"... Point taken."

Rude chuckled and let him up. Reno rolled over and sat up, hugging his knees to his chest. He sighed and shook his head.

"... Hey, Rude?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you... think I'm doin' okay at this?" the redhead hesitantly asked. The bald Turk smirked.

"At hand to hand? No, you pretty much still suck."

His shoulders sagged, and he dropped his gaze to the floor.

"... That was joke," Rude added.

"I know..." Reno replied, "But it's kinda true, isn't it?"

Rude dropped down beside him, folding his legs beneath him.

"Where's this coming from?" he asked. Reno shrugged.

"Let's just go over my list of 'accomplishments' thus far, shall we?" he said, a sarcastic tone in his voice. "My first week on the job. I get arrested. I get my ass kicked by Kai. I basically make a complete idiot of myself. Second week. I get arrested... _and_ I get _you_ arrested with me. Then I get my ass kicked some more... this time by Saya and Sato. And, let's not forget me makin' a complete idiot of myself yet _again_ , when I got pissed at Kai and called her... that word I will _never_ fuckin' say again 'cause she'd murder me in my sleep... and then found out that she actually _is_ gay. Or bi. Or... whatever. Third week. Somehow _didn't_ get arrested, but still got my ass kicked. Repeatedly. And I'm sure I made an idiot of myself again at some point. Fourth week? Tch... well... you get the idea."

"No one's the perfect Turk from day one," Rude pointed out.

"... Yeah. But then we get to yesterday," the redhead lamented, miserably. "Aaron was fuckin' awesome at what he did. And he still got killed like he was nothin' down there. If he can get taken out just like that... what kinda shot do _I_ have? And what if I _really_ fuck up and take someone else down with me?"

"... You talk to Tseng about any of this?"

Reno looked over at him incredulously. "What? And practically give him a _list_ of all the shit I do wrong and what a pathetic loser I am?"

Rude studied him for a moment and then got to his feet. Before Reno had time to wonder where he was going, the redhead found himself being hoisted off of the floor and slung over the other rookie's shoulder like a sack of gyshal greens.

"H-hey! What the hell, man?"

Rude didn't answer. He simply carried him from the training hall, out to the hallway, and into the elevator, ignoring the odd looks he received from the other passengers... who quickly opted to clear out to wait for the next car rather than interfere with the rather intimidating bald man and his prisoner.

"Rude... Seriously. Not cool, man. Put me the fuck down!"

Reno squirmed in his grip, but Rude was bigger, stronger, and better trained. It didn't take him long to realize that he wasn't going anywhere unless his fellow rookie _let_ him. He grunted in annoyance and finally just hung limply over his impromptu perch, as the elevator carried them down one floor. Then it was down another hallway and through the double doors, where he was greeted by the smell of chlorine.

Rude walked briskly across the pool deck and paused. A moment later, Reno was unexpectedly launched into the air. He hit the water seconds later, the sudden cold a shock to the system. He came up sputtering.

" _WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?_ " he shouted, glaring up at his friend. Rude shrugged.

"You were getting too down on yourself. Had to snap you out of it somehow..."

"... You're an asshole, Rude," he shot back... but couldn't quite keep a straight face as he said it. The situation was just too absurd. The other rookie just laughed quietly. Reno glared at him as ferociously as he could manage while trying not to laugh himself. He ducked under the surface of the water and stripped off his sweatshirt, quickly surfacing again and hurling it at the other Turk. It struck him squarely in the chest with a loud, wet splat and dropped to the deck. Rude smirked and stripped down to his boxers before cannonballing into the pool himself mere inches from the redhead, nailing him in the face with the resulting wave of water.

"Oh... So _that's_ how ya wanna do this, huh?" he said, accusingly when Rude's head reappeared. Reno grinned and dove, going after the other teen's feet and easily dragging him under. Rude might have had the upper hand in the training hall, but in the water he didn't stand a chance. The redhead was too agile and too fast, and the fact that they were floating more than evened up the differences in their strength.

When they surfaced again, Rude tried to turn the tables on him by slipping around behind him, and attempting to force him down. Reno simply let himself be submerged and then dove deeper to escape, swimming between his legs and coming up behind him. He gripped his shoulders and put his full weight into it, dunking his opponent for several seconds before retreating. Rude popped up and raised his hands in surrender.

"You win!" he laughed. Reno grinned and somersaulted under the water in triumph. "... So... tell me again how you're not any good as a Turk."

"Ah, shut up," he chuckled. "Ya made your point."

"The Turks are unstoppable because we're all good at different things. Quit worrying so much about trying to be like everyone else. You're _not_ like everyone else. That's why you belong here."

"Yeah? When'd _you_ get so philosophical?"

Rude shrugged. "That's just what Veld told _me_ when _I_ didn't think I was doing so great at first."

* * *

Reno devoured the chicken breast. It tasted awful, but he really didn't care. After almost a full day of not eating, only picking at breakfast, and then training virtually non-stop for the entire morning... he was famished. Appetite or no, he needed to get some food in him... though, truth be told, the morose mood he'd been in since yesterday was finally beginning to lift. He actually _felt_ hungry again.

"How can you eat that?" Rude asked, shaking his head as he prodded his own lunch cautiously with a fork, looking as though he was afraid it might decide to just crawl off the plate. The redhead shrugged.

"I've eaten worse," he replied, flippantly. A disgusted look crossed Rude's face.

"... _Why_?"

The redhead paused in his assault on the purported meat.

"'Cause I had a choice between that or starvin' to death. Kinda hard to be a picky eater down in Sector Two."

Rude was silent for a moment, considering his statement. "... Is it really that bad down there?"

Reno speared the last bite on his plate and swallowed it without tasting it.

"It is when you're on your own. Got a little better after I hooked up with Lira... but... yeah. Spent a _lot_ of my time hungry down in the slums." He glanced over at Rude's largely untouched plate. "... You gonna eat that?"

Rude shook his head.

"Not if I don't have to..."

The redhead grinned and speared it with his own fork, and bit into the slab of chicken. How something could be both dry as the desert and dripping in grease at the same time, he had no idea... but he was still hungry. If it was edible, he'd eat it. Rude snorted quietly.

"... You've been up here over a month. How in Shiva's name are you still so skinny when you eat like _that_ all that time?"

"Heh... You come up with an answer to that one, I know a pain in the ass doctor who'd love to have ya enlighten her. Ward can't figure it out, either," he snickered. "... and I think it's drivin' her nuts. Keeps tellin' me I need to eat more and gain some fuckin' weight. I eat any more than I already _do_ , I'm liable to fuckin' explode before _that_ happens."

"Please don't. I'm quite certain I'd never hear the end of it," a voice behind him interjected, and the rookie nearly choked.

"Goddammit, quit _doin'_ that!" he growled, twisting around in his seat at the sudden arrival of his mentor. Tseng only chuckled.

"I have an assignment for the two of you once you've finished lunch," he replied, ignoring the complaint. "There's an exceptionally large number of reports coming in from Sector Six. Tres is having difficulty keeping up, and most of the other are handling interviews with survivors at the moment. He needs some help sorting through them, and you're going to provide it."

"... So, basically we're glorified secretaries for the day," Reno sighed.

"I wouldn't venture as far as to call you 'glorified'," the Turk lieutenant teased. "You'll find him in the resource room."

~end chapter 21~


	22. A Return to Routine

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 22: A Return to Routine**

 **by Desha**

By the following Monday, things were finally beginning to settle down... for the Turks, at least. Several other departments still had their hands full dealing with the damage and the casualties. The PR department, in particular, was in a panic, according to Luca.

The final verdict was _not_ sabotage. The reactor had failed, catastrophically, when something had gone horribly wrong with the intake system. _What_ exactly had gone wrong was still up for debate, but the techs in the reactor maintenance department were going to be working overtime for a while, trying to figure it out. In the meantime, construction crews were already clearing the rubble, and plans were being made to rebuild the destroyed reactor.

In total, twenty-seven people had been killed on the Plate, most of them reactor workers. The foreman Reno had briefly met the morning of the explosion was among them.

In the slums... well, it was hard to say. The majority of the sector's population was concentrated in Wall Market, and the redlight district had survived the collapse intact. But there were many who lived out closer to the edge... and while most of them had escaped before the Plate had dropped, they were also much closer to the leaking reactor than those in Wall Market. There were reports of mako poisoning in the outskirts of both sectors Five and Seven, where Sector Six residents had fled. The full extent of the its effects likely wouldn't become apparent for weeks.

But that was someone else's problem. The Turks were back to business as usual, and for Reno, that meant spending every spare moment in training. Rude, at least, occasionally got a reprieve from the tediousness, and headed out with Tres into the slums, or Veld into some other part of the city. The redhead, though, was stuck in the building. Today was range day.

He fired off several shots in quick succession, emptying his weapon's magazine in the general direction of the target at the far end of the range and then pressed the button to call it back towards him. He swore loudly as it approached.

"... Yeh do _know_ that yer supposed to _hit_ the target... right?" Saya snickered from the lane next to him.

"Oh, so _that's_ what I've been doin' wrong..." Reno muttered sarcastically. "Here I thought I was just s'posed to shoot _around_ it."

She laughed and laid her own weapon – a shotgun – down and joined him.

"We'll get yeh zeroed in sooner or later. Let's see yeh do it again, then," she said, taking up a position nearby to watch. Reno sent the target back down the range and reloaded. He took aim and squeezed off another five shots, one after the other. Saya shook her head and slipped behind him. "First off... yer too bloody tense," she informed him, as her arms wrapped around him, her hands covering his own as he gripped the weapon. "Relax a wee bit, would yeh?"

 _'Easy for_ _ **you**_ _to say...'_ the redhead thought. The sudden closeness wasn't exactly 'relaxing'. If anything, having her pressed against him like that was driving him to distraction. On top of that... he'd never really noticed how nice she smelled before. Reno swallowed sharply and did his best to ignore those thoughts and make himself relax.

"Second thing... yeh don't want ta just empty the clip 'n hope fer the best. Take yer time. Pick a point on yer target. See where yeh want the shot ta hit."

By now, her cheek was resting softly against his own, and Reno could feel her breath gently tickling his jawline as she spoke. He had to suppress a shudder of pleasure... and silently cursed his stupid teenage body for being so fucking hyper-sensitive at the worst possible times.

Why the _fuck_ did Saya have to be so goddamn _hot_?! Granted... it didn't really take much to get him going – especially when it had been a few weeks since he'd gotten any action – but Saya was... pretty. And at the moment, she was kind of all over him.

And apparently oblivious to the state she was very quickly putting him in.

"Take it nice 'n slow," she continued, her voice low... almost seductive, "... and when yer ready, squeeze one off."

By then, he wasn't even thinking about the gun... and when it went off, he was so surprised he very nearly dropped the damn thing. Saya chuckled softly.

"There now... yeh see? All yeh need is ta learn a little patience."

It took Reno a moment to realize that he'd somehow miraculously hit the target dead center. It took him significantly _less_ time to realize that his pants were suddenly feeling more than a little tight. Saya grinned, apparently still unaware of the situation, and gave him a quick pat on the head before returning to her own lane.

"Yeh just keep practicin' like that, and yeh'll be a crackshot in no time!"

He groaned, though thankfully the sound was drowned out by Saya's own resumed shooting. The redhead quickly secured his weapon, and called the target back, snatching it from the clips, before beating a hasty retreat to somewhere a little more private where he could deal with his treasonous body before his fellow-Turk caught on and decided he was the planet's biggest pervert.

* * *

"Hey! Reno!" a voice called out to him as he was walking out of the men's room a short time later. Reno glanced up and spotted Shay making his way towards him.

Shay was the youngest of the senior Turks... and in Reno's opinion, it showed. He never seemed to refer to either Reno _or_ Rude as 'Rookie' like the others did, and the redhead had the sneaking suspicion that it was because he still felt a bit like one of them. Slim and blonde and poised, the young man had a cultured, aristocratic appearance about him... not unlike Rufus Shinra, but considerably less stuck up and snobbish. Which really wasn't surprising, given that – if Sato was to be believed, at any rate – the guy came from a pretty wealthy family. He grinned widely at the rookie, and paused in front of him.

"If you're done on the range, Tseng says _I_ get you for awhile. Ready to give the gauntlet another try?"

"Seriously? I just _finally_ healed from last time," the redhead muttered.

"Yeah... but you've had a lot more training since the last time, too. Tseng thinks you're ready for round two. Oh, yeah! I almost forget... Kai says I'm supposed to tell you not to make lunch plans."

Reno's eyebrow shot up in interest. "Yeah? Why not?" he asked, and Shay's grin widened.

"Because we're having a little party. Remy's back!"

The rookie's own grin suddenly matched that of his fellow Turk.

"She is?"

Remy had been on medical leave all of last week following her injury. Veld had told them that she'd be out at _least_ a couple _more_ weeks, so hearing that she was already back on the job was a little bit of a shock. Shay laughed.

"Yeah... Well, on light duty, anyway. Medical won't clear her for the field yet. Remy's a total workaholic, though. Rumor has it she _demanded_ to be cleared for desk duty as soon as she was out of surgery." He paused a moment, and dropped his voice conspiratorially. "Er... just between you and me, though... I think she _really_ just wants something to take her mind off what happened to Aaron. Especially since she was still in the hospital for the funeral. So... maybe watch what you say around her for awhile?"

It had been held just days after his death, while Midgar was still reeling. Reno'd had no idea that Aaron had had such a big family. Sisters and brothers and cousins and aunts and uncles... His mother had been there, as well, and his grandfather. So many people who'd cared about him. Including every last member of his _second_ family... save for Remy.

It had been... hard. Even though Reno hadn't known the man that well, seeing how many people's lives his death had affected had been heartbreaking. And he hadn't been able to quite put aside the nagging thought that, if it had been _him_ , nowhere near that many people would have shown up. The thought had made him feel even worse... because it had felt incredibly selfish. _He_ was fine. It was _Aaron_ who was gone. But for some reason, he'd been consumed by concern for himself.

"So... yeah. Welcome back party in the conference room at noon. If you have a pizza preference, better let Kai know sooner rather than later. She's doing the ordering."

"Tch... you're assumin' that I _survive_ long enough to eat," Reno replied, and Shay laughed.

"Well, yeah. There _is_ that," he agreed. "Ready to get started?"

"Do I have a _choice_?"

"Sorry," Shay said, not sounding the least bit sorry at all.

* * *

 _Poke._

"Ow."

 _Poke._

"Ow."

 _Poke, poke, poke._

"Ow. Ow. Ow."

 _Poooooooooke_.

"Owwww! Goddammit! Knock it off!"

Kai giggled, and restored the ice pack to it's original position.

"Poor baby Turkling... Gauntlet still managed to kick you in the teeth, huh?"

"... It somehow _missed_ my teeth, actually. Amazing, considerin' that it hit damn near everything _else_."

"Oh, come on," she laughed, as she set a stack of plates in the center of the table. "One little black eye and you're acting like we should be calling in an ambulance?"

"I _did_ tell you to stay low," Shay chimed in, eliciting a fresh wave of laughter from the female Turk. Reno shot him a glare just as the door to the conference room opened.

"I see you've survived your third attempt at the gauntlet," Tseng commented, "Kai... reception has your pizzas."

"Yes! Party time!" she declared, as she leapt to her feet and rushed out of the room, presumably to go and claim the food she'd ordered. Reno tossed the ice pack aside and glanced up at his mentor and smirked.

"Yeah, I survived. And ya know what the _best_ part of today's gonna be?" he asked, smugly. Tseng raised an eyebrow in response. "When we go see the Doc for my required weekly molesting, and I tell her you made me do it again..."

The statement seemed to give the senior Turk pause, before he finally shook his head.

"You've been training for over a month now. She can hardly expect me to treat you like child forever..." he stated, decisively... though Reno was sure he heard an underlying note of uncertainty in his voice. Shay seemed to notice it, too, because he looked to be trying very hard not to laugh. Reno only shrugged in response. "... Put that ice back on your eye," Tseng quickly added.

"Remy!" Shay suddenly called out, and the other two Turks' attention immediately shifted to the woman standing in the doorway. She looked tired and slightly pained, but on the whole, it was a considerable improvement from the last time Reno had seen her. Her left hand was still heavily bandaged, and she treated it gingerly as she moved, as though any little movement hurt... which, given that she'd lost most of one finger and broken the other three, it _probably_ did.

"It's good to see you back on your feet," Tseng said as she stepped into the room.

"It's good to _be_ back on me feet." She walked over to where Reno was sitting and dropped down slightly so that her eyes were level with his. "Tseng told me you took care of me after I passed out. Thank you."

"Uh... n-no problem," the redhead stammered, slightly caught off guard. Remy had, pretty much from the day he'd arrived, been one of his biggest critics. It was difficult to get a civil comment from her at times... much less a thank you. He really didn't know quite how to respond. Thankfully, he was saved from making an ass of himself by Luca, who was being tailed by Saya and Sato.

"Well, would yeh look what the cat swallowed, puked back up, 'n dragged in..." Sato said, by way of greeting, grinning widely. Saya backhanded him in the ribs.

"Ugh... Shut up, yeh demented pain in the arse. We're gettin' ready ta eat."

"Freeze," Tseng ordered before Sato had taken more than a couple of steps into the room. The other Turk eyed him curiously, but obeyed, and a moment later, the Turk lieutenant had him against the wall, thoroughly patting him down. Sato shook his head, snickering.

"If yeh wanted ta cop a feel, yeh coulda just asked, Tseng..." he laughed. The senior Turk glared.

"If you really think I'm not expecting you to walk in here with _some_ sort of explosive, you must truly believe me to be a fool," Tseng shot back.

"Ah, now Tseng... Do yeh _really_ think I'd do that ta poor Remy the moment she comes back ta us?"

Tseng snorted derisively, and continued his search... until he found a small plastic cylinder secreted away behind the other man's belt. He spun Sato back around held it up, accusingly.

"... Heh... Oh. Right. Fergot about that'un..."

Tseng rolled his eyes and released him. His cousin viciously smacked him in the back of the head as they found seats at the table. The Turk lieutenant had no time to berate him further, as Kai returned. Rude... who somehow had been recruited into carrying the large stack of pizzas for her... made his way in behind her, followed by Tres and then Veld.

"Hmph... Tell 'em there'll be free food, and everyone comes runnin'," Tres chuckled.

"Includin' _yeh_ ," Saya teased, and the other Turk smirked in response.

"Heh... The way _that_ one eats, I _gotta_ come runnin', or I don't get shit," he said, nodding towards the redhead. "There's no such thing as 'leftovers' anymore... Seriously, Tseng. Don't you feed the kid?"

The Wutaiian Turk chuckled. " _Constantly_ , as a matter of fact. I honestly don't know where he puts it all."

"Tch... they way you guys kick my ass all the time, the _least_ you can do is feed me," Reno shot back, which drew a laugh from the entire room.

"Alright," Veld said, smiling in amusement, "Enough. We're here to welcome Remy back to the office... not take pot shots at the rookie. Besides... it's a little too easy, don't you think?"

* * *

The afternoon was more of the same, though Reno found himself unexpectedly under the watchful eye of his mentor while he and Rude took to the gym for a little weight training. Normally, Tseng tended to let him guide his own training now when specific instruction wasn't needed. He could only assume that the senior Turk was either curious about his progress, or concerned that he'd injure himself further before his appointment with Ward. He was strongly leaning toward the latter.

At promptly four thirty, Tseng called an end to his workout, and Reno obligingly disappeared into the locker room to clean up a bit before heading downstairs, leaving Rude on his own. He and Tseng arrived in the medical suite on the ninth floor at exactly four forty-five, right on time. Ward glowered at the Turk lieutenant upon seeing the dark purple that marred the redhead's right eye and a good portion of his cheek.

"Just how many times are yeh going ta bring him in here looking like that?" she asked crossly. Tseng glared right back at her.

"Justinia, despite his age, he is a _Turk_. Turks occasionally get hurt. You of all people should be aware of that. If we're going to have this discussion _every_ time he reports to you slightly bruised from training, I will simply have him start seeing one of the other medical staff."

Dr. Ward didn't budge.

"Oh, yeh think it'd be that easy, do yeh? I'm head of this department, and those are _my_ staff, and yeh'd best not forget it. Don't yeh go making threats, Tseng. Yeh'll regret it," she replied, darkly. She turned to the redhead, and smiled, her whole demeanor shifting. "Alright, my little headache. Yeh know the drill by now."

A quick weigh-in told them that he'd dropped only a tenth of a pound this week... which was a great improvement over his previous appointments. Dr. Ward seemed _almost_ satisfied with the change.

"Well, now... It looks like yer finally leveling out," she stated. "I'd _still_ like ta see yeh put on about twenty pounds from where yeh started... but I don't think that's going ta happen, I'm afraid."

"Why not?" Tseng asked, curious. "... Did you find something in his bloodwork?"

The doctor snorted softly. "Just the opposite, actually. There's not a thing wrong with him that any of the tests can pick up on." She shook her head and gently patted the rookie's head. "The wee thing's just... naturally skinny. As best as I can determine, he simply burns through calories faster than most people. Bit of an overactive metabolism if yeh will."

"Does that mean Tseng can _finally_ stop force feeding me?" Reno groused, somewhat petulantly. Ward chuckled.

"Yes. _But_... I want yeh ta alter the way yeh eat, at least while yer in yer initial training and working harder than yeh would be normally. We'll reevaluate once yer past that. Three _full_ meals per day, no exceptions, and two smaller meals in between ta make up for the calories yer burning through during the day. And I don't just mean junk food. Yeh can snack on sweets, _too_ , if yeh want, but yeh need real food, preferably protein, between full meals," she commanded, adding, "I _will_ get yer weight back at _least_ ta where we started if it's the last thing I do."

"Heh... whatever. Long as I don't have to torture myself anymore," the redhead said, grinning.

~end chapter 22~


	23. To Junon

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 23: To Junon**

 **by Desha**

He couldn't eat when he was nervous. He just _couldn't_. It made him feel queasy as hell for the rest of day if he tried. Of course _not_ eating had its downsides, too... but a little light-headedness was preferable to feeling like he was going to puke. As long as Dr. Ward didn't find out about it... he'd be fine.

And he certainly had a reason to be nervous today. Tseng was taking him with him to Junon... as part of the fucking _President's_ security detail. That was... _kind of_ a big deal. Reno had never even met the President before... not officially. This was the boss of his boss' boss' boss they were talking about. The guy who _literally_ ran the company. From what he'd heard, rookies didn't typically get handed an assignment like this until they had a lot more training under their belts. Even Rude hadn't been taken on a major security escort yet.

And that was why he was so nervous that he'd skipped dinner last night... and breakfast this morning. Though, he sort of hoped that lunch wasn't going to be on the chopping block, too. One or two meals, he knew from experience, he could do without... but much more than that, and he'd start feeling fairly shitty. And after a couple _days_ without food, he started getting downright lethargic and clumsy. He tried never to let it go _that_ far if he didn't absolutely have to, but there had been times...

And it probably didn't help that he seemed to be hungrier than ever, lately. Training had gone from intense to downright _insane_ in the last few weeks. Everything Tseng put him through would work up an appetite for just about anyone, but it made _Reno_ utterly ravenous by mealtimes, even with the two _extra_ meals every day that the good doctor had mandated.

Today, though... food was the farthest thing from his mind. Or at least it would have been had it not been for the gnawing sensation in his belly, and the slightly lightheaded feeling that assailed him as he and Tseng rode the elevator up to the rooftop helipad. As they arrived, Reno spotted President Shinra already boarding the executive helicopter with Veld.

"It should go without saying that you're to behave professionally for the duration of this trip," Tseng stated, as they made their way across the roof.

"Yes, sir," the redhead replied.

"I should also tell you that there has been a last minute change. You will not be joining me on the President's detail. At least not until later today."

"W-wait... Why not?" Reno asked, trying, and failing, to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"Because Rufus has been invited along for the afternoon tour of the base. He has, however, opted _not_ to accompany his father to greet the new army recruits." The older Turk smirked slightly. "Frankly, I don't blame him. His father is notoriously long-winded. I think _you_ should be the one to keep an eye on him during the welcoming speech."

"So... basically, I'm babysitting. _Great_..."

Tseng chuckled softly before they boarded the aircraft. "Reno... that is _essentially_ what _any_ security detail is, no matter whom you happen to be guarding."

Reno gave a sharp laugh and followed him through the doorway, into the back of the helicopter, and took a seat beside him. This wasn't the Turks' usual aircraft, which he was becoming increasingly familiar with... This was the executive transport. And, dear Ifrit, was it ever cushy. Soft, padded seats, soundproofing to mute the roar of the engines... and, he noted, a fully stocked wine cooler. He vaguely wondered what sort of booze passed muster to be included for presidential day trips... but doubted very much that he'd ever find out.

Across from the pair of Turks sat the President, flanked on either side by Veld and the blonde-haired teenager, a decidedly snobbish expression on his face. Rufus glanced over at the rookie with a distinct look of disdain, but said nothing... merely folded his arms over his chest and turned his gaze toward the window to his right.

This was the first time Reno'd even _seen_ the future executive since their... less than friendly... first meeting almost four months ago. Apparently his opinion of the redhead hadn't changed much in all that time. Reno quickly decided that his opinion of _Rufus_ hadn't changed much, either. He was still a dick.

* * *

 _'How much_ _ **longer**_ _?'_ Reno silently lamented. Tseng had been gone more than two hours now... and in that time the rookie had been subjected to very close to his limit of condescension and snark. The little bastard really _was_ on his last damn nerve.

It had started out bad... and gotten progressively worse. And the fact that he was absolutely starving didn't make it any easier to deal with. Worse still, he'd made the fatal mistake of reminding the Shinra heir that Tseng had recruited him from the Slums... and since then, the little shit had never once used his actual name.

Reno had been dubbed 'Slum Rat', and the look of glee in the other boy's eyes every time he said it and Reno was forced to bite his tongue was nothing short of maddening. If it hadn't been for the fact that he was supposed to be guarding the brat, he'd have been sorely tempted to punch him in that smug, snot-nosed face of his. In fact, it was only the knowledge that doing so would deeply disappoint his mentor – and probably get him booted right out of the Turks – that had stopped him from doing just that after the last comment the asshole had made.

Without warning, Rufus suddenly stood and started towards the door of his father's office.

"And just where are _you_ goin'?" the redhead demanded. Rufus raised an eyebrow in challenge, and the rookie grudgingly tacked on a ground-out "Sir?" to that query. The blonde boy snorted haughtily.

"For a walk. I'm bored." He turned on his heel and strode out before Reno could even get to his feet. The Turk quickly stood and went to follow, shaking his head as the room spun momentarily. _That_ wasn't good. Skipping breakfast was starting to seem like a bad idea... particularly given that lunch was still a couple hours away. He ignored the minor vertigo and hurried to catch up to his charge, following him down the hall to the elevator and stepping aboard with him.

As the elevator reached the first floor and the doors slid open, Rufus looked back at him with a smirk... and vanished. It took Reno a moment to register that the other teen had taken off at a dead run, and by the time the redhead's initial shock had passed and he was in pursuit, Rufus had already darted through the doors at the end of the concourse.

"What the hell!?" he yelled after him as the door began to swing back. The Turk shoved his way through it before it could close, eyes scanning for his charge. Tseng was going to kill him if he lost the President's son... which was probably exactly what the son of a bitch had in mind with this little stunt of his.

Thankfully, he wasn't hard to spot... but he had a hell of a head start on him. Reno growled and sprinted after him.

Rufus was quick, the rookie had to give him that. But Reno was quicker. It didn't take him long to catch up. It wouldn't have mattered, however. Rufus suddenly found himself at a dead end. Apparently realizing that he was outmatched in terms of speed, as well as effectively cornered, the Shinra heir calmly folded his arms over his chest and watched as the redhead stormed up to him.

"What the _hell_ was _that_ all about?!" Reno demanded, struggling slightly to catch his breath. Rufus snorted.

"Just trying to figure out what it is Tseng sees in a slum rat like you," he replied. The redhead glared at him.

"Well, quit tryin' to make me look like an idiot!"

"You don't need _my_ help with _that_ , believe me" Rufus responded, snidely.

"The fuck's your problem, anyway?" the rookie queried, eying the little brat with suspicion. Reno had spent years of his young life learning to read people. It was the only way a kid like him stood a chance on his own in Sector 2. And it hadn't slipped his notice that it was "what _Tseng_ saw in him"... not what the Turks or Shinra or even Veld saw in him.Clearly, Rufus' only interest was the opinion of the rookie's mentor.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, a tidbit of information pulled itself out of his memory. Tseng had been almost exclusively in charge of Rufus' security for years. He remembered Rude saying something about it a week or two ago... _and_ that it was a little unusual for a Turk to be personally assigned to someone as a matter of protocol. Even the President's son. He'd mentioned that he was working on finding out the whole story... because surely there had to be a story there.

"At the moment? _You_ are my problem. You annoy me."

"Tch... What'd I ever do to _you_?" Reno asked, following his charge as he made his way back towards the administration building. They'd actually covered a lot more ground during the brief chase than the Turk had realized. Maybe a little _too_ much, judging by the woozy feeling that had suddenly come over him.

Rufus turned glanced back at him and smirked. "What's the matter? Is being a Turk just too difficult for the little baby slum rat?" he laughed, coldly, "Go home and cry to Mommy."

That was his breaking point. He'd largely let Rufus' insults and sneers roll off him all morning until that one. After all, most of it wasn't anything he hadn't heard a thousand times before down in the slums, anyway. He'd even managed to maintain at least _some_ level of professionalism through it all... a few minor slip-ups during their little chase aside. But _that_ was crossing a line.

"Well, I would, but she's dead," Reno replied, equally as cold, openly glaring at the other boy's back. He started forward, intent on offering Rufus a little glimpse at how just intimidating the rookie could be if he put his mind to it... but stumbled and caught himself against the wall of the building, just as Rufus stopped short and turned back to face him. Whatever the other teen might have said was lost as Reno's vision swam and darkened. It was accompanied by a loud ringing in his ears. He had to sit down. If he didn't, he was going to fall down. He was dimly aware of a voice speaking to him, but at the moment, his focus was on the more immediate problem... specifically, not passing out.

This had happened to him several times when he was younger... always when he was short on food. But it had been ages since the last time it was _this_ bad. Though... it made sense, in a way. Lunch yesterday had been early in order to accommodate an extended block of training in the afternoon. He'd been interrupted by Saya requesting some help with her cousin before he had time to devour his mid-afternoon snack before he went _back_ to training, and he'd skipped dinner out of sheer nervousness after Tseng had given him his assignment for the following day. _Then_ he'd skipped breakfast that morning, too. And now he'd just run a brief marathon across half of Junon, chasing down the President's obnoxious little hellspawn. Whatever he might have had in reserve after so long without food was undoubtedly long gone.

After a few moments, the ringing in his ears subsided, and his vision cleared... and much to his chagrin, he found himself face to face with the pain in the ass Shinra heir. For a very brief moment, the rookie even imagined that Rufus was looking at him with an expression of concern. As his head cleared, however, he quickly recognized it as disdain.

"Pathetic. _This_ is what passes for a Turk these days? A light jog and you're practically falling over..."

Reno felt an unwelcome heat rising in his cheeks as he staggered upright. "I haven't eaten in... _awhile_ ," he muttered, embarrassed. Wonderful. He probably couldn't have made a bigger idiot of himself if he'd tried. And when Tseng found out about this... or worse, Ward... he was completely fucked.

Rufus snorted in contempt and turned on his heel, marching back toward the administration building. The pair boarded the elevator in silence and returned to the President's office. Somewhat to Reno's surprise, Tseng and Veld were there waiting for him, along with the President himself.

"Ah... Rufus. There you are. Are you ready for the tour?" President Shinra asked. Rufus strolled past the two senior Turks, presenting himself in front of the man.

"... No. I'm hungry, Father. Let's have an early lunch first," he replied in a somewhat dismissive tone.

* * *

"Reno?" Tseng's voice prodded him, and the redhead turned away from the view out the tram window as it carried them down to the lower section of the military complex. The President had dismissed them following the tour and retreated to his local office to deal with some company business. Veld had opted to remain nearby, but Tseng was taking the redhead on a second tour of the base to see the things they'd missed on the _official_ tour. "You've been unusually quiet. Is something on your mind?"

There was _plenty_ on his mind. Why, for instance, had Rufus insisted on inviting the three Turks to _join_ him and his father for lunch? A lunch which the Shinra heir had only picked at, himself. And why hadn't he mentioned any of what had transpired between the two of them to Tseng or Veld? And why had he been just as openly insulting of the redhead for the remainder of the afternoon, but never once ventured to again the press the one subject he _knew_ would get a reaction out of him?

It was almost like the little fucker had just been toying with him all morning... until things got a little too serious for his taste.

The redhead finally shrugged and Tseng chuckled softly.

"Ah. I know _that_ look all too well. You're trying to figure Rufus out," he stated.

"What's that asshole's deal, anyway?" he asked, letting the lid off of some of the irritation he still felt. Tseng shook his head and laughed.

"I believe I'll let you draw your own conclusions on that subject," he said, smiling faintly, "But perhaps it would help if I told you a little more about him."

"... 'kay, I guess," Reno replied, dubiously. He didn't think there was much of anything Tseng could tell him that would alter his increasingly low opinion of the little fucker... but, hell, they had some time to kill.

"Rufus was only nine when I first met him. I had been a Turk barely even a year, and it was one of my first escort assignments without Veld accompanying me. Instead, I was paired with a senior Turk named Laine," he began. "It was supposed to be a quiet, uneventful trip to Sector Four with Rufus and his mother for a little shopping. Little more than a formality, really. There was no perceived threat, no indication that anything might go wrong."

"And since you're tellin' me _that_ , obviously somethin' _did_ go wrong..." the redhead interjected, smirking. Tseng chuckled.

"Oh, yes. It was not the quiet, uneventful assignment Veld had envisioned when he'd handed it to me that morning... I very nearly died."

Reno blinked in surprise, and fell silent, mouth slightly agape.

"We were just preparing to leave a store. I was securing our exit and Laine had turned his back for no more than a moment to help Mrs. Shinra with her purchases. Rufus suddenly cried out. When I turned to look, a man had emerged from somewhere in the store and grabbed hold of him, trying to drag him toward the employees' exit in the back. Laine had his weapon drawn, but before he could do anything, there was a gunshot and he fell. While our attention had been focused on the man trying to abduct Rufus, his partner had gunned him down."

"... Did he... did he make it?" Reno asked, hesitantly, but Tseng shook his head.

"It was a point blank shot to the back of the head. Laine died instantly. And... so, too, did Mrs. Shinra when she started screaming in panic. It happened so quickly, there was nothing I could do. Rufus saw it all from mere feet away."

"Fuck..." the rookie breathed. The story coaxed memories of his own mother's death to the forefront of his mind, unbidden. Hers hadn't been so violent... but Reno had been the one to find her the next morning. There had been blood. A lot of it. That wasn't something a little kid should ever have to see. Not even Rufus.

"He took a shot at me, as well, but I was able to react in time. The bullet only grazed me, and I returned fire. _He_ was not so agile, and went down," the Turk lieutenant continued. "It distracted the other man, and Rufus managed to get free. He ran for me, and his attempted abductor apparently decided that if he couldn't have his prize, then neither could President Shinra. When I realized that he intended to shoot _Rufus_ ,all I could do was tackle the boy to the ground and hope that I could shield him. I was successful. The shot hit me instead." 

The tram stopped at the end of its track and the pair of Turks disembarked, stepping out onto a wide street lined with shops.

"I woke up six days later with no memory of anything that happened after that point, and a sizable dose of painkillers in my system. I'm told that my heart stopped twice before they finally stabilized me, and I spent more than two months recovering... It was nearly _six_ months before I was cleared for full field duty again," Tseng finished. "It seems our attacker fired four more shots, three of which struck me, and then fled. Rufus was unhurt, but understandably inconsolable when backup arrived. He's been rather... _attached_... to me since then. When he requires an escort, he usually insists that it be me."

"... Guess that explains why he quit givin' me shit about my mom," the redhead mused. Tseng raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and Reno shrugged. "It's nothin'. He was just talkin' shit at me's all. I was mostly just ignorin' it. He kinda hit a nerve on that subject, though, and I _mighta_ gone off on him a little..."

"I see," Tseng replied, with a nod of understanding. "His mother's death is not something _he_ likes to discuss, either. I very much doubt he'll ever use that particular strategy against you again, now that he's aware that it's something you have in common. Despite appearances, Rufus really _isn't_ as awful as he pretends to be. Hopefully he'll warm to you... eventually."

Reno snorted derisively. "I still think he's kind of a dick."

"Is that any way to talk about the future vice president of the company, private?!" a voice from behind him demanded, so loudly that he nearly jumped out of his own skin. The redhead turned to find a woman, in military uniform, standing directly behind him, piecing, steel-gray eyes staring at him intently. Her hair was short and spiky, a dark brown that that mirrored the dark look on her face.

The redhead sputtered a mostly incoherent reply as he tried to work out just who the hell this woman was, and whether or not he was going to be in trouble for apparently pissing her off. Tseng laughed at his reaction.

"Don't tease him, Viridia," he said, shaking his head. "He gets enough of that back in Midgar."

The woman snickered quietly and relaxed her rigid stance a bit.

"Sorry. I couldn't resist. So... You're the new rookie, I take it?"

The redhead nodded vaguely, drawing another laugh from his mentor.

"Wonderful... I think you've traumatized him," he said, teasingly. "Reno, this is Lieutenant Viridia Nacelle. She's a member of the Junon Materia Corps, and third in command of base security."

"Uh... Hi," Reno replied, a little awkwardly, wondering just what he'd done to attract base security's attention.

"She's not here for _you_ ," the Wutaiian Turk chuckled. "Viridia and I are... friends."

The brief pause hadn't slipped his notice. Reno looked the woman over... a little more closely this time. She was about the same age as the senior Turk. Very professional demeanor. Annoying tendency to sneak up on people... Yep. Totally Tseng's type. He smirked.

"... ' _Friends_ ', huh?" he replied, glancing at his mentor with a knowing look. He grinned when Tseng's expression shifted to one of barely concealed shock. Apparently that little pause hadn't been entirely intentional. Oh, yeah... _definitely_ more that just 'friends'.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're too observant for your own good..." Viridia asked, a vague note of a threat in her voice.

"Uhhh... No, ma'am. But they _have_ told me I need to learn to keep my mouth shut once in awhile..."

She glared at him a moment longer before finally dropping the act and grinning.

"Good advice, if you ask _me_." She turned to Tseng. "Are you staying long?"

"President Shinra is going to put in an appearance at tomorrow morning's senior staff meeting... largely to introduce his son to the base's leadership... so, yes. We'll be spending the night, at the very least."

"Damn. He _never_ informs us ahead of time," she sighed, sounding deeply annoyed, "I'd better go and see to the necessary security arrangements before the Commander decides to chew me out for not having psychic powers. Thanks for the heads up. Good to meet you, Reno."

With that, she turned and started towards the tram he and Tseng had just exited. A moment later, she looked back.

"Oh... and Tseng? I'm off duty at eight," she said, with a hint of a smile before boarding the little transport. Reno glanced over at his mentor, a wide grin firmly affixed to his face. Tseng scowled at him.

"Get your mind out of the gutter. Immediately."

Reno laughed. "Yeah... sorry, boss. No can do. That's a permanent condition for me."

* * *

The following morning, Reno was awake before the sun was even up, with a very specific purpose in mind. Tseng had disappeared shortly before dinner, leaving the rookie to acquaint himself with the base's cafeteria on his own. He hadn't yet reappeared by the time the redhead had returned to his room in the administration building, and was still missing when he'd gone to bed. In fact, Reno was almost certain he hadn't come back at _all_ last night.

He smirked as he stood on the narrow balcony that looked out over the base, spotting a lone figure, furtively making its way towards the doors of the building.

"Heh... I _knew_ it..." he snickered, and yawned. Not only had the Turk lieutenant been out all night... _now_ , he was trying to sneak back into his room without anyone else noticing. There was something intensely entertaining about the idea of the prim and proper Wutaiian slinking back to his _own_ bed in the pre-dawn shadows after a night of debauchery in someone else's.

Reno crept silently across the room and eased open the door, slipping into the hallway. Tseng would be making his way upstairs any moment now. He hurried to position himself outside the elevator, reaching it just as it chimed softly. The Wutaiian Turk glanced around, but missed the rookie hiding in the shadows. As he stepped forward and turned towards his room, the redhead fell into step behind him.

" _Soooo_... Have a nice evening?" he asked, and his mentor immediately swiveled and dropped into a defensive stance. He swore softly in Wutaiian upon recognizing the rookie, and Reno smirked at his slightly disheveled appearance.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" he asked, deflecting the question.

"I could ask you the same question... _buuuut_ , I kinda already know the answer to that."

Tseng simply rolled his eyes, and turned away from the redhead, resuming his trek back to his room. He unlocked the door, and slipped inside, and closed it firmly behind him, leaving Reno standing in the hallway, still grinning.

~end chapter 23~


	24. Pranks, Tricks, and Practical Jokes

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 24: Pranks, Tricks, and Practical Jokes**

 **by Desha**

Since both Turks were awake so early, it wasn't long before Reno and Tseng made their way down to the still-empty cafeteria to forage for breakfast before the base's personnel filed in. Reno spent the entirety of their short walk, grinning at his mentor in silence until at last Tseng couldn't take it any longer.

"Will you _stop_ that?" he sighed, exasperated.

"Stop what?" the redhead asked in his most innocent voice.

"I have no intention of discussing my whereabouts last night with a sixteen year old... so stop staring at me as though you're suddenly fascinated by the idea of me having a sex life."

Reno's grin widened noticeably as he picked up the pace to keep up with the senior Turk's suddenly single-minded desire to reach their destination as quickly as possible.

"... So's that mean you _did_ get lucky last night?"

"Which part of 'no intention of discussing it' was unclear?" Tseng replied, shaking his head. The redhead sniggered and spun around to face him, walking backwards directly in front of his mentor.

"Aw, come on, Tseng... You can't just run off with some woman, not come back 'til the next mornin', and then expect me to just pretend like I don't know what you were gettin' up to..."

Tseng rolled his eyes. "Well, since you are so knowledgeableon the subject, there's no _need_ to discuss this, now is there?" he said, brushing past the teenager. Reno laughed and sprinted after him.

"Seriously? Boss, you're like the most professional, no-nonsense guy I've ever met. Your whole fuckin' _life_ revolves around bein' a Turk. Now I find out you got a secret girlfriend you're hidin' from everyone? You _really_ think I'm not gonna be just a _little_ interested?"

Tseng stopped short and sighed loudly, roughly pinching the bridge of his nose.

"My relationship with Viridia is _hardly_ a secret," he replied, "I simply don't _discuss_ it with those who have no business asking about it, and I certainly didn't introduce you yesterday so you could harass me incessantly about it."

Reno smirked and draped an arm over his mentor's shoulders.

"Hey, if it's none of my business, just tell me it's none of my business..."

Tseng calmly shrugged him off. "It's none of your business."

"Oh, please... I fuckin' _live_ with you. Of course it's my business," the redhead said, jokingly. Tseng groaned, and pushed open the door they'd finally arrived at.

" _Nande ore_?" Tseng sighed. Reno didn't speak a work of Wutaiian... but he got the distinct impression that meant something along the lines of 'Why me?'. He laughed and followed his mentor through the doors

* * *

The return flight to Midgar was uneventful. Reno spent most of his time discussing the day's schedule with Tseng, and Rufus spent most of it looking put out and annoyed. The redhead had begun to suspect that a large part of that annoyance stemmed from the fact that the rookie was the main focus of the Turk lieutenant's attention... and Reno was savoring every second of it. Served the little bastard right for treating him like shit all morning yesterday. Alright, sure... Rufus had toned it down a little after lunch... but he was still a total dick any time he interacted with the rookie.

Veld, for his part, sat unobtrusively in his seat while the President made phone call after phone call. When they arrived back at the Shinra Building, President Shinra turned to the Turk leader.

"My son will be officially joining the company at the end of the month," he said, matter-of-factly. "In the interim, he'll be organizing his offices, which means a great deal of coming and going from the building, interviewing potential staff, and the like. I'd like a personal security detail assigned to him for the next week."

"Of course, sir," Veld replied, turning to speak directly to the younger Shinra. "I presume you would prefer Tseng to head your detail, sir?"

"Yes," Rufus responded, in a short, clipped tone. Veld nodded, and for just a moment, the redhead was certain Rufus fixed him with a smug glance. It was gone as quickly as he'd noticed it.

"Reno will join him. It'll be good experience for our rookie Turk," the Turk leader added as he was turning to follow the boy's father back inside... and Reno _almost_ laughed at the expression that spread over the Shinra heir's face. His eyes narrowed at the rookie, who merely shrugged, and then he stomped off in a huff after his father.

* * *

The following day, Reno came to learn that 'personal security detail' really just meant a whole lot of sitting around doing nothing. Rufus spent most of the morning in his new office, arranging things to his liking with a little help from Tseng. The rookie, meanwhile, had been banished to the empty reception area for 'guard duty' and really hadn't seen much of either of them in hours.

He was certain the little brat had come up with the most tedious, boring assignment he could think of for the redhead just out of spite. As he placed another eraser on top of his little office supply tower of boredom, a thought occurred to him. If _Rufus_ could make _his_ life miserable, what, exactly – aside from, perhaps, his mentor's ire were he caught – was stopping him from doing the same? He decided that, at the first available opportunity, he was going to get a little payback.

That opportunity came far sooner than he would have ever expected. Moments after the decision was made, the door to the office swung open and the Shinra brat stepped out, Tseng not far behind.

"We're leaving to procure some items for my office," he said, snottily, " _You_ will stay here and make sure no one bothers anything."

Reno had to force down a grin.

"Yes, sir," he replied, brightly. Tseng eyed him curiously, but said nothing as the two men departed. The moment he was certain they were gone, the redhead was on his feet. He'd make sure no one 'bothered anything' alright... no one but himself, that is.

Chuckling somewhat madly to himself, he slipped into Rufus' office, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Tseng glanced suspiciously over at Reno... who was sitting in the exact same spot he'd left him in an hour and a half ago, apparently amusing himself by making a chain of paperclips that already spanned the entire length of the room. He seemed _entirely_ too engrossed in the activity... and the smile he greeted the returning future executive with was much too wide. He was up to something.

Rufus, however, seemed more interested in pretending that the redhead didn't exist. He marched past him without so much as a second glance, and disappeared into his office.

"... Alright. What's going on?" Tseng asked, once the younger man was out of earshot.

"Nothin'," Reno replied, a little too quickly.

"Hmm..." The Turk lieutenant hesitantly followed the younger Shinra through the door, his gaze not veering from his rookie until it closed behind him. He glanced cautiously around the office. Nothing _seemed_ to have been touched... but his instincts told him that something was about to happen.

Before he could figure out what that something might have _been_ , events were already in motion.

Rufus took a seat in the expensive leather chair behind his desk. As soon as he did so, it collapsed beneath him, dumping the young man onto the carpeted floor with a loud thud. For a moment, he simply sat there, looking utterly stunned. Then his face took on an expression of righteous indignation, and he shot to his feet, and all but ran back out into the reception area.

" _YOU_!" he hissed, grabbing the other teenager by the collar and hauling him to within barely an inch of his face. " _You_ did that, _didn't_ you?!"

The redhead looked at him as though he had no idea what was going on... Somehow, Tseng doubted he was quite as innocent as he acted.

"Did what?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Don't you lie to me..." Rufus growled angrily, "I know it was you!"

"Rufus... enough," Tseng said, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder before things could escalate any farther.

"But he –"

" _If_ Reno was responsible... which I think you'll have a difficult time proving... _I_ will deal with reprimanding him. Now... Kindly release him."

Rufus' eye twitched slightly, but he did as requested, glowering at the rookie. Without another word, he turned on his heel and stormed back into the office, slamming the door behind him. Tseng sighed and turned his gaze on his rookie.

"Please tell me you had nothing to do with the chair collapsing."

"I had nothin' to do with the chair collapsin'," Reno said, smirking.

" _Reno_..."

"What? You _said_ to tell ya that," he snickered, "And even _if_ I mighta loosened up a bolt or two... he fuckin' shoved me in the pool on my first day. Just makes us even."

Tseng shook his head. "And now that you're 'even' it will go no farther?"

Reno grinned. "Well, that kinda depends on _him_."

* * *

Unfortunately for Tseng, Rufus wasn't content to simply call it even. He retaliated the next day at lunchtime.

"Yeh know... he needs a _lot_ more work on shadowin' targets," Saya was saying to Tseng, as she skewered several spinach leaves on her fork. "Practice this mornin' was just sad. Spotted our wee rookie within a minute 'n a half and he dinnae even realize it 'til I had him on the ground."

"And don't forget his attempt with _me_ ," Kai chimed in. "I've never seen someone fall into their own trap quite so... thoroughly."

"Tch... you assholes _do_ realize I'm right here, right? I'm not suddenly invisible, am I?" the annoyed redhead piped up, setting his plate down on the table and plopping into the seat across from his mentor. It wasn't as if he didn't know that his performance had been less than stellar in those two exercises... but for Shiva's sake, did they really have to call him out on it while he was trying to eat?

"Did you guys hear something?" Kai teased, looking around in feigned surprise. "Sounded like a really obnoxious whining sound..."

Tseng chuckled softly and turned his attention back on his lunch.

"Oh, now, fer Odin's sake, Kai... What's he done ta deserve that?"

"Well... He exists, for one thing," the diminutive Turk shot back, before breaking into a wide grin. "Besides... our little Turkling knows I only criticize because I care..."

Reno snorted derisively, and picked up his sandwich, taking a large bite. Almost as soon as he did, he realized that something was very wrong. His lips started to tingle. It very quickly because a burning sensation, that spread to his tongue. The redhead's eyes widened, and he hurriedly choked down the the bite of food... which turned out to be a mistake, as it only seemed to spread the fire to his entire mouth and down his throat.

By then, his eyes were watering, and the other Turks at the table had realized that something wasn't quite right with the rookie. When he started to sweat, as well, Tseng stood in concern, rounding the table and kneeling beside him.

"Reno?!"

The redhead coughed, and grabbed for his drink, downing its entire contents with no relief at all from the pain.

"H- _hot_!" he managed to gasp, shooting from his seat and darting back behind the cafeteria's service counter and into the kitchen... much to the displeasure of the staff serving the long line of hungry employees. The other three Turks hurried after him, finding the rookie with his head in the sink, gulping water directly from the faucet like a desperate man dying of thirst. Eventually, though the intense burning had yet to subside, he had to come up for air. He did so, coughing and sputtering as his teammates looked on in varying degrees of confusion, amusement, and concern.

A pained moan escaped his lips. His ears were ringing as he staggered semi-upright, and he could feel sweat simply _dripping_ down his face.

It was Saya who finally realized what had happened and rushed to one of the large, industrial refrigerators. She returned moments later, and Reno found a glass being pressed into his hands and guided toward his now-aching lips. His eyes were watering so badly, he couldn't even tell what it was, but if it would bring relief, at the moment he didn't care if it was behemoth spit.

"That's it... yeh just drink that down," she said, gently rubbing his back as he chugged it in between sobs. He couldn't taste anything... he couldn't smell anything... but whatever it was seemed to take the edge off the fire, at least for a few seconds. He finished it, and leaned back against the sink, panting as tears continued to stream down his face. "There now... that's a wee bit better, innit?"

"What... the _hell_... did I fuckin' eat?" he coughed, trying and failing to wipe the tears and sweat out of his eyes so he could finally see again. Saya chuckled and handed him a paper towel... which he was grateful for, as he realized that his nose, too, was running badly and didn't seem to want to stop. Parts of his mouth felt almost numb by that point... and he wasn't sure if it was due to whatever Saya had given him, or if the nerves in his tongue had simply given up and committed suicide. The rest of it still seemed to be smoldering painfully, and gradually increasing in intensity as time went on. He whimpered quietly and sank to his knees, praying it would end soon. Saya refilled the glass and handed it back to him.

"Well, whatever it was, I wanna try some. I _love_ spicy food!" Kai snickered loudly, as she turned and headed back to their table. The others followed, Tseng and Saya carefully supporting the still-suffering redhead between the two of them.

"... I... I'm not sure I can feel my face anymore," Reno groaned, slightly concerned at the realization. Saya laughed softly as they set him in his chair. Kai was already probing what was left of the rookie's lunch.

"Mmm..." She held up a small, slightly shriveled, reddish... something... and wasted no time in popping it in her mouth. Reno watched incredulously, waiting for the inevitable reaction. It never came. Instead, Kai grinned widely. "Costan wraith peppers. Hottest on the plant. _Yum_..."

"How are you not bursting into flames?!" the rookie asked in shock, wheezing slightly, as he watched her pick another pepper out of the sandwich and eat it. His stomach was starting to ache now, and the burning in his mouth was back with a vengeance. Saya continued to ply him with what he was now coherent enough to recognize as milk.

"Told ya... I _love_ spicy food," she replied, smirking. "Woo! And sweet Shiva is that ever spicy!"

Reno groaned and sank forward, letting his head rest on the table top. "I'm gonna die..." he whimpered. Saya snickered and patted his shoulder.

"No yer not... Yeh'll be just fine in awhile."

"Oh, dear Ifrit, just make it stop..." he murmured into the crook of his arm, wondering how something so small could cause so much pain. Tseng, who had been silent for much of the ordeal at last spoke up.

"What I would like to know is just who is responsible for this? It seems clear that Reno was intentionally targeted. No one else has had this sort of reaction."

The rookie looked up, scowling. "Tch... I got a pretty good idea," he muttered with a slight lisp, owing to the numbness of his lips. "And if he weren't the President's fuckin' _kid_ ,I'd go upstairs and ring his _neck_."

Tseng groaned, and shook his head. "Saya, would you mind looking after him for a bit? I believe I need to go and have a _conversation_ with Rufus. Take him down to medical if he doesn't improve."

* * *

Tseng had no great difficulty locating his quarry. He was sitting in his new office with a decidedly pleased look on his face as he flipped through a financial report.

"You and I need to talk," the Turk stated, and Rufus glanced up, unphased.

"Do we?"

"I want the truth, Rufus. Were you behind the attack on Reno in the cafeteria?"

The blonde boy snorted. "Attack? For Ramuh's sake... there's no need to exaggerate things. Yes... I played a little joke on him. Payback for that ridiculous hackjob he did on my chair yesterday. Perhaps _now_ the little slum rat will remember his place."

Tseng frowned, and folded his arms over his chest.

"You caused him significant pain... which, I might add, has not yet subsided." He shook his head and took a seat in the chair in front of the younger man's desk. "Rufus... this antagonism must stop. Reno has never done _anything_ to you." He held up a silencing hand as Rufus went to protest. " _Yesterday_ not withstanding... but you brought _that_ on yourself, and you know it. I did _not_ inform your father after you pushed him into the pool within hours of him arriving at the office... even though I probably _should_ have... but I will not continue to look the other way if you persist in playing 'jokes' that inflict physical harm on _any_ of my fellow Turks. They are not your playthings, and they are not here to amuse you."

Rufus scowled, and tossed the report into the trashcan beside him.

"You can't take that tone with me anymore, Tseng. I'll be vice president of this company in a few weeks. You'd better get used to _me_ telling _you_ what to do for a change," he snarled, coldly. Tseng's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Then I suggest that you take care in what you tell me to do, sir," he replied, "I've long considered us to be friends... and hope to continue to do so... but I _do_ have my limits."

With that, he stood and walked out, leaving the future executive gaping at his departure.

* * *

"Oh, _come_ on," Kai laughed, "Quit milking it, ya wuss."

"Fuck you," the redhead moaned. Admittedly, it was a bit exaggerated at this point. He lay limply on the couch in the lounge, his head resting on Saya's lap as the female Turk softly petted his hair. Kai shook her head.

"I've told you before... you're _way_ too young for me, my little Turkling. Now get your ass up and quit being such a loser!"

"Yeh shut yer fool mouth, Kai," Saya replied, defensively. "Can't yeh see the wee thing's feelin' poorly. Let him be!"

Alright... so maybehe _was_ milking it a little. But his tongue was still slightly numb and his sense of smell had yet to return and his stomach remained unsettled by the horrendously hot peppers. If Saya was willing to sit and comfort him, he was gonna let her do it for as long as she'd allow him to.

The door opened, heralding the return of the missing lieutenant, who paused just inside the room, eyes immediately going to the rookie.

"Ah, he's faking it. It's been almost an hour. The little horndog probably just likes having his head in your crotch."

"Aye? Well, maybe _yer_ just jealous that he like _mine_ better," she shot back, teasingly. Kai laughed.

"Oh, _please_. Spare me."

"You _do_ remember that he's only sixteen don't you?" Tseng interrupted. "I hardly think such commentary is appropriate." He knelt down beside the redhead, and ran a hand gently along his back. "How are you feeling?"

"Tch... Still can't smell anything, but at least my ears quit ringin'. You kill Rufus for me yet?"

Tseng chuckled and shook his head in the negative.

"He yet lives. But I _did_ warn him that stunts like this won't be tolerated. Now... get up. You're not ill, and you're not injured. Turks don't lay around all day due to minor discomfort, and you have weapons practice with Luca in ten minutes."

Reno moaned pitifully and looked pleadingly up at Saya. "Don't let him take me..." he whimpered. Saya sniggered warmly and gave him one last pet.

"Sorry, love... orders are orders. Yer time's up. Back ta work with yeh."

~end chapter 24~


	25. What Goes Around

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 25: What Goes Around**

 **by Desha**

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, _ow_! Fuck, Tseng, let go already! I get it, alright?! Ya don't have to rip it off..."

The Turks second-in-command finally released his grip on Reno's ear, and the sixteen year old clapped a hand to it protectively. He'd seen other boys dragged off like that as a child... usually by an extremely angry mother... but no one had ever done it to him before. It hurt a lot more than it looked like it should have. Tseng stood, looking more than a little irate, arms crossed over his chest and staring the rookie down. It took the redhead a moment to realize he'd been dragged into the men's room.

" _That_ was was a decidedly _stupid_ thing to do, Reno."

"Ah, come on... It wasn't _that_ bad," he replied, rolling his eyes. Tseng continued to glare at him.

"Not that bad? You and I seem to have a very different definition of what constitutes 'bad'," said Tseng, "This recent behavior of your needs to stop. I truly am glad to see that you're finding a bit more confidence, and I _do_ realize it was a joke... but you can't go around saying whatever you feel like around the people who _Run. This. Company._ I don't particularly care if you dislike them personally... I don't even care it it's entirely warranted. You simply _do not_ refer to Heidegger as a 'fatass pig' when he is within earshot. That your head is still attached to your body right now is due only to the fact that Veld and I were able to convince him that he misheard you. One of these days, you're going to push your luck too far, and there won't be anything I can do to protect you."

"Fine... so I'll watch my fuckin' mouth, alright?" the teenager sighed, leaning back against one of the sinks and gracing Tseng with yet another roll of his eyes.

"Oh... you most certainly will."

At his superior's tone, the younger Turk realized that he _may_ have taken that a bit too far. There was acting confident... and there was just being a jackass. And it looked like he'd just stepped over that line. He suddenly lost much of the haughty, confident expression he wore. It was replaced by an unsure and vaguely frightened look. He swallowed nervously, wondering what he was in for. Tseng turned to the supply cabinet in the corner, removing a small item and tearing away the wrapper.

"I'm sorry... but if you're going to insist on behaving like a child, I'm afraid I'm just going to have to treat you like one," he said, covering the distance between them in two long strides. "Open."

"W-wha – " Reno couldn't even get a single word out before the little bar of soap was shoved unceremoniously between his teeth. He immediately gagged and pulled away. "Gah! What the fuck, man?"

"I've warned you...several times, in fact. If you're incapable of controlling yourself on your own, there are going to have to be consequences. This will be the result any time there is a repeat of this afternoon. Now... Open. And this time, don't spit it out until I give you permission to do so."

The redhead reluctantly obeyed, the taste of the soap still coating his tongue. He visibly cringed as it was reintroduced, and his tongue instinctively fled to the roof of his mouth in a desperate attempt to avoid it.

It was easily one of the worst things he'd ever tasted... and he'd eaten some pretty questionable shit to get by over the years. Tseng stood calmly, watching him suffer, and occasionally glancing at his watch. He didn't seem to be in any particular hurry to release him from his punishment. Reno's eyes watered slightly as the taste began to make its way dangerously close to his throat. He desperately needed to swallow, but knew if he did, things were going to get about ten times worse than they already were.

And _still_ Tseng refused to release him.

Reno squeezed his eyes shut, a soft whimper escaping, unbidden. The taste was positively vile. At last, after what felt like hours – but was probably only a minute or two – Tseng took pity on him.

"Alright. That's enough."

Reno spat the bar of soap out and turned to the sink, violently twisting the faucet handle and sticking his head under the stream of water to rinse his mouth out. He spent nearly a full minute alternately gulping down fresh water and gagging on the lingering taste.

"Ah, _god_... I can still fuckin' taste it..." he lamented, finally raising his head again. He braced himself with his hands on either side of the sink, panting softly. Tseng smirked and offered him a paper towel, which the redhead angrily snatched, drying his face. "You're a real dick sometimes, ya know that?"

"Perhaps... But I suspect you'll think twice about what you say next time. And if you don't... we'll repeat this little exercise until thinking twice becomes second nature. Is that understood?"

"Yeah," he replied. Tseng raised a challenging eyebrow and Reno very quickly adopted a more conciliatory tone. "Yes, sir. I understand."

Tseng's expression softened a bit, as did his voice. "And do you also understand that, if I didn't care very much what happens to you, I wouldn't bother with such tactics?"

The redhead looked awkwardly down at the floor. "Yeah..."

"Good. Then let's get back to work, shall we?"

* * *

Veld was waiting for him in his office when he returned, and Tseng bit back a sigh. He should have expected this.

"I trust our youngest has been disciplined?" he said, clearly unamused by Reno's antics. Tseng couldn't blame him. Since his run-in with Rufus and his peppers, the rookie had become more and more comfortable in pushing the boundaries of his new role with the Turks. Unfortunately, in addition to a rapidly escalating prank war between the two teenagers, that had _also_ resulted in the teenager taking several liberties that weren't quite so easy to overlook. Today's was, perhaps, the worst of his transgressions.

"Yes, sir," the Wutaiian Turk responded. Veld still didn't look appeased.

"Reign him back in, Tseng. _Sooner_ rather than later."

"... Yes, sir. I will."

Tseng honestly wasn't sure if he should be furious... or worried. At present, he was a little of both. On one hand, Reno's overly laid-back attitude – not to mention his newly discovered penchant for practical jokes – was making his mentor look bad. And Tseng hated anything that made himself look bad.

On the other... if this continued, it was going to get Reno into serious trouble eventually, and no matter how annoyed with the young man he might have been, Tseng had begun to care deeply for his rookie. The last thing he wanted was to see any kind of harm come to him.

"Take him with you this afternoon. Maybe a trip down below will remind him just how fortunate he isto be here... instead of _there_."

* * *

"So... what exactly are we doin', anyway?" Reno asked as the train spiraled downwards into the slums. "And why the hell are we takin' the train? Why not just take the copter?"

"We're looking for pair of company assets," Tseng replied, "And we're taking the train because the helicopter is entirely unnecessary for this. Sector One is a relatively short walk from the Wall Market station. Besides which... there's no need for such a dramatic entrance. Coming and going unnoticed is far preferable and to our advantage."

The rookie gave a long-suffering sigh of resignation and leaned back in his seat.

"Tch... fine. So what're these 'company assets' we're after, anyway?"

Tseng chuckled softly.

"It's more of a who, actually. A woman and her child. They were... volunteers... working with Professor Hojo until very recently, when they left and never returned. The biologics department wants them back. They were part of a particularly important experiment... one that has apparently been in progress for many years now and would be difficult if not impossible to begin anew."

He withdrew a photograph from his pocket and handed it to the rookie. The woman was very beautiful, with long, cascading brown hair and emerald green eyes. In her arms, there was an infant, wrapped in a pale yellow blanket.

"The photo is several years old, unfortunately. The little girl would be about six by now," Tseng added.

"Ya know, I've been wonderin'... Who _is_ this Hojo guy, anyway? I mean... I know he's some high up fuck in the biologics department, but how come we're goin' after some poor kid 'n her mom just on his say-so? No one around the office seems to like him a whole hell of a lot... What's with the favors?"

"Hojo is not merely 'high up' in the department. He _runs_ the biologics department these days. And personal opinions aside, the Turks are expected to accommodate hom. His research is of great value to the company. Among other things, he's responsible for the existence of the Soldier program. More importantly, however, he has the ear of President Shinra. If Hojo is unhappy, the President is unhappy. And if the President is unhappy, _everyone_ is unhappy."

Reno frowned slightly as he considered that, and Tseng knew what the next question was going to be even before he asked it.

"... and yes. If keeping him happy means kidnapping a girl and her mother and returning them to headquarters against their will, that is precisely what we are expected to do."

"Tch... That's fucked up, man."

Tseng snorted a soft laugh. "If you've only just now realized that about our job, then I have _clearly_ been overly lax in your training."

Reno rolled his eyes, but laughed softly. "Yeah... Okay. Ya got me there. So... you think they're over in One, then?"

"Tres seems to think it's as good a place as any to start. To be honest, though... we don't yet have a solid lead on them. Unfortunately, company politics must be considered in this instance, and Veld wants to be able to say that we're actively looking, even if it's highly unlikely we're going to be returning home successful today."

The redhead groaned.

"Seriously? So we're just gonna wander aimlessly around the fuckin' slums all day and ask random people if they know 'em..."

"Essentially."

* * *

By the time they returned to the Plate, Reno was tired, hungry, and his feet ached. Tseng hadn't been joking around. They'd come back with exactly _nothing_ to show for the effort. No leads, no rumors... no so much as someone who _thought_ the woman in the picture had look vaguely familiar. Nothing.

It had been a complete waste of time.

The redhead flopped down in the chair behind his desk, grateful to have finally been given someplace in headquarters to call his own. Sure, he had to share the little closet of an office with Rude... but somehow it made his status as a member of the team that much more real.

"... Long day?" his officemate queried, not looking up from the report he was filling out.

"Uggggghhh..." Reno moaned by way of answer. Rude only snickered at the response. The redhead sat up slightly and opened the drawer of his desk, pulling out a bag of gummy worms. He popped one in his mouth, savoring the sweet artificially-flavored goodness for a moment before attempting actual conversation. "Hey, Rude... You busy tonight?"

"... Not really."

"You wanna do somethin'? I desperately need to get out on the town for awhile."

"Got something in mind?" Rude asked, at last looking up from his paperwork.

"Concert over in Sector Three?" Reno suggested. "Some group called Zero Matter is playin' at the Wendigo. If nothin' else, there'll be cheap beer, and I hear they don't look too close at IDs."

"Who told you that?" Rude asked, curious.

"Sato..." the redhead replied with a grin, "... who _also_ got me one of these last week..." He held up a driver's license... clearly fake, given that it stated Reno was twenty-two, but convincing enough that he could probably pull it off if he didn't draw too much scrutiny to _himself_. The other rookie hesitated a moment, thinking it over, before collecting his reports and standing up. He nodded as he made his way to the door.

"Sure. I'm in."

"Awesome. Meet ya in the lounge at five?"

"See you then."

* * *

Reno grinned widely as he and Rude walked into the club in Sector Three. Music was already blaring from the stage. They hadn't missed much, he knew, but the crowd was already into it. Zero Matter, as it turned out, was a hardcore thrash metal band... a genre of music he'd only recently discovered, and quickly realized that he _seriously_ enjoyed.

Tseng... not so much. The Turk lieutenant had gifted him a set of headphones within twenty-four hours of learning that he liked it.

They hit up the bar, first, and Reno let the older Turk order for them both. As much as he wanted to try out his new fake ID... Rude actually _looked_ the part. No one gave him a second glance when he claimed to be of age. Beer in hand, they joined the crowd.

By the third song, they were on their fifth beer. By the eleventh song, Reno had given up paying much attention to the music in favor of making out with a gorgeous young woman with long hair that had been dyed a deep shade of blue and a tattoo of a koi fish on the side of her neck.

"Hey! Wanna get outta here?" she asked, having to shout to be heard, even though they were mere inches apart. Reno glanced back toward the bar... where Rude, much to his surprise, was talking animatedly – well, for _him_ – with a curly-haired brunette. He smirked, and silently wished his friend luck before nodding to his own new acquaintance and letting her lead him out the side exit.

They found themselves in an ally, and the girl immediately had him against the wall of the club, her lips hungrily claiming his own before drifting to his throat. Her hand slipped in between his thighs, and the redhead moaned enthusiastically against her shoulder. He liked a woman who knew what she wanted. Especially when what _she_ wanted happened to coincidence with what _he_ wanted.

And at the moment, what he _really_ wanted was to get his pants off.

"Come on, honey..." she said, when she came up for air a moment later. "My car's around back."

She pulled him down the ally and around the corner, leading him through the parking lot. A small red convertible was parked in the back corner, and she hurried to unlock the door, climbing into the backseat. Reno didn't hesitate in joining her.

* * *

The redhead pushed upwards, trying to lift his bedroom window, and swore when it didn't budge. He was _sure_ he'd left it unlocked. What the fuck was he supposed to do now? He looked furtively around the darkened block. Tseng's car sat in its usual parking space... which meant that the Turk lieutenant was definitely home and not out looking for him. And if he was home, Reno had no doubt in his mind that he'd hear him if he came through the front door.

Hell, the son of a bitch was _probably_ staking out the living room, _waiting_ for him to come in.

It was his own fault... Abigail – as he'd found out her name was somewhere between doing her in the backseat of her car and nailing her while she was bent over the hood – had kept him busy. For almost three hours. They'd just finished round four, and she had been eagerly attempting to get him ready for another when he'd realized what time it was. Turning her – and her extremely talented tongue – down had been almost painful, but he had to work tomorrow. And Tseng wouldn't be forgiving if he overslept.

Unfortunately, that _also_ meant that he'd missed his ten o'clock curfew by a wide margin... which left him in the somewhat desperate position of trying to slip into the apartment undetected, a little before one in the morning. The effort wasn't going well.

It was times like this when he envied Rude and his own _private_ apartment where he could come and go as he pleased. Speaking of whom... he had no idea what had happened to his friend after he'd run off for some fun in the parking lot, but he hoped that Rude's evening had ended as as well has _his_ had. The chick the other rookie had been talking to had been pretty hot.

But he'd have to wait until tomorrow to find out. Right now, he had more immediate concerns.

He'd nearly resigned himself to walking through the front door and taking whatever punishment was coming when a thought suddenly occurred to him. If Tseng really _was_ sitting there waiting for him... then he _wasn't_ in his bedroom. And if he wasn't in his bedroom, the teenager might still have a chance at saving his ass after all. Assuming, of course, that one of _those_ windows happened to be unlocked.

Reno grinned to himself and slipped around front to peer through a small gap in the curtains. The senior Turk was, indeed, seated in his favorite chair, calmly reading a book. There was only one reason he'd be up this late... and that was to catch his rookie breaking curfew. The redhead smirked...

"Not gonna make it that easy for ya, Boss..." he snickered softly, and hightailed it around to the east wall of the building, easily finding his way to one of Tseng's windows in the darkness. He tried to open it, but was met with resistance. Shaking his head, he moved on to the other window, and laughed softly at his good luck. Not only was it unlocked... it was _open_ a crack to let in the cool night air. He slowly raised it just far enough to climb through, careful not to make a sound, and hoisted himself up and over the sill.

Just when he thought he was free and clear, a heavy hand clamped down on the back of his t-shirt, roughly dragging him backwards and throwing him to the ground.

"Hands where I can see 'em!" a voice ordered, and Reno's eyes widened slightly as he suddenly found himself staring down the barrel of a gun. His eyes then locked onto the badge on his assailant's chest, and the redhead groaned. He slowly lifted his hands.

"Uh... heh... I know this probably looks pretty bad from where you're standin'... but I swear it's _not_ what it looks like..."

"Hands above your head, and roll over onto your stomach," the police officer replied.

"Seriously, man... I wasn't breakin' in!" Reno protested even as he complied with the officer's command. "I mean... I guess, ya know... _technically_... I was. But I wasn't! I fuckin' _live_ here!"

His arms were unceremoniously seized and forced behind his back, and a pair of handcuffs snapped into place, securing them there.

"Got any ID on you to prove that?"

"... Uh..." the redhead stammered, remembering that he'd left his company credentials in his bedroom. All he had on him at the moment was his fake ID that claimed he was twenty-two years old and named Devron Inaris. Somehow he didn't think showing _that_ to a cop was going to get him _out_ of trouble.

"Mmhmm... That's what I thought," the officer replied, hoisting the rookie Turk to his feet. He began prodding him toward his patrol car.

"W-wait! I'm not lyin'... Just go knock on the door! My... _guardian_..." he sighed softly, feeling decidedly babyish referring to Tseng as such, "... is inside. He'll vouch for me."

"Oh, he _will,_ will he? Let's just go and see about that." With that, Reno found himself being marched around to the front and up the walkway to the door. The officer knocked loudly, and the young Turk shuffled in apprehension. Tseng wasn't exactly gonna be happy about this... but, he supposed, it was better than spending the night in jail. The door opened a crack and his mentor peered out, looking distinctly displeased.

"Yes?" he answered.

"I'm sorry to bother you so late, sir... But I caught this young man attempting to break into your apartment through one of the back windows. The boy claims he lives here and that you're his guardian."

Tseng's attention shifted almost imperceptibly to the redhead, and for a brief moment Reno was absolutely certain he saw him smirk.

"I've never seen him before in my life," Tseng said, calmly, and Reno's jaw dropped.

"I thought that might be the case," the officer said, with a tip of his hat, "Don't worry. I'll take care of this little miscreant. You have yourself a good night, sir. And be sure to lock those windows."

"B-but... I... hey, wait!" Reno sputtered, as he was dragged off towards the patrol car. He was quickly installed in the back seat, and the door slammed shut, trapping him. He turned toward the apartment, where his mentor still stood in the doorway, watching him, and saw him remove his PHS from a pocket, typing something into it briefly, before tucking it away and stepping back inside.

A moment later, Reno's _own_ phone chimed in his pocket. The police officer climbed into the driver's seat, and started the engine. As they were pulling out of the parking lot, the redhead finally managed to maneuver the device out of his back pocket and open up the text message. He was forced to bite back several curses as he read it.

" _Next time, don't miss curfew. I'll see you in the morning."_

~end chapter 25~


	26. Silence is Seldom Golden

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 26: Silence is Seldom Golden**

 **by Desha**

When Tseng arrived at the police station the following morning, he was taken to a small cell in the back of the station. Inside was a very unhappy redhead, who, if his expression was anything to go by, was not at all pleased with having to spend the night in jail. The Wutaiian smiled coolly as an officer unlocked the door.

"That _wasn't_ funny," Reno grumbled as they made their way out of the building and over to Tseng's waiting car.

"It wasn't meant to be. Get in."

Reno grudgingly did as he was told, angrily slamming the door and fastening his seatbelt. He folded his arms over his chest and stared straight ahead, glaring at nothing in particular. Were it not for the serious nature of the conversation he wanted to have with the teenager, Tseng would have laughed. He'd never actually seen Reno _pout_ before.

"Would you care to explain yourself?" he ventured, as he started the engine and headed for home. They had just enough time for the rookie to shower, change, and get something to eat. They would have to skip their morning run, of course... but he could make that up in the training hall. Reno remained motionless and stubbornly silent. Tseng shook his head and turned the corner. "The silent treatment doesn't work on me, Reno. I grew up with six siblings. I am a _master_ of the art of vindictive silence."

The younger Turk still didn't answer.

"Have it your way." Two could play at that game, and the redhead was going to learn firsthand why his elder brothers had never bullied him as a child. Neither of them spoke for the remainder of the drive home.

Neither of them spoke the entire ride to the office, either.

* * *

"Hey..." Reno said, somewhat awkwardly once he found Rude in the lounge a short while later. Tseng had spent the entire drive ignoring the fact that the redhead was ignoring _him_ and they'd unceremoniously parted ways in the hallway. He wasn't quite sure what the senior Turk was playing at, but he didn't really care. By the end of the day, Tseng would be driving himself nuts trying to get Reno to talk to him. Suitable punishment for forcing him to spend the night in jail.

"Morning," Rude replied.

"So, uh... 'bout last night. Sorry for ditchin' ya like that," he offered, sheepishly. "I kinda hooked up with this girl, and..."

"I know. It turns out I was talking to the friend she came with. We... went looking for you guys." Rude smirked. "Found you, too... Didn't want to interrupt. I gave Margaret a ride home."

Reno grinned lewdly. "Oh, _yeah_?" he pressed, " _Your_ home, or hers?"

"Hers. I dropped her off."

The redhead's eyes widened, and he groaned. "Wait... seriously? You come to her rescue and _still_ somehow manage to _not_ get laid?"

"..." Rude flushed slightly and shook his head. Reno sighed and planted himself next to his friend on the couch.

"Well, did you at least get her number?" he asked, hopefully.

"... We're... going to a movie this weekend," he said, quietly, "... and I said I'd make her dinner after."

Reno broke into a wide grin. "Now _that's_ more like it! Let me know how it goes, man..."

"..." Rude smiled somewhat shyly.

"Heh... Wish my night had ended so well. I kinda didn't get home 'til about one. Tseng was pissed."

"... _How_ pissed?"

"Uh... Pissed enough to pretend he didn't know me and let a cop haul me off for breakin' and enterin' when I tried to sneak in without him knowin'?" he snickered. "Spent the whole fuckin' night in a jail cell, so... _that_ was fun."

Rude snickered and shook his head.

"Gonna get him back, though. I'm not speakin' to him. We'll just _see_ how long it takes him to crack."

The other rookie's eyebrow arched skeptically. "I wouldn't if I were you."

"Tch... What? Why not?"

"Because..." Rude replied with a snort, "Tseng's been a Turk for years. And he's been dealing with _Sato_ for at least four of them. You really think the silent treatment's gonna phase him?"

Reno gave him a confident smirk and stood up.

"Don't underestimate my ability to drive someone nuts, pal," he laughed, "Bet he won't even make it to lunchtime. Anyway... mornin' meeting starts in five. Ready?"

* * *

By lunchtime, it was Reno who was driving himself nuts... not Tseng. _Definitely_ not Tseng. The Turk lieutenant had apparently spread the word, and now _no one_ was speaking to the redhead... except for Rude, who had remained stubbornly loyal to his friend. It had been torture.

"Okay... how 'bout this. Shay's s'posed to run us both through the gauntlet again this afternoon. I'm complete shit at it anyway, so you _know_ I'm gonna take a few hits. I'll just exaggerate how bad it hurts, get myself carted off to medical, and Tseng'll _have_ to break down and say somethin' when he comes to check on me... Right?"

Rude looked at him skeptically.

"... You usually see Dr. Ward, don't you?" he asked.

"Yeah. So?"

The other rookie shrugged. " _I_ sure as hell wouldn't want her to catch me faking an injury."

Reno groaned and his shoulders sank in defeat.

"Ya got a point there. Not sure what she'd do to me, but it'd probably be a _lot_ worst than Tseng not talkin' to me all day," he said with a sigh, "Okay... so I won't _fake_ an injury."

"Are you really going to intentionally hurt yourself for attention?" Rude snickered.

"... Yeah, okay. When you put it _that_ way, it does sound a little extreme. Ugh... This sucks. Ya know, that smug bastard actually _told_ me I couldn't beat him? Ya know... before he stopped tellin' me anything..."

Rude laughed and shook his head.

"Do yourself a favor. Call it off, swallow your pride, and apologize. All things considered, Tseng went _pretty_ easy on you for breaking curfew. And then trying to trick him into thinking you _didn't_."

The redhead sighed and leaned back in his chair, poking at the remains of his lunch.

"... I know."

"So what's the problem?"

"I just... He's always a step ahead of me, ya know? It makes me feel like a kid."

Rude raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, shut up," Reno added. "I know... up here, I _am_ still a kid. Does he really have to rub it in, though?! I've been takin' care of myself for years. Hell, I'll be seventeen in a month. I don't fuckin' need a... a _guardian_... to tell me when I screw up! It's... frustratin' sometimes, ya know?"

"Hmph."

"And just what's _that_ s'posed to mean?"

"Ever wonder how frustrating it is for _Tseng_?" Rude asked. "No one _forced_ himto recruit you, you know. He wanted you. And from what I hear, it took a _lot_ to convince Veld to let him have you. He knows how different things are up here, compared to how your life used to be... and I think he probably cuts you a lot more slack than you realize because of it... but there have to be limits to that, too. He can't just let you run wild." He smirked slightly, chuckling to himself. "And you _know_ you would if he _did_ let you."

Reno glared at him.

"... Quit makin' me feel bad. You're ruinin' my lunch." He picked up a pork chop by the bone and bit into it angrily. A moment later he deflated. "I've already lost, haven't I?"

Rude nodded in agreement.

"... And I'm only prolongin' my misery if I keep tryin' to beat him, aren't I?"

"Yep."

"I'm gonna end up apologizin', too, huh?"

"Most likely," his fellow Turk agreed. The redhead rolled his eyes.

"Aw, stop lookin' all smug 'n shit about it."

The other rookie chuckled, but said nothing farther, and both of the turned their attention back on their food. A moment later Rude glanced up at him again.

"So... ready for your evaluation this afternoon."

Reno's hand froze midway to his mouth. An evaluation? No one had mentioned an evaluation to _him_.

"... _What_ evaluation?" he asked, cautiously. Rude grinned.

"The one Tseng asked me to tell you about once we were about halfway through lunch," he chuckled. The rookie's eyes narrowed.

"You fuckin' traitor..."

Rude only laughed.

* * *

At one fifteen in the afternoon, Reno reported to the forty-eighth floor. The familiar bustle of the General Affairs department greeted him, as did a familiar face.

"Reno! Hi!" Izzy called out from across the foyer. He grinned as she made her way over to him, carefully balancing a stack of files in her hands. It had been awhile since he'd run into her. She smiled seductively. "I don't suppose you're here for a late _lunch_ by any chance."

The redhead's grin widened, but he shook his head.

"Sorry. I'm s'posed to be meetin' Tseng here for some kinda eval. But... uh... if you're free _tonight_ I wouldn't turn down a little company..."

Izzy giggled and nodded. "Call me later," she said, eagerly, and turned back to the sea of clerical workers to deliver her files to whatever destination she'd had in mind before her unexpected detour.

"And just what makes you think you're going to be in any condition to go out tonight?" a voice behind him asked, causing him to jump, startled.

"God-fucking-dammit, Tseng! Don't _do_ that!" he swore, spinning to face him. The Turk lieutenant smirked.

"I take it, then, that you've decided to give up this immature attempt at punishing me for punishing _you_ and resume speaking to me?"

The redhead glowered for a moment, but at last sighed. "Yes..."

Tseng calmly raised an eyebrow.

"... And I'm sorry I missed curfew," Reno replied at the silent demand.

"And?" Tseng queried, waiting patiently.

"And I'm sorry I tried to sneak back in _after_ I missed curfew."

"... And?"

Reno rolled his eyes. " _And_ I'm sorry for actin' like a spoiled brat, _okay_?"

"You're forgiven," Tseng stated, with a faint smile. "Now, that that's settled... I hope you're prepared for your evaluation."

The redhead looked at his mentor incredulously. "How the fuck am I s'posed to be prepared? Rude just _told_ me about the damn thing twenty minutes ago. I don't even know what's bein' evaluated!"

Tseng chuckled and motioned for him to follow. He lead Reno down a hallway, away from the busy secretarial pool, to a much quieter area. The two Turks stepped into a room at the end of the hall. Veld was waiting for them.

"Welcome to the strategy eval," the Turk leader stated calmly, "Get in the closet."

"... Huh?"

"Your goal is twofold," Tseng explained. "First... to extricate yourself from a locked room. In this case, that closet over there."

"... 'kay," the redhead replied, shrugging. He wasn't quite sure what that had to do with 'strategy'... but it didn't exactly sound _hard_. He'd been working on lockpicking skills for weeks now. Kai said he was a natural. Tseng seemed to pick up on his complacence and smirked.

" _Above_ this floor is the Soldier training center... which, as I'm sure you've surmised is rather high security, as it is also storage for any number of weapons, materia spheres, and classified technology. The _second_ part of your goal is to reach Room 4922. Undetected. It, incidentally, will _also_ be locked, and Soldier's security patrols know you're coming."

Reno glanced around the room for a moment. There wasn't much too it. It seemed to be nothing more than an unoccupied office. Not a whole lot to work with... but then, not much to impede him, either.

"Tch... That all? I thought this was gonna be somethin' hard," the rookie replied with a grin.

"Failure will result in immediate dismissal from the Turks," Veld added, and the smug look immediately fell from the redhead's face. It was quickly replaced by an expression of utter horror. The Turk leader laughed and turned to Tseng. "Is he always this gullible?"

Tseng seemed to be trying very hard not to laugh at his rookie's expense. The redhead glared.

"For Shiva's sake, sir... don't fuck with me like that!"

"You have forty minutes. Get in the closet," Veld replied, ignoring the complaint. The rookie obligingly slipped past the two men and stepped through the door... which was rather firmly shut behind him. A loud click announced that he was locked in.

"Good luck, Reno," Tseng called from beyond Reno's little prison.

Their footsteps retreated from the room, and he could hear muffled conversation as they departed.

Just before they were gone, he heard Veld's voice say softly, "A hundred gil says he doesn't make it past the elevators."

Reno couldn't hear whether or not Tseng accepted the bet. He smirked to himself. If he _hadn't_ he was going to wish he had... because the redhead planned on not only making it into that room, but doing so well before time was up. And the best part was, he already knew _exactly_ how he was going to do it.

He shoved a large box of computer paper up against the back wall of the closet and climbed on top of it. It gave him just enough extra height that he could reach the small air vent on the wall. It was going to be a tight squeeze... but he was practically _built_ for shit like this. Within moments, he had the cover unlatched and was hoisting himself into the narrow space. Hinged at the top, the vent slammed shut behind him. Unless someone actually thought to check it, they wouldn't even know how he'd gotten free.

The rookie inched his way along the air shaft. It was slow going at first, but he soon fell into a rhythm, and started making better progress. Eventually, he reached a junction that fed into a vertical shaft.

"... Oh, _this_ is gonna suck," he sighed, peering downwards into darkness. If he fucked up, that was gonna be one _long_ fall. Steeling himself, he slid into the shaft, bracing himself with his knees and shoulders until he was certain he was secure. And then he started to climb.

It was slow and painful, and by the time he reached the forty-ninth floor his muscles were burning from the effort. He hauled himself into the next horizontal tunnel, and simply lay there, panting harshly, for a few moments, trying to catch his breath. And then, he started forward again... inch by inch, foot by foot... until he reached a vent.

Reno looked out through the narrow slots in the cover, watching as two men walked by. One of Soldier's patrols, he assumed. He stayed perfectly still, hardly daring to breathe, lest they hear him. When they were gone, he moved on to the next vent. Across the hall, he spotted Room 4918... then 4920... and at long last, 4922. He sighed in relief. He was almost there.

It took him a few minutes, and a wrong turn or two in the maze-like ventilation system, but soon, he was sliding out into _another_ closet. He cautiously opened the door and looked around the room.

This was no office. This was a secure storage locker. It had to be. Weapons of all sorts were locked in large, imposing-looking cages. Guns, tasers, swords... you name it. And not just your average, generic military issue weapons, either. One of the blades was so massively broad, he never would have thought anyone was strong enough to wield the damned thing. It had to weight a ton.

And then he spotted something else. Something that just about _every_ kid, whether they were from the Slums or the Plate would have recognized.

It was even bigger in person than it looked on TV. Longer than he was tall, with a simple hilt that belied the strength and skill it must have taken to use.

The Masamune.

The sword that belonged to Shinra's legendary Soldier, Sephiroth. What was it doing here? Did that mean that _Sephiroth_ was here, somewhere in the Shinra Building, too? He supposed it did... After all, this _was_ Soldier's headquarters. For some reason, it had never once occurred to him that Sephiroth trained alongside all of the other Soldiers, just a few floors below the Turks' own offices. He had to admit... he was slightly awed by the revelation.

Reno shook his head, and forced himself to tear his gain away from the impressive blade. He was under a time limit. Though... now that he was _here_ , he wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do. Obviously, Veld and Tseng were somewhere nearby, though where, he had no idea. Finally, he shrugged and opened the door leading into the hallway, and leaned lazily up against the doorframe, waiting for them to show up. It didn't take long.

"That's not possible," Veld stated, as he and Tseng rounded a corner, marching straight up to the redhead. He shook his head in disbelief. "Twenty-three minutes is _not_ possible. The record is thirty-two!"

Reno grinned widely. "Guess there's a new record."

Veld shook his head.

"You're going to do it again. Tseng, reset for another attempt. And tell Soldier to step up their patrols."

"Hey! Come on... Why do I gotta do it again?!"

"Sir... just because he achieved an exceptionally high score doesn't mean the initial results were invalid."

Reno frowned as he read between the lines on that statement. Veld thought he'd cheated somehow.

"Tch... Fine. I'm no cheat. You want me to do it again? I'll do it again. And I'll do it even _faster_ this time," the redhead growled, storming off toward the elevator.

* * *

Fifteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, the rookie calmly emerged from the secure room on the forty-ninth floor for the second time. It hadn't been easy... and he'd given himself a pretty nasty cut on his right arm when he'd run into a sharp edge he hadn't noticed the first time around... but he'd done it.

Veld just stared at him in thinly veiled shock when he and Tseng came out of hiding. He shook his head.

"If I hadn't seen it myself, I never would have believed it."

"So's that mean I pass?" Reno asked, still slightly miffed at being accused of cheating earlier. Veld chuckled.

"Given that you just turned the _old_ record on its head... I'd say _so_. Well done, Reno..." He shook his head again and started back toward the elevators, only to be blocked by a slightly irritated Wutaiian.

"Aren't you forgetting something, sir?"

The Turk leader paused, and a moment later turned back to the rookie.

"I'm sincerely sorry for implying that you didn't come by your score honestly," Veld said, and then sighed. "No one is ever going to beat your record. Not by a long shot..."

With that, he started towards the elevator again.

"Ahem... ?" Tseng interrupted again. He smirked and held out a hand, palm up, in expectation. Veld grumbled as he thrust a hand into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He forked over two fifty gil notes, and left the two men behind. Reno grinned widely.

"Heh... So's this mean dinner's on you tonight?"

Tseng raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Reno... Barring the times when you head off on your own, dinner is _always_ on me." He laughed softly, and tucked his winnings into a pocket. "Besides which... I thought you were planning on seeing that young lady from downstairs tonight."

"... Pay for my date?" the redhead teased. "Only seems fair. _I_ did all the work, after all."

Tseng chuckled and guided his rookie back towards the elevators.

"Alright... Fair enough," he replied. "But for now, let's head downstairs and have Justinia take a look at that cut on your arm, shall we? And then you can explain to me how in Leviathan's name you managed to pull that off."

~end chapter 26~


	27. Happy Birthday

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 27: Happy Birthday**

 **by Desha**

Reno yawned and stretched as he rolled over in bed to glance at the clock. If he was lucky, he still had another twenty minutes or so to lay around doing nothing before the alarm blared and Tseng appeared to rouse him for their morning run. He rubbed at bleary eyes until the red, glowing numerals finally came into focus... and promptly sat up in a panic.

" _Fuck!_ " he hissed, shoving the bedclothes aside, and rushing for the closet. He'd forgotten to set the goddamn alarm last night. It was already almost seven. Tseng was gonna kick his ass for missing his run, he just knew it. The aforementioned Turk lieutenant calmly wandered in right about the time the redhead was attempting to pull on his sweatshirt... inside out and with his head halfway up the sleeve before he realized what he was doing. He could hear the senior Turk snickering from his fleecy prison.

"What in Leviathan's name are you attempting to do?" Tseng asked. Reno wrenched the shirt back off and flipped it the right way around.

"Tch... The fuck's it _look_ like I'm doin'? I'm _tryin'_ to get dressed!"

"I wasn't aware it was such an ordeal for you every morning," the Wutaiian chuckled, as he sipped his tea.

Reno finally righted his clothes and glared at him. A moment later, his expression turned to confusion.

"Wait... How come _you're_ not dressed yet?" His mentor was still dressed in black silk pajamas, and looking decidedly as though he intended to remain in that state for awhile longer yet.

"For one thing... It's Saturday."

The redhead froze. He looked from Tseng, to the clock, and back at Tseng again for confirmation, and then groaned loudly. Yesterday had been rough – the whole week had been, in fact – but he hadn't realized it had been _that_ rough. He'd fucking _forgotten_ it was the weekend. Reno flopped back into bed and dragged the covers over his head, intent on going back to sleep for at least another three hours.

"However... I'm afraid I can't let you go back to bed," Tseng continued.

"No goddamn running, Tseng. You promised me... Weekends are _my_ time," he whined back, his voice muffled beneath his blanket. The covers were quickly stolen away from him.

"You've forgotten it's Saturday. Have you also forgotten what _else_ today is?"

The redhead frowned, wracking his brain as he tried to figure out what the hell his mentor was talking about. Nothing of any importance was coming to mind. Tseng chuckled and sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Perhaps I should _instead_ ask you how _old_ you are today?"

"Tch... What? My birthday? You're draggin' me out of bed early on a Saturday for _that_? Why?" he asked, bewildered. Who the fuck cared? It's not as if anything useful happened once you were seventeen up here.

"Because, as is customary, I have a gift for you. And the earlier we leave, the more time you'll have to enjoy it."

Reno blinked in surprise and sat up. Usually, his birthday was just another day. About the only other person who'd ever cared enough to acknowledge it was Lira... at least since his mother had died. There had been years when he'd completely forgotten about it until days or even weeks afterward.

"... You... got me somethin'?"

"I did," Tseng replied, taking another sip of tea, before standing up and heading for the door. "But you will have to get up and get dressed. I would advise also packing a small bag. We'll be spending the night."

* * *

"So are ya gonna tell me where we're goin' or not?"

Reno's voice had a electric, digitized quality over the headset, but the excitement was plainly audible.

"No. We'll be landing soon enough," Tseng replied, allowing himself a small smile, "And leave that right where it is," he added firmly, when the teenager's hand snuck towards the blindfold that covered his eyes. The young redhead huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, but scant seconds later a grin crept over his face.

"Can I at least have a hint?"

"No."

"Aw, come on, Tseng... it's my birthday. And it's been, like... _hours_! Quit torturin' me!"

Hours. Tseng shook his head. He'd only had the blindfold on for forty-five minutes at the _most_. He'd insisted on it just before the western continent's shore had come into view, while they were still over the ocean. The Turks second-in-command chuckled, glancing over at his young rookie fondly. It had been just over five months since he'd pulled the redhead out of the slums, and Tseng still marveled slightly at just how attached to him he'd become.

The now-seventeen-year-old had been so shocked when he'd announced that they would be leaving for a birthday surprise that morning... Tseng had the distinct impression that he'd just assumed no one even knew or cared that today was his birthday. And the fact that it hadn't really seemed to bother him had cemented the senior Turk's resolve to make today memorable... which was why his smile widened noticeably as a large structure came into view in the distance.

"I hardly think a blindfolded helicopter ride constitutes torture..."

"Only 'cause you're not the one wearin' the blindfold."

Tseng laughed and banked to the right, circling a small landing zone. "Well, you'll be happy know, the unspeakable torment I've subjected you to is nearly over." He touched down, and Reno sat up straighter in his seat, as the whine of the engine died away.

"Now can I take I off?"

"Not quite yet." Tseng unstrapped him, and helped him to the ground, before slipping behind him and guiding him towards the large cable car that would take them the rest of the way. They stepped aboard, and a few moments later, it began to move forward.

" _Now_ can I take it off?" Reno asked insistently. The teenager was practically vibrating by now, desperate to know what was going on.

"In a moment." He gently urged him into the best position, standing before the large windows at the front of the car, and waited a few more seconds until they'd nearly reached the halfway point.

" _Now?!_ " Reno's voice was pleading, and Tseng wasn't certain he could have kept him from tearing it off much longer anyway, even if he'd ordered him not to. He laughed.

"Now."

The strip of cloth surrendered to the decidedly excessive force rendered upon it, as the redhead intently ripped it away. He blinked, taking in the strange sight ahead of him. It took a moment to register, but then his eyes went wide.

"Whoa..."

The next thing Tseng knew, his rookie was pressed against the glass, looking around wildly as the tram made its way into the station. It settled at the end of the line with a soft thump, and the doors opened, the Gold Saucer's familiar welcoming music greeting them. He turned back to his mentor, a look of pure joy on his face. "Really?" he asked somewhat breathlessly.

"Happy birthday, Reno," the Wutaiian Turk chuckled. Reno all but tackled him in an enthusiastic hug, before grabbing his arm and pulling him along into the station.

"We have to do _everything_..." he said, almost frantically, and Tseng hurried to keep up with him. It would be a miracle if he survived this trip, he mused... but it was already worth it. He snickered as he planted his feet, effectively halting the younger Turk in his mad dash for the entryway.

"Slow down," he chuckled, and handed the redhead his bag. "The first thing we need to do is check into the hotel so that we don't have to do it after you've run me ragged... which I'm relatively certain you will do in a fairly timely fashion." He drew a pair of tickets from his own bag and passed one to the rookie. "You're also going to need this unless you intend to _fight_ your way in."

The pair made their way into the theme park's main hub, and Tseng quietly cringed at the sound of the incessant music that played over the loudspeakers. He'd never cared for the Gold Saucer. He found it gaudy, loud, and far too crowded. Reno, however, looked as though he'd just died and gone to heaven. The senior Turk doubted the teen's eyes could have physically gone any larger, and he seemed almost entranced by his surroundings.

And they weren't even _in_ the park proper, yet.

"This way," he said, placing a hand on his rookie's shoulder and guiding him off towards the tunnel that would take them to the park's theme hotel. They emerged in a rather convincing graveyard, and Tseng breathed a sigh of relief as the music was finally silenced. Thank Leviathan for small favors...

The Ghost Hotel lobby greeted them with a scream as they passed through the door, and the redhead jumped in surprise, laughing a moment later. The check-in counter was staffed by a zombie, and when the two Turks approached, he calmly set aside a dismembered arm and greeted them.

"Welcome to the Gold Saucer's Ghost Hotel, where our guests are simply _dying_ for a good night's sleep!" he cackled, and Tseng resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the decidedly cheesy line. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, we do. It will be under Itsudake," Tseng replied, and within moments, they were handed their keys and ushered upstairs to their room. The Wutaiian set his bag on one of the two beds and glanced around. The room was just as overdone as the rest of the park, but at least it was quiet. Reno seemed to be slightly intrigued by the décor, poking cautiously at a large iron maiden in the corner until it opened revealing a mini-bar.

"Holy crap, this shit's _awesome_ ," he said, as he turned back, grinning. He nosed through the offerings of the mini-bar – which were also themed – and pulled out one of the overpriced and undersized bottles of liquor, glancing up at his mentor questioningly. Tseng chuckled.

"Go ahead. It _is_ your birthday, after all."

Reno grinned and plopped onto the other bed, twisting off the cap and tossing back what was, essentially, little more than half a shot of whiskey.

"So what do we do first?!" he asked, excitedly.

"Whatever you wish... There are the chocobo races, the Battle Square, the arcade, the rides, the Event Square... I think, however, we should save the Event Square for this evening. They'll be serving dinner during the show, and in my experience, limited though it is, it's usually a very good meal."

"... I _really_ wanna to ride the roller coaster," the redhead replied.

* * *

Reno was virtually bouncing up and down as they approached the front of the line. The wait hadn't been _terribly_ long, but he was eager to board. Fortunately, the Gold Saucer anticipated that its guests might get impatient, and staff roamed the Square, selling snacks, drinks, and little souvenirs to those in line. The redhead had been introduced to cotton candy... He was presently on his fourth helping, and the sugar was singing in his veins, making his already over-eager mood twice as pronounced.

Tseng hadn't tried to stop him... though when he'd bought cotton candy number three, Reno had seen him have to almost physically restrain himself from trying to dissuade him, to the point that the rookie couldn't help but snicker at the older Turk's expression of near-dismay. Tseng knew, by now, what too much sugar did to the teenager. Reno was naturally high-energy... sugar only enhanced that condition.

At last they reached the front of the line and Reno climbed into the car with his mentor.

"What's this?" he asked picking up a vaguely gun-shaped device attached to the panel in front of him. Tseng smiled.

"The ride is interactive. I hope you've been taking your time on the practice range seriously. There's a prize at the end for the high score."

" _Awesome_..." he grinned, pulling it from it's holster.

The ride started forward, and Reno soon found himself surrounded by targets... so many, he almost couldn't decide which to aim for first. That combined with the constant twisting, turning, rising, and falling, along with the frequent fireworks that went off overhead, made things a lot more difficult that he'd thought they'd be. As he landed his first hit, his score popped up on the panel at the front of his car. Twenty points. If he wanted a prize, he was going to have to do a lot better than that.

As they shot past the ghost hotel and down towards the desert that surrounded the theme park, he improved... but he'd still managed only a meager two hundred and forty points. He cried out in surprise as they hit a loop in the track and he found himself momentarily upside down and disoriented. He finally managed to crack five hundred as they started back upwards again, and then, much to his chagrin, screamed as the coaster descended rapidly into a tunnel, which spit them out into an ice cave. The redhead very quickly figured out the that icicles hanging from the ceiling were worth points, too, and in short order doubled his score.

They shot out into the open air again, and a massive cloud of balloons rose up all around them. The other passengers were taking out as many of the easy targets as they could, often before Reno could zero in on one.

"Ignore the balloons," Tseng suddenly advised him, "Be ready to aim for the propellers."

Reno held his fire, not sure what propellers his mentor was talking about, but it soon became obvious as a large blimp came into view as they rounded a corner. Twin propellers spun lazily at the back, pushing it slowly forward. It was an awkward angle to hit, but the redhead took aim anyway. His first two shots missed, but the third hit home. His score shot up by over four thousand points and he looked over at Tseng in shock. The Turk chuckled.

"A little secret I learned the last time I was here..." he replied in answer to the unasked question. When the second blimp came into view, Reno was more than ready for it, easily scoring three shots on the tail end of the craft before they'd passed it by.

They spiraled back down again, sailing over an engineered volcano that shot streams of 'lava' across the tracks, and then back up, higher and higher into the air. At the very top, the car came to a stop, and a massive UFO appeared in front of them. Every passenger let loose a barrage of shots, and Reno quickly joined in. When the craft exploded moments later, he laughed in triumph and glanced down at his score again. He was at a whopping twenty-one thousand points!

Without warning, the car jolted forward again, and the rookie found the ground rushing up towards him fast as it went into a near-vertical dive. He couldn't help it. He screamed... as did just about everyone else on board. It quickly turned to laughter as the coaster leveled out, and then sent them through a series of loops before finally slowing and pulling back into the Square.

"That. Was. Fucking _AWESOME_!" he said, grinning widely as he got to his feet, staggering slightly from the dizzying effects of the last stretch of track. Tseng quickly steadied him.

"Congratulations!" a woman said, approaching them from the ticket booth, "You've got the high score for this ride! Come and pick your prize..."

Reno laughed and followed her to the counter. The back wall of the booth was lined with various prizes. Figurines shaped like dragons and nibelwolves and behemoths... vouchers for GP – the Gold Saucer's in-house currency – to spend on other attactions... Gold Saucer t-shirts and water bottles and hats and bags... Miniature replicas of famous weapons, including the Masamune... And then there were the toys. Stuffed moogles, stuffed cactaurs... he paused a moment, his gaze lingering... stuffed chocobos wearing a tiny Gold Saucer t-shirt. Lira'd go _nuts_ over that if he got it for her.

"That one," he said, pointing to the large yellow bird, and was happily handed his prize.

"I thought I heard tell that you didn't care much for chocobos," Tseng said as they walked away. Reno shrugged.

"Hate 'em. ' _Specially_ that feathered fucker that _ate_ my phone. But Lira's crazy for 'em. I thought I'd bring somethin' back for her."

"Ahh... I see," Tseng chuckled. They made their way out of the Square and headed for the arcade. Wonder Square was utterly packed. Reno hurried over to check out the games. The redhead soon found a snowboarding game and hopped onto the machine to give it a try, while Tseng hung back a bit, watching.

They spent the next two hours alternately playing games and snacking on what Reno was sure his mentor considered to be hideously unhealthy fare. By the time he'd made several circuits around the machines, Reno had racked up a fairly impressive amount of GP. He grinned widely as he scanned the list of prizes he could chose from.

"You _could_ save that for the other attractions," Tseng noted, somewhat teasingly, as if he never really expected the redhead to agree to any such ludicrous idea. Reno snickered.

" _Yeah_..." he agreed, with a slightly manic smile, " _Or_ I could get _that_."

He pointed to to the prize board, and Tseng saw what he had in mind. The Turk lieutenant laughed and shook his head.

"Fine. It's your birthday. Get what you want."

The redhead returned to him several minutes later, with several hundred GP less on his account, and a Golden Ticket lifetime pass to the Gold Saucer in hand.

"I take it, then, that you're enjoying yourself?" Tseng asked, as they headed out of the Wonder Square, on to the next area of the park.

"This place is amazing," his rookie replied. He glanced up at his mentor, still smiling. "... Tseng... Thanks for this."

"You're quite welcome."

"I really mean it. This is probably the best birthday I've ever had." He swallowed sharply as emotion briefly threatened to get the best of him. He really _did_ mean it. Tseng had already given him so much in the relatively short time they'd known one another. And now all _this_... Tseng could have spent a nice quiet weekend at home, maybe just taken him out for a birthday dinner or something simple. Even that would have been more than Reno had been expecting that morning. Instead, he'd brought him _here_. Somewhere that the redhead suspected the senior Turk would probably rather not be for any great length of time under most circumstances... and it was for the sole purpose of making him happy. Reno felt a hand come to rest gently on his shoulder.

"Come. Let's go and put your prizes in our room, and then find something for lunch," Tseng replied, smiling. "Perhaps _you_ can subsist entirely on cotton candy and chocolate covered... everything... but I require actual food once in awhile."

* * *

Reno bit back a yawn as they trudged back toward the Ghost Hotel later that night. He'd ridden everything. Played every game. He'd even stopped for a little while to watch the chocobo races, just to say that he'd seen them. They two Turks had covered every inch of the Gold Saucer, from the gondola in the Round Square, to dinner and a show at the Event Square.

"I wanna come here _every_ birthday from now on," he said, grinning over at his – somewhat exhausted-looking – mentor as he unlocked the door to their room. Tseng sighed faintly.

"Of _course_ you do," he teased, feigning exasperation. Reno followed him inside, and Tseng sat down on the edge of his bed, toeing off his shoes and laying back with a quiet groan of relief. "Strange... I don't believe _I_ had anywhere near as much energy as you do when _I_ was seventeen."

"Yeah... Always been like that," the redhead replied, peering into the mini-bar. It wasn't exactly like having an _actual_ bar at his fingertips, but surely there was something easy he could mix up rather than just downing the first bottle he grabbed. After a moment, he shrugged and picked up a three tiny half ounce bottles of whiskey and a can of ginger ale, and set to making himself a whiskey ginger.

"You want anything?" Reno called back over his shoulder, as he added the ginger ale over the whiskey and ice in his glass. When he didn't receive an answer, and glanced back, only to find Tseng thoroughly passed out right where he'd laid down. He snickered quietly. "Heh... Guess I really _did_ wear ya out..."

He carefully swung the man's legs up onto the bed and tucked a blanket around him, then finished off his drink, turned off the light, and stripped out of his clothes before crawling beneath his own covers. Reno yawned widely and curled himself into a ball in the center of the bed, content to see his birthday come to an end. Before he knew it, he, too, was sound asleep.

* * *

Tseng moaned softly and and rolled over. It took him a brief moment to remember where he was, and when he did, he also realized that he'd fallen asleep fully dressed. He pulled himself upright, with a yawn, blearily rubbing his face to help wake himself up more fully, and glanced over at the other bed.

A somewhat amorphous lump disrupted the uniformity of the covers, and it seemed to be snoring very softly, which told him that his young rookie had not yet woken.

They would be leaving shortly. He was almost sad to have to take him home so soon. The redhead's face had reflected a look of absolute joy the entire time they'd been there. He liked seeing the young man smile. Reno's happiness was infectious. A person couldn't help but mirror his mood when he was so jubilant.

But... the trip back to Midgar would take at least three or four hours, and looking over at the skull-shaped alarm clock, Tseng saw that it was already nearly nine in the morning. Veld hadn't _technically_ approved his use of the company helicopter for this trip – Tseng had simply approved it himself, and left the appropriate form in Veld's inbox after the Turk leader had left for the day, hoping he wouldn't look at it too closely on Monday. He was only bending the rules, really... not breaking them. Though, he had to admit, he was bending them rather _far_ , and the sooner the aircraft was returned, the better.

The gentle snoring ceased and the lump in the other bed stirred slightly. A moment later a shock of red poked itself out from beneath the blankets, and sleepy blue eyes gazed over at him.

"If you're awake, we should go and get breakfast. We'll need to leave soon."

Reno stretched his arms over his head until his shoulders gave a satisfying crack.

"Hey, just cause I'm up doesn't mean I'm awake yet," he snickered. He yawned and then sat there for a moment, looking at Tseng. "... Um... Any chance we could maybe get in _one_ more ride after we eat?"

"I suppose. Which one?"

"Heh... Wanted to take another crack at the roller coaster 'n see if I can top my score."

Tseng shook his head and chuckled. "After a steady diet of sugar and fried food, I think my stomach would prefer we do that _before_ we eat."

"Either way," Reno grinned.

* * *

It was nearly four in the afternoon by the time they finally walked through the door of their shared apartment. Tseng had landed in Costa del Sol on the pretense of refueling... the brief stopover had turned into lunch on the beach, as well, before they were finally on their way again.

Reno tossed his bag onto his bed, and laughed slightly as he surveyed his little collection of prizes. Aside from the stuffed chocobo for Lira and the Golden Ticket for himself, he'd also managed to pick up several t-shirts, a miniature Masamune – his prize from his last ride on the roller coaster – and a plush moogle, that he planned on gifting to Saya as a thank you for her help on the shooting range over the last few weeks.

Satisfied with his haul, he wandered out into the living room, and then into the kitchen where Tseng was reaching for one of the takeout menus stuck with magnets to the side of the fridge.

"Not cookin' tonight?" the redhead asked. Tseng laughed.

"Seeing as it's a special occasion, I thought I might spare you. Do you have a preference?" he asked, holding up fliers for the redhead's favorite pizza place, and a nearby Wutaiian restaurant.

"Ya gotta ask?" he replied. Tseng smirked.

"Wutaiian it is," he replied.

"H-hey! That's not what I meant!"

The Turk lieutenant chuckled and set the restaurant's menu aside, reaching for his PHS to place an order for pizza instead. Reno grinned, and before he really realized what he was doing, he was hugging Tseng tightly.

"Thank you," he whispered. A hand brushed his hair.

"It's only pizza," Tseng teased, gently.

"I mean for everything."

~end chapter 27~


	28. Not So Happy Birthday

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 28: Not So Happy Birthday**

 **by Desha**

Tseng looked up in surprise as the door to his office was thrown wide and a somewhat put-out Saya walked in. She paused in front of his desk, hands on her hips, an accusing look on her face.

"Well?" she demanded. Tseng blinked, not certain what the expected response was.

"... Well, what?" he asked, baffled by why she would be angry with him.

"Well, _what_? Is that all yeh have ta say fer yerself?"

Tseng sighed and calmly set down his pen, pushing the paperwork he'd been working on away from him, and folded his hands in front of him on the desktop.

"As I keep _trying_ to explain to you people... I am not psychic. Now, would you care to tell me what it is that has you so obviously upset and what it has to do with _me_?"

"Reno."

The Turk lieutenant roughly pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment.

"What's he done now?" he asked, warily.

" _Done_? Are yeh really _that_ oblivious? The poor wee thing hasn't _done_ anythin', yeh daft pain in the arse! Haven't yeh noticed how off he is taday? What in the wide world have yeh done ta him? He hasn't been himself all mornin'!"

Tseng's expression shifted to one of concern. _He_ hadn't noticed anything amiss with the rookie... but then, he'd been exceptionally busy this week. Most of Reno's training had been conducted by other members of the team, on Tseng's instructions. This morning had been Saya's turn.

"What _exactly_ is off about him today?" he asked, his full and undivided attention now on the younger Turk. Their departure from home had been a bit more rushed that usual today, but if something had been on the teenager's mind, surely he would have noticed...

"Oh, fer Odin's sake... Yeh really _are_ oblivious. Tseng, the poor thing's just been goin' through the motions since he got here. I couldn't get so much as a smile outta him on the range earlier. He's distracted, he's moody, he's... ugh... he's just not _Reno_ taday. I'm really _worried_ about him..."

"Where is he now?"

"I sent him off ta lunch a little early, hopin' some food might help. And I sent Rude off _with_ him ta keep an eye on him."

Tseng nodded and stood. His paperwork would have to wait. Right now, he had to determine what was wrong with his rookie.

* * *

"What's up with you?"

Reno poked unenthusiastically at his mostly untouched plate and sighed. He didn't want to explain. He just wanted to get through the day. He'd done his best to hide the fact that he was struggling with that at the moment... but obviously it wasn't enough to fool Rude. Or Saya, for that matter. He kinda thought that Kai and Luca might've picked up on it earlier, too.

"... Nothin'," he finally replied and forced down a bite of pepper steak. It tasted like nothing, and he wasn't sure if that was because the building's cafeteria was responsible for it, or just because of his current mood.

"..."

Rude was still looking at him with at annoying expression of concern. Reno sighed and shook his head.

"I'm just havin' a bad day, that's all. And I _don't_ wanna talk about it, so don't ask... Okay?"

He hated talking about it. He hated even _thinking_ about it. But today it was kind of impossible... No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, the memories eventually surfaced. Tomorrow would be better. It always was. But today? Today was going to suck. The sooner it was over, the better.

Rude was still watching him.

"Seriously? You just gonna fuckin' _stare_ at me the whole time I'm eatin'?" the redhead muttered, irritated. In the back of his mind, he knew he was being unreasonable. Rude was his friend, and he was worried about him. It was understandable, given the way he'd been behaving all morning. But, dammit, he just wanted to be left _alone_ right now!

"... Just... Let me know if I can help. Alright?"

Reno managed one more bite before the overwhelming need to leave finally got the better of him. He just couldn't deal with sympathy right now, for some reason. He shoved his plate away and stood up from the table.

"I'll see ya in the training hall," he replied, before making a hasty departure, leaving his dining companion behind, somewhat stunned.

Tseng had witnessed the retreat from across the room, but hadn't been fast enough to stop the redhead and question him. Instead, he made his way over to Rude, coming up behind him.

" _What_ is going on with him?" he asked, startling the other rookie. Rude choked slightly on the bite he'd just taken and spent the next few moments coughing violently.

"... Could you maybe _not_ do that while I'm eating, sir?" he replied once the fit had passed.

"My apologies."

"Something's bothering him. He wouldn't tell me what."

Tseng sighed, and took a seat beside him. "Has something happened that I'm not aware of?"

Rude shrugged. "Not that _I've_ heard. He seemed fine yesterday."

"You'll be joining him in the training hall later, I believe?" the Turk lieutenant asked, and Rude nodded. "Let me know if he says anything to you. I'll... do what I can on my end."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Tseng spent the next hour going through every incident report, disciplinary reprimand, and – just in case the rookie had somehow run afoul of Soldier or building security without him hearing about it – every internal status report he could get his hands on for the week. When he came up empty, he went back a week farther. But there was simply nothing work-related that would explain his rookie's obvious distress.

That left something personal, and for the last ten minutes he'd been sitting at his desk trying desperately to remember whether or not there was anything _he_ might have done to upset the redhead recently. Aside from being slightly annoyed with the teenager a few nights ago, and informing him as such, when he'd neglected to reclaim his laundry from the dryer in a timely fashion... nothing came to mind. Up until this morning, Reno had seemed happy, healthy, and content.

He frowned slightly. Perhaps 'healthy' was the issue. The rookie was never overly enthusiastic about paying a visit to Medical... particularly now that Dr. Ward had released him from his weekly weigh-ins. It was entirely possible that Reno wasn't feeling well and was doing his best to hide it to avoid the doctor. Tseng sighed... He wasn't going to like being ordered down to the medical suite, but better safe than sorry.

He glanced at his watch. If everything was moving along on time today, the redhead would have just finished hand-to-hand training with Remy. He had a scheduled break afterward, and he could _usually_ be found in the lounge with Rude.

Tseng made his way there quickly, intent on insisting on a checkup... but found only _one_ rookie present. And not the one he was looking for.

"Where is he?" he asked, and Rude shook his head.

"Not sure. He took off while I was still in the locker room after training."

The Turk lieutenant groaned softly. Reno almost seemed to be avoiding him. Or maybe he was just trying to avoid _everyone_.

"Did he say _anything_ that might tell us something."

"... Just that he didn't want to talk about it. Which is the same thing he said at lunch. I didn't want to push him any more. He was getting kind of pissed at me."

"Hey, Rude! We're headin' out!" a voice called out from the door. Tres paused mid-stride upon seeing the senior Turk, "Oh... Sorry. Am I interruptin'?"

"No... I believe we were finished anyway," Tseng replied. Rude nodded and got to his feet.

"... Let me know if you figure it out before I do, sir," he said, before following Tres into the hall.

* * *

"Soooo... You ever gonna tell me what you 'n Tseng were up to?" Tres asked as the train spiraled down into the Slums.

"..."

The senior Turk laughed at the rookie's silence. "Well... can't exactly fault ya for keepin' a secret, I guess."

He laid back, letting his head rest against the window as he sat sprawled on the uncomfortable plastic bench.

"... It's Reno," Rude said at last. "Tseng's worried about him."

Tres sat up. "Huh. Sound like you're a little worried yourself. What's goin' on?"

"That's the problem. We're not sure. He's acting... strange."

"He's always a little strange, ya ask me," Tres teased. When Rude glared at him, he frowned. "You're serious, huh? Okay... so what's he doin' that's so 'strange'?"

Rude shook his head. "It's not really what he's doing. He just seems..." He paused for a second, trying to decide on the right word. "Hmph... you know, if it were anyone _else_ , I'd almost say he seemed depressed."

" _Reno_? Depressed?" Tres replied, barking a laugh. "That's rich. For someone who grew up in the Slums... and Sector _Two_ at that... that kid's a goddamn ray of sunshine."

"I'm mean it. Something's _really_ bothering him... and he won't tell anyone what."

"... Well? What the hell have I been trainin' ya for all this time, then? You _know_ how to handle an investigation like that. If your suspect won't talk, talk to someone who knows your suspect."

Rude blinked and wondered why that idea hadn't occurred to him before. Of _course_ he should be treating this like an investigation. And he already knew _exactly_ who he needed to talk to. He also had a pretty good idea where to find her this time of day. Tres seemed to see the light of realization dawning on the young rookie.

"Let me take a wild guess," he snickered, "You'd like to make a quick side visit to see a certain little Honeybee our resident redhead is acquainted with..."

* * *

He finally found him in the pool. Which explained why he wasn't answering his phone.

Reno was floating peacefully, staring up at the ceiling, and Tseng sort of hated to interrupt him. After all, he _was_ technically still on a break, and he looked so relaxed in the water. A moment later, however, the redhead seemed to sense that he was being watched. He lifted his head, and turned his gaze on the senior Turk.

"What? Am I'm late gettin' back to work or somethin'?" he asked, as he grudgingly swam over to the side of the pool. Tseng shook his head.

"No... you're free for another ten minutes or so. I was simply concerned when you didn't answer your phone."

"... Somethin' up?" Reno asked.

"You tell _me_." Tseng responded, in a slightly more accusing tone than he'd intended. The redhead rolled his eyes.

"Did _Rude_ say somethin' to ya? I fuckin' _told_ him to drop it already..." he replied, pushing off the wall and putting some distance between himself and his mentor.

"Actually, Saya was the first to register her concern. Rude shared it. Reno... What's wrong?"

"Tch... can't a guy just have a bad fuckin' day?" he groused.

"So long as that's _all_ it is... Is it?"

"Yeah. It is. Now can we drop it already?"

Tseng sighed and took a couple of steps closer to the water. "You're feeling alright... aren't you?"

"Oh, for _fucks_ sake..." the redhead groaned. "I'm not sick. I'm not hurt. I'm just havin' a really shitty day, and I'd appreciate it if everyone would just leave me the hell alone about it. _Okay_?!"

With that, he swam to the opposite side of the pool, hauled himself out of the water, and stormed off to the locker room. Tseng watched him go. Despite the rookie's reassurances that he wasn't ill or injured, the senior Turk couldn't shake his concern for the teenager. But Rude had been right. Pushing him for an explanation was only making the redhead angry. He was going to have to change tactics.

* * *

It was almost four thirty by the time Rude and Tres made their way back to Wall Market from Sector Eight. Tres had agreed to help Rude with his personal 'investigation'... but only _after_ they finished the one they'd been sent down to conduct first. It had taken most of the afternoon, and it had been a struggle for the rookie to remain focused... something which hadn't escaped the senior Turk's notice.

"Oh, _alright_..." Tres sighed. "Tell ya what. I'll cut ya loose early, and report back to headquarters by myself. You go and talk to the rentgirl and see if she has any idea what's crawled up Reno's ass today."

"... Thanks." Rude replied, with a faint smile.

"Just watch yourself down here, 'kay, kiddo? Don't go wanderin' off somewhere you shouldn't be and for _Ifrit's sake_ don't go causin' any trouble with Corneo or his other girls. I'd like to see ya come back in one piece," he said, starting off toward the train. A moment later, he turned back, adding, "And stay the hell outta the bars! Just 'cause they'll serve ya down here doesn't mean you got any business bein' in 'em."

Rude chuckled and offered up a wave to his departing colleague. Most people seemed to think that Tres was a kind of a self-centered asshole... not to mention thoroughly jaded by his time in the slums. And to be fair, he _kind of_ was. Rude had very quickly learned there was more to him, however. The man had zero tolerance for bullshit and wasn't afraid of calling anyone out on it, sure... but he'd been very protective of the shy rookie, almost from day one. And ever since Rude had made the decision to specialize in intelligence, Tres had really become more of a mentor to him than Veld was.

He turned and headed towards the Honeybee Inn. It was late in the afternoon, and the after-work crowd would be arriving soon from the Plate. If he wanted to have any hope of talking to Lira before she was inundated with clients, he needed to hurry. He swallowed apprehensively as he walked up the steps of the brothel, smiling awkwardly at the scantily clad girls out front, tempting passersby into the lobby.

He really didn't know why he got so nervous around the opposite sex. He was admittedly shy all around... but women. Dear Odin, women terrified him sometimes. It was a completely irrational fear, and he knew it... but that knowledge never seemed to help.

Maybe that was why he'd hit it off with Margret a couple months back. She hadn't _cared_ when he'd gotten tongue-tied and stumbled over his words at first, or when he'd said something so ridiculously lame that he half-expected her to get up and walk away. Two months now, and he _still_ hadn't managed to drive her off... though his schedule didn't always lend itself to seeing her as much as he would have liked. Still, they'd gone out four or five times now, and he'd grown more and more comfortable around her each time.

"Hey, there," a seductive voice purred, interrupting his train of thought, and Rude quickly snapped back to the present. Now was _not_ the time to be thinking about his, admittedly kind of pathetic, love life. "You know what you want? Or do you..." She paused and sidled up to him, wrapping an arm around his waist, and placed her lips close to his ear, "... need a list of our... _services_?"

Rude shuddered slightly at the sensation of warm breath tickling his ear, and swallowed sharply.

"... I-is Lira... um... a-available?" he stammered. The girl smiled and walked over to the counter, flipping through a large book.

"You're in luck. Lira's got an opening in about five minutes." She grinned, and looked back up at him. "A hundred gil for an hour... or if you're... _ahem_... really _eager_ , fifty for a half hour."

The Turk flushed bright red, and somewhat shakily pulled a fifty gil note from his pocket. The woman giggled softly and took it, tucking it into her cleavage.

"Right this way..." she said, warmly. She showed Rude into a small room near the back. A large bed took up most of the space, and once she left, he hesitantly took a seat on the edge of it to wait. He fidgeted uncomfortably, trying not to think too hard about the fact that he'd just paid to meet with a prostitute. In a brothel. While he was, technically, still on the job.

Reno would probably find that _hilarious_. The redhead seemed to love ribbing him about his virgin status. Honestly, Rude didn't really mind too much. He knew his friend didn't _really_ mean anything by it. But he still felt decidedly out of his element any time the subject of sex came up. He had no experience, and that made him uncomfortable with it. And the only way to _get_ experience would be to actually _have_ sex... It was a bit of a catch twenty-two.

More than once, he'd wondered if maybe he _should_ just pay a rentgirl and get it over with... if only to get himself out of that circular mindset. But he'd never been able to bring himself to go through with it. Maybe it was a little old-fashioned, but he kind of wanted his first time to be someone he actually _liked_. Not loved, necessarily... just liked enough that he didn't feel completely inept and awkward.

There was a soft knock at the door, and a moment later, it opened. Lira stepped inside, and Rude hurriedly got to his feet. She was in red lingerie... that frankly covered even less than he would have expected... and matching, spiked heels. She smiled widely when she realized who he was.

" _Rude_?" She giggled and sauntered over to him, pressing herself up against him, and kissed him. "I _wondered_ why someone Claire said has probably never been here would be askin' for me by name... You already know what you want? Or should we just see what feels good...?"

"I-I..." he stammered, his voice cracking embarrassingly as Lira's hand caressed his inner thigh, and slowly made its way up between his legs. "I'm not really here for... that. I need to..." He squeaked slightly in surprise as she squeezed him. " _IneedtoaskyouaboutReno_ ," he continued in a single breathless rush. He sighed in relief as she relented. "It's important."

"Is he alright?" she asked, suddenly concerned. She took a seat on the bed and patted the mattress next to her. Rude quickly joined her.

"... That's what I was hoping you could tell _me_."

* * *

It was after five. Tseng had been waiting for the redhead for almost ten minutes now, ready to head home for the evening... and hopefully coax some answers out of him while he plied him with food from his favorite restaurant. Reno, however, seemed to have vanished, and once again, he wasn't answering his PHS.

Luca had told him just moments ago that he'd seen him on the first floor, heading for the main entrance, and the Turk lieutenant was torn between being worried and being extremely annoyed that the teen hadn't had the courtesy to at least inform him that he'd had plans after work. At last, he gave an irritated huff and started toward the elevators. Reno was perfectly capable of navigating the city by now. He would find his way home eventually. And when he _did_ , he would tell his mentor _exactly_ what was going on... whether he wanted to or not.

* * *

Reno sat in silence for a long while, knees pulled up against his chest as he leaned back against the cold stone behind him. He hated coming here... and he hated that he couldn't _not_ come here.

"I'm doin' okay," he whispered softly. "Finally got what I wanted. I made it topside."

There was no answer from the person he was addressing, and he didn't bother to look up to see if they were listening.

"Got someone lookin' after me, now, too... so... I guess maybe _that_ might make ya feel better. He's strict as fuck. But he takes real good care of me. Took me to the Gold Saucer for my birthday last month, too. I had the best time..."

There was a loud clang, and the redhead looked up, faintly alarmed. This place was generally considered neutral territory by the gangs during the day... but it was getting late, and when night fell in the Slums, all bets were off. Normally, he'd be long gone by now... but he'd been stuck working all day. This was the earliest he'd been able to get down here.

He could hear voices in the distance, and judging by the volume and the less than polite language, he was pretty sure they weren't here for the same reason he was.

"I gotta go, Mom..." he said quietly. He stood and ran his hand gently over the smooth gravestone, before turning and heading for the cemetery's east exit. It would be a slightly longer trek back to the train station in Wall Market, but if those voices belonged to one of the Sector Two gangs, it would be well worth the extra time.

He was almost in the clear. Just a few more yards and he'd be through the gate and on his way home. Almost as soon as he thought it, however, something slammed into him from his right. The heavy weight took him to the ground, hard. Laughter followed.

"Well, lookie what we got here," a voice said from above him. Reno craned his neck, trying to see around the huge lump of a boy that was pinning him down. The source of the taunt came into view, and the redhead felt his stomach drop. "Don't I know you?" Jericho asked.

Reno glared at the other boy, but the gang leader only laughed.

" _Ooh_ , now I remember. You're that pathetic little shit who got all pissed I fucked your girl... I'da thought you'd've been dead in a gutter a long time ago." He pulled a knife from his belt. "Guess I didn't cut ya deep enough."

"Go to hell, Jericho," Reno spat back.

"You first," he snickered, and motioned his minion aside, raising the blade. As soon as the majority of other boy's weight was off his chest, Reno punched upwards, striking him in the throat, and rolled to one side, clear of the fat bastard's bulk as he fell, gasping. He was on his feet in no time, taking up a defensive stance. He might have lost his _last_ fight with Jericho, but he was Turk now. He wasn't going to lose _this_ one.

"Well, well... the little ginger slum rat grew some balls..." Jericho laughed. Now that he wasn't lying on the ground, Reno suddenly became very aware that there were two other thuggish-looking teens leaning up against a nearby statue, watching their leader. He was outnumbered. Crap.

Jericho slashed at him, but before he even came close to making contact, Reno heard the loud crack of flesh on flesh and one of the boys off to the side suddenly careened directly into his attacker, sending the gang leader stumbling. Reno very quickly noted that that was no accident. He was out cold, blood gushing from his nose.

Reno's gaze snapped back up in the direction he'd been so effortlessly thrown from, and he quickly spotted a familiar figure emerging from the shadows of the statue. Rude shrugged and cracked his knuckles threateningly.

"... Just evening up the odds."

Jericho growled angrily, but stopped short of actually attacking... and Reno suddenly realized that he was scared. When he noticed that – unlike himself, as he'd changed into street clothes before he'd left the building – Rude was still in uniform, he knew why. Jericho knew a fucking Turk when he saw one.

"This doesn't concern you, Turk..." Jericho said... but now his voice had taken on a note of uncertainty.

"Hmph... Does when you attack my friend," Rude replied, taking a step forward, and Reno grinned. He'd never heard his fellow rookie sound quite so menacing before.

Jericho's other compatriot – the one who was still standing – seemed to rethink the whole idea of beating the shit out of the redhead. A moment later, he took off running.

"Goddammit, you fuckin' wuss! Get your ass back here!" Jericho called after him. The boy didn't even look back. With the fight now two on one, the gang leader, too, seemed to be reconsidering his stance.

"Ah, fuck you anyway. You're not worth my time," he spat, and then beat a hasty retreat, leaving his two injured friends to fend for themselves once they recovered. Reno relaxed.

"How the fuck'd you know I was here?" he asked. Rude smirked, and started leading him toward the gate.

"Lira."

"... She... uh... She tell ya what I was _doin'_ down here?" he asked, somewhat nervously.

"She told me enough. Said you needed to visit your mom."

The redhead sighed, and nodded. They made their way quickly out of the sector, and started the long walk back to Wall Market.

"... It's her birthday today," Reno eventually volunteered.

* * *

By the time they reached the Plate-side Sector Five train station – with a brief detour, before leaving the Slums, to Lira's boarding house to assure her that the redhead was alright – it was getting late. And by the time they'd hopped the express and made it over to to Sector One, it was going on ten forty-five, and Rude was wishing he'd thought to ask Tres to drop his truck off at the station for him when he got back to the office. Reno sighed heavily and shook his head.

"Tseng's gonna be pissed."

Rude pulled him tight against his side for a moment as the train rolled to a stop.

"He won't be once you explain."

"Yeah. 'Cause _that's_ somethin' I'm lookin' forward to..." he said, with a sarcastic snort.

"... Want me to stick around?"

Reno nodded silently. They made their way across the platform, and out to the street. The Turk lieutenant's apartment wasn't an especially long walk from where they'd gotten off, but the redhead's apprehension seemed to grow with every block. Rude wasn't sure he quite understood why he was so hesitant. He could _certainly_ understand not wanting to talk about losing a mother... He had plenty of experience with that himself. But Tseng wasn't going to punish the rookie for being late getting home from visiting her grave, and he wasn't sure why Reno was acting like they were on their way to his execution.

It wasn't long before they were walking up the little concrete path to Tseng's front door. Reno took a deep, calming breath, and turned the doorknob, stepping inside with Rude not far behind.

"Where in the Nine _Hells_ have you been?" Tseng demanded as soon as he was through the door, anger more than slightly evident in his voice. Reno visibly cringed.

"... I had to... do somethin'..." he replied, lamely, which was clearly the wrong way to open this discussion. The Turks' second looked positively livid for a moment, before quickly reining in his temper.

"Go to bed. We'll discuss this in the morning... when I'm less likely to say something I regret. Rude, thank you for returning him."

Rude grabbed Reno's shoulder as he moved to silently comply with the order, and pulled him back.

"... No. You need to talk to him now." Under normal circumstances, directly contradicting a superior – let alone the second in command – would have been unthinkable. Rude disliked unnecessary confrontation. But these weren't normal circumstances, and it seemed that confrontation _was_ necessary. Even if it ultimately meant a reprimand for him. Reno, he suddenly realized, was more important to him than maintaining his, up until now, spotless disciplinary record.

Tseng raised an eyebrow, but didn't question the rookie's unexpected declaration.

"Alright. I'm listening. Where were you?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest, and staring the redhead down. Reno sighed.

"... Sector Two." he replied. "... I _had_ to go. I _always_ go today. I couldn't just... not. She'd've been alone. I couldn't just leave her there like that... Not today."

Rude frowned and let his arm rest over his friend's shoulders. He was rambling... and vaguely at that. Though, it did seem to have at least one positive effect. Tseng's very obvious anger seemed to have cooled noticeably at the realization of just how upset the rookie really _was_ at the moment.

"Who?" he asked, in a softer tone, but the redhead couldn't seem to get the words out. Finally, Rude took pity on him.

"His mother. It's her birthday. He was visiting her grave."

Tseng appeared to be rendered speechless for a moment... something Rude had never personally witnessed in his relatively short time as a Turk. It took him a moment to recover.

"Come sit down," he said at last, and Rude gently nudged his friend forward, over to the couch. Tseng took a seat next to the pair. "Why didn't you simply _tell_ me?"

Reno dropped his gaze to the carpet. "I don't like talkin' about it. And if I'da said somethin' you woulda asked about her, and I don't think I coulda gone into all that 'n still been able to make it through the day at work..."

"We're not at work _now_ ," Rude prodded, and the redhead's shoulders slumped slightly.

"... Don't make me..." he whispered softly.

Tseng reached over and let his fingers run gently along the back of Reno's head, and then down his spine, and the redhead sighed and closed his eyes.

"I think it would ultimately be good for you if you did..." he urged.

He was silent for a several long minutes, but eventually, Reno glanced up, a somewhat resigned look in his eyes, as if he'd accepted the inevitable.

"... She died when I was five," he began, hesitantly. "It was a couple months after Christmas, and it was still cold as fuck out. I couldn't sleep in my room 'cause the window was broken and it was like a goddamn freezer in there, 'specially at night... so mom made me a bed in front of the stove so I'd be warm enough."

"You couldn't sleep in _her_ room?" Tseng asked, but the rookie shook his head.

"Not when she had a customer with her, I couldn't. And a lot of times she worked pretty late. I'd usually be asleep by the time they left."

"... She was a prostitute, then," the Wutaiian Turk surmised, and the redhead immediately looked up, defiantly.

" _Yeah_... what of it? She did the best she could, okay?! Not _her_ fault being a goddamn rentgirl pays better than just about any _other_ job in the sector! She had to feed us both _somehow_!"

Tseng shook his head. "I wasn't judging. Merely making an observation. Perhaps I should... refrain... from doing so for the time being, however..."

Rude couldn't help but smirk a little at that. He'd gotten the distinct impression from Tres and some of the other senior Turks that it wasn't often that Tseng admitted that he needed to just shut up and listen once in awhile.

"What happened?" the other rookie prodded, before silence could take hold of his friend again. Reno swallowed sharply and fingered the edge of his t-shirt.

"One night I woke up 'n I was freezin' my ass off. Stove went out... I didn't know how to relight it, so... I broke Mom's most important rule. I went into her room while the door was shut." He wiped at his eyes in annoyance at the moisture that stubbornly refused to stop collecting there. "I wasn't allowed to. Ever. If it was shut, she was workin', 'n she didn't want me seein' that. But I was _so_ fuckin' cold..."

He paused for a moment to take a deep breath and then pushed on.

"I thought it'd be okay, just this once... There weren't any customers when I went to bed, and I thought maybe she just forgot and closed it outta habit or somethin'. It was dark inside. All the curtains were shut, so even the light from mako streetlamps couldn't get in. I crawled into bed with her... and... and somethin' wasn't right. And then I felt somethin' wet all over the blankets... so... I turned on the light." He stopped again, unwilling to continue for a moment. And then it all came out in a rush. "She cut her fuckin' wrists!" he sobbed, "With _me_ sleepin' in the next room..."

"Reno..." Tseng breathed. He pulled his young protege closer to him, doing his best to comfort him.

Rude, meanwhile, was frozen. He hadn't realized... He'd known his friend was an orphan, certainly, but to become one in such a horrifying way...

"It was my fault..." the redhead, whose face was now buried against the senior Turk's shoulder, whispered. "The way all those assholes treated her, and then gettin' stuck with me on top of all that shit... It was too much for her. She just couldn't take it anymore."

Rude's heart broke at those words. It was bad enough knowing what had happened to Reno's mother... but knowing that he blamed himself for her death was almost too much for _him_. A part of him wished he'd never asked.

A part of him was glad he _did_.

By then, Tseng was rubbing slow, gentle circles against the rookie's back. Reno sniffled softly and tightened his grip on his mentor.

"... I don't wanna ever be a burden to someone I care about again," he said, "... and I _try_ not to be. But... sometimes I don't think, and I do stupid shit, and I piss you off, and I'm sorry!"

Tseng frowned and pushed the redhead back.

"Reno... look at me," he replied, and the teenager silently obeyed, raising his eyes just enough to see Tseng's face. "You are not a burden I'm stuck with. You're a very promising young Turk that I _willingly_ took under my care. I won't ever regret that choice... no matter _how_ much you piss me off from time to time."

Reno didn't say anything. He simply let his head drop back onto Tseng's shoulder and closed his eyes again.

"Come on. It's late, and I think you would do well with a good night's sleep. We can talk more in the morning."

Rude watched as the senior Turk prodded the redhead to his feet and guided him off down the hallway. They disappeared into Reno's bedroom for a few minutes, before Tseng emerged again, this time alone. He rejoined the other rookie in the living room moments later.

"Thank you for finding him. I... should have done so myself." He sighed heavily. "And thank you for stopping _me_ from doing something as cruel as punishing a seventeen year old for visiting a grave."

The rookie shrugged. "He's my friend."

"He's fortunate you _are_ ," Tseng replied with a faint smile. "How _did_ you manage to track him down, anyway?"

Rude awkwardly cleared his throat. "I... paid for a half hour at the Honeybee Inn so I could talk to his friend, Lira..." he replied, trying to ignore the heat that was rising in his cheeks. Tseng chuckled quietly.

"That was certainly... innovative." He smiled and gestured to the door. "Reno insisted I take you home... though I would have offered anyway. Shall we?"

Rude nodded and let Tseng escort him into the night.

* * *

Rude yawned widely as he made his way into work the next morning. It was close to midnight by the time Tseng had dropped him off... and he'd had trouble falling asleep. Actually... he was pretty sure he hadn'tfallen asleep at _all_. He'd just had too many things on his mind, the most obvious being Reno.

Speaking of whom, he discovered the redhead sitting on the couch in the lounge as he dragged himself through the doors. Reno glanced up at him as soon as he noticed his arrival.

"Fuck, man... You look the way Iprobably _should_..."

The bald Turk snorted softly and headed straight for the coffee pot.

"Guess that means you slept okay?" he queried.

"... Yeah, mostly. I think maybe finally tellin' someone about shit mighta actually... helped. A little. I mean, Lira knows _most_ of the story, but... I've never told her _everything_." He glanced out the window, not quite willing to hold Rude's gaze any longer. "Um... I... I'm sorry for unloadin' on you like that last night."

Rude took a large gulp of _absolutely vile_ coffee – Veld must have made it this morning – and walked over to the redhead. He set his mug down on the windowsill and wordlessly reached out... and put him in a headlock.

"H-hey!" the other rookie cried, squirming to get out of his grasp. He succeeded only at flailing ineffectively while Rude snickered.

"Don't be idiot," he replied, with a slight grin.

"Aw, get off me!" the redhead muttered. Rude finally released him, and Reno staggered back a step or two and rolled his eyes. "Was the headlock really necessary to tell me that?" he asked, though the corners of his mouth quirked upwards in a barely repressed smile.

"Anything to get the message through that thick skull of yours," he answered.

"Asshole," Reno laughed.

~end chapter 28~


	29. Home Alone

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 29: Home Alone**

 **by Desha**

Rude wandered back into the lounge less than ten minutes after Tseng had informed him that Veld wished to speak to him... and Reno immediately knew that _something_ was terribly wrong.

"Yo... Rude... The fuck did Veld do to ya?" the redhead asked, "You look like you just got told they're sendin' you on permanent assignment to the Great Glacier."

"... _Worse_ ," the other rookie replied, shaking his head in despair.

"... Uh... 'kay, I know I'm gonna regret askin', but what's _worse_ than freezin' your ass off for the rest of your life?"

Rude collapsed onto the couch and buried his face in his hands.

"Hell Week..." he groaned. "I knew it was coming... but I didn't think it'd be next week!"

Reno arched an eyebrow in curiosity. _That_ was a new one. He'd never heard mention of any such thing up until now.

"What's Hell Week?"

Rude looked up at him, incredulously.

"No one _told_ you?" he asked, eyes going wide behind his ever-present sunglasses. Reno slowly shook his head. Well... that certainly didn't sound real promising. Now he wasn't entirely sure he even wanted to know. Rude took a deep breath, visibly calming himself. "It's a week long evaluation for rookies. It can happen any time after nine months on the job. Tres says they can spring an exercise on you at any time, day or night, anywhere you are. You never see 'em coming." He groaned again. "I've been dreading it since the day I was promoted..."

The redhead chuckled. Rude _never_ liked not knowing what was coming ahead of time. He'd told him awhile back that that was one of the reasons he'd gone into intelligence.

"Tch... Sounds like you're makin' a big deal over nothin'," Reno stated, "I mean, what's the _worst_ they'll do?"

"I don't want to think about it. I've heard stories..." Rude replied with a shudder, and his fellow rookie laughed.

"From who?"

"... Sato."

"Tch... Please. Sato's full of shit. You know that. Last week, he told me he once wrestled a giant sea worm when he was a kid and was the hero of his whole village back home... Asshole was just tryin' to freak you out."

Rude leaned back against the cushions and groaned. Reno rolled his eyes.

"'Kay, listen... It's Friday. We're goin' out tonight, and you're gettin' so drunk you won't even _remember_ anything about Hell Week 'til next Monday."

"Can't," Rude replied.

"Don't gimme that bullshit. You're not just gonna sit around mopin' about this..."

His friend shook his head.

"No... I mean, I'm busy tonight. Margret and I have plans..."

"Oh, _yeah_?" Reno queried. A grin quickly spread over his face. "That's the third night this week. You're seein' an awful lot of her lately... Just how _serious_ is this gettin'?"

The other rookie flushed bright red and cleared his throat. Reno's grin widened and he draped an arm over the teenager's shoulders.

"You're totally _goin'_ for it tonight, aren't ya?! 'Bout fuckin' time you took my advice 'n got laid!"

Rude shot him a glare. "Keep it _down_ , will you? I don't need _everyone in the office_ knowing about it!" he hissed, mortified.

"Knowin' that you're still a virgin? Or knowin' that you're plannin' _not_ bein' one tomorrow mornin'?" the redhead snickered.

"Either," he shot back, smacking the younger Turk in the back of the head. Reno only laughed, and continued to grin at his friend. Finally Rude sighed, shaking his head in defeat. "You're a total pervert. You _do_ know that, right?"

"When have I ever denied _that_?" the redhead asked with a shrug. Rude chuckled softly in reply. "Heh... Guess I gotta find someone else to hang out with tonight, then."

"Tseng's got plans?"

Reno cackled loudly. "Not _quite_ the kinda company I was thinkin' of... I mean, if _you're_ gettin' some tonight, I don't see why I shouldn't do the same. Wonder if Izzy's doin' anything?"

"... What's _with_ you and Izzy, anyway?"

"What'dya mean?" Reno asked, genuinely confused by the question. Rude shifted awkwardly.

"... You've kinda been seeing her a lot. Does she know you're... sleeping with other women, too?"

"Oh, _that_. Yeah, sure she knows. We're not datin' or anything. She's kinda got a thing for this guy on twelve anyway, but he doesn't really seem too interested in _her_ , so... I'm the next best thing. Or some number, anyway. She sleeps around just as much as I do." When Rude blinked in surprise, the redhead couldn't help but snigger. "What do you expect, man? She fucked me in a supply closet within four hours of _meetin'_ me." He grinned widely. "And just to be fair... I'm as guilty of that as _she_ is. It's a convenience thing. We both like to fuck, so why not fuck each other when we don't have any other plans? Saves us the trouble of tryin' to pick someone up last minute."

"And that doesn't... bother you?"

Reno snorted in laughter. "Rude... pal... You're talkin' to a guy who lost _his_ virginity to a rentgirl when he was fourteen and then more or less lived with said rentgirl 'til Tseng came and got me. Trust me... I _don't_ have a problem with someone I'm hookin' up with doin' someone else when I'm not around..." He grinned lewdly and added, "Speakin' of which... remind me to tell ya sometime how me 'n Lira met in the first place... I actually only knew _her_ about half an hour before we ended up in bed. And _not_ 'cause I was a customer..."

Rude laughed quietly and glanced up at the clock. "Hmph... and on that note... it's five. We're off duty and I need to pick up some stuff for dinner. I'll see you later."

He stood and headed for the door, but before he could reach it, it opened, revealing Tseng and Luca in mid conversation.

"Lemme know how it goes!" Reno called after him, as Rude slipped past the two senior Turks. "I'm gonna want details, pal!"

He grinned when there was no answer from his friend. Tseng raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"How _what_ goes?" he asked, and the redhead shrugged.

"Rude's got a date."

Luca snickered, knowingly. "One last hurrah before Hell Week starts..." he commented, drawing an amused snort from the Turk lieutenant as well.

" _Yeeeeah_... About that," Reno replied, turning his gaze on Tseng. "Just when exactly were you gonna tell _me_ about the whole Hell Week thing?"

Tseng looked faintly surprised for a moment.

"I'm... sorry. I suppose it simply didn't occur to me that you wouldn't know about it by now. In retrospect, that was a rather foolish assumption on my part."

Luca laughed. "Geez, Tseng... You didn't tell your _own_ _rookie_ about Hell Week? Good thing Rude was first in line, or the poor kid might've had it sprung on him outta nowhere..."

"That _is_ actually the _point_ , you know," the Wutaiian Turk responded, rolling his eyes. "They're not _supposed_ to expect it."

* * *

Saturday morning dawned bright and crisp. Fall was most assuredly on the brink of arrival, and the cooler weather over the past few days was proof of it. Reno yawned and rolled over with a groan as he realized that he'd forgotten to close the curtains last night. The morning sun was shining directly onto his bed, keeping him from going back to sleep. He'd have to get up and close the if he wanted any chance at success... but getting out of bed wasn't particularly appealing. He was comfortable and warm. Finally, he simply dragged the covers over his head.

Unfortunately for him, Izzy hadn't been available after work. Hopefully Rude's evening had been more... entertaining... than his had been. Since he was free, somehow Tseng had roped him into a shopping trip, saying that the rookie's wardrobe needed some additions for the upcoming cold weather. Truth be told, it hadn't been a _terrible_ evening. He actually rather liked it when Tseng spent time with him and it wasn't work related. But it wasn't what he'd planned on, and that irked him slightly.

Still... he'd come away from it with a new coat, heavy boots for when fall faded into winter, gloves, scarves, hats. All sorts of things... many of which he'd always had to do without before the Turks.

It still struck him as odd how unconcerned Tseng always was about such things. Down below, if he needed new clothes, Reno'd had a few options for obtaining them. He could skip a few meals and buy them, assuming he could get them at a decent price. He could trade for them. Or he could scavenge them... which nine times out of ten was what he ended up doing because he usually had fuck all to trade, and frankly he'd rather walk around naked than not eat.

Tseng, though... if Reno needed something – not just wanted it, but legitimately needed it – he simply bought it for him. It was a concept the former slum rat occasionally still had trouble wrapping his head around.

As much as he was afraid to admit it, a part of him wondered when that sort of treatment would end. He wasn't under any illusion that Tseng would be his caretaker forever... but he couldn't help but wonder how much longer he had to enjoy it. He never would have admitted _that_ , either, but he _did_ enjoy it. For the first time in a very _long_ , he was able to just be a kid on occasion, and he'd been surprised to discover just how big of a relief that could be. He loved it here in Tseng's apartment.

And he knew it couldn't last. He was seventeen now... in less than a year, he'd be eighteen, and of age. And then he'd be on his own.

Well... alright, maybe that was being just a little melodramatic, now that he thought about it. He'd still be a Turk, and he'd sill be under Tseng's command. But he wouldn't be the Turk lieutenant's ward any longer. He might not even still be a rookie by then. The caretaking would cease, and he'd have to go back to taking care of himself. He felt a little bit of dread at that thought.

And really... it might come even sooner than he feared. Tseng had explained that Hell Week was an evaluation period for rookies, used to determine not just deficiencies in their training but also how much more they needed before they graduated to full-fledged Turk. What if he did _too_ well during his own Hell Week, and Tseng decided to boot him out on his own, then and there?

The redhead sighed and rolled over to the side of the bed. He worked his way out from under the blankets, and leaned over the edge, thrusting a hand into the shadows beneath him and feeling around for a moment. At last his fingers encountered the smooth surface of a small cardboard box. Reno grinned and pulled it out of its hiding place and under the covers with him, opening the top and inhaling deeply.

The sweet scent of chocolate baked goods greeted him, and he shoved a hand into the narrow opening, drawing out a few of the cookies.

"Mmm..." he moaned, happily, ignoring the sudden knock on his door. He helped himself to another one, and then another. They crunched satisfyingly as he bit into them.

"Reno..." a voice beside him suddenly said. The redhead immediately stopped chewing. "I believe we've discussed this. No food in bed."

"Mmph..." he grunted, struggling to swallow the large mouthful of sweets. "What food?" he finally managed to mumble around it, before trying again. It went down hard and somewhat painfully. A crumb wedged itself in the back of his throat and he suddenly found himself trapped in a momentary coughing fit. Tseng pulled back the covers.

"... 'What food,' indeed..." he snorted softly, shaking his head with a smile. He reached out and took the box from the redhead. "If you're that hungry, why don't you simply get up and eat breakfast?"

"'Cause it's Saturday, and I'm not gettin' up 'til I absolutely have to," he shot back.

"Well, you're not going to lay there getting crumbs all over the bed all morning, either."

Reno glared slightly, but didn't press the issue. "Okay, fine..." he sighed. "There a reason you're in here lookin' for contraband snack foods at..." He paused to glance over at the clock. "... nine in the mornin'?"

"Actually, yes," Tseng replied, chuckling, "I came to inform you that I will be gone until tomorrow evening. And that I trust I will return to find both you _and_ the apartment in the same condition I left them."

The rookie cocked his head to one side, curiously. "What's up? Veld makin' you work on your day off or somethin'? I can come, too, if ya need a hand. I don't really have plans..."

Tseng cleared his throat softly. "... No. I... It seems that Viridia unexpectedly has some time off this weekend, and –"

"Heh... yeah. You _probably_ don't need my help with _that_..." he cut in, in a suggestive tone. Fuck... apparently _everyone_ was getting laid this weekend except him. He'd have to see what he could do about that.

"... No, I most certainly do _not_ ," he agreed, fixing the redhead with a slightly annoyed glare. It soon faded. "There's food in the refrigerator, but I've left money on the kitchen counter if you'd prefer not to cook. Your curfew is _still_ ten o'clock whether I am here or not, and should there be an emergency, Saya is aware that you're here alone. Call _her_ first, as she can get here far sooner than I'll be able to."

Reno snickered quietly.

"Uh... Boss? Ya know I lived on my own for like... seven years, right? I think I can manage to not kill myself or burn the place down for a whole two days."

"Try not to get arrested again, either, if you please," the Wutaiian replied, teasing him slightly.

"Can't promise anything," the redhead replied with a yawn, sitting up and stretching.

" _Reno_..."

"It was a _joke_!" he quickly protested, raising his hands in surrender. "Geez... grow a sense of humor already, Tseng. I was just kiddin'. Go have fun. I'll be fine."

Tseng eyed him a moment longer, before nodding and turning to go.

"Call Saya _immediately_ if there's anytrouble..." he called back over his shoulder. Reno just rolled his eyes and pulled the covers back over his head. A moment later his hand poked out and reached under the bed again, hauling up a second hidden box of cookies. He grinned as he opened it.

"And no eating in bed!" Tseng's voice chastised him from the living room before he could seize hold of one of the tasty treats.

"Tch... Not psychic, my ass..." he muttered under his breath, and tucked the box back under the bed.

* * *

Rude woke to the sensation of soft lips nibbling on his earlobe and a warm body pressed pleasingly against his own. He tightened his grip around his bedmate's waist, and nuzzled his check against her bare shoulder.

"Morning..." Margret whispered, her voice silky and soft. She kissed him, and Rude gently rolled over, pulling her along with him until she was on top of him. He smiled, still somewhat sleepy.

"Hi."

She giggled and focused her attention on his collarbone, drawing a faint moan from her lover. Rude was content to lay back and let her do whatever she wanted to him. Last night might very well have been the best night of his life.

He'd been half-terrified when dinner had was over and they'd moved on to the couch, and then into the bedroom. He'd tried not to let it show just how nervous he'd been, but Margret had seen right through him... and it hadn't bothered her. Hell, he'd brought the evening to crashing halt the second she touched him, and she'd simply smiled and gone back to lavishing him with kisses until he was ready to try again. After _that_ minor humiliation things had gotten a lot less nerve-wracking and a lot more enjoyable.

"So... Are your breakfasts as good as your dinners?" Margret asked, her breath tickling the side of his neck.

"Definitely," Rude replied, grinning.

"Are they as good as your... _desserts_?" she teased.

"... Guess that depends on how well you _liked_ dessert." His tone was lighthearted, but he did have to admit to being more than a little curious about what she'd thought of... _him_. He didn't exactly have a lot of experience to draw upon in that department.

She giggled again. "Oh... I _liked_ it. In fact, I wouldn't mind having _seconds_ of that before breakfast..."

* * *

Reno sighed and rested his chin on his palm as he leaned against the armrest of the couch. He groaned as the picture on the TV turned unrecognizable again. Scrambled porn _really_ wasn't doing it for him this morning. Too bad Tseng didn't pay for the actual channels. He'd have been finished ages ago if he could get a decent signal for more than five seconds.

It was times like this he missed having Lira around. She was _always_ up for some fun. Even if she'd been working all night, she rarely turned him down. He supposed he'd actually gotten a little spoiled by that. He had a lot more of just about everything up here on the Plate... but the one thing he had a lot _less_ of seemed to be sex. He grinned slightly and closed his eyes. Lira was fucking _amazing_. Incredible body... incredible _tongue_... Dear Ifrit, the things that woman's _tongue_ could do. Izzy was a lot of fun, but she had _nothing_ on Lira.

The redhead moaned out loud as his entire body convulsed with the force of his release. Moments later, it was over and he slumped back against the cushions, satiated.

"Heh... Who needs porn, anyway?" he snickered and groped beside him for the remote. He switched channels before shutting the television off, and dragged himself to his feet, heading off to the bathroom to clean up.

Well... that was _one_ item off his to-do list for today. It wasn't a particularly _long_ list, to be honest. He was kind of making it up as he went. At the moment, it contained only three items. Breakfast... jack off... shower. Not that he was especially productive on the weekends to begin with, but he had to admit... without Tseng here to nag him, he was being downright _lazy_. Even breakfast had been put on hold in favor of item number two. He really needed to step up his game this afternoon.

Reno stripped as he went, leaving a trail of clothing behind him, and climbed into the shower, cranking up the heat until it was just shy of scalding. That was another perk of being Plateside. Fucking hot water. Not room temperature. Not luke-fucking-warm. Hot. As much of it was he could use, whenever he wanted it.

The redhead sighed in content and let it wash over him for a few minutes, before finally reaching for the soap and scrubbing himself down. When he was done, he climbed out and toweled off, wiping a hand across the fog-covered mirror, and gazing at his own reflection. His hair was getting long again. Not that he really gave a shit about his appearance in general, but it _did_ tend to get annoying when it wouldn't stay out of his eyes.

He'd kept it fairly short for as long as he could remember for that very reason. Maybe he ought to just let it grow out. Then he could tie it back like Tseng did and not have to worry about it.

Reno shrugged and hastily ran a comb through the tangled mess before wandering back to his bedroom for fresh clothes. Then he made his way out to the kitchen. As promised, an envelope sat on the counter, and the rookie opened it to find two hundred and fifty gil tucked neatly inside.

"Fuck, Tseng... How much you think I'm gonna _eat_ in forty eight hours?" he snickered to himself. Sure, he was frequently referred to as a human garbage disposal by the rest of the team, but for Ifirt's sake...

He shrugged and tossed it back onto the counter and went to poke around in the fridge. No sense ordering shit when there was plenty to fill him up right here. Maybe he'd buy lunch, though. He could never say no to pizza. It had very quickly become his new favorite food.

Reno quickly piled some leftover chicken, some pasta, some sliced green peppers... along with anything else that looked vaguely appetizing, into a bowl and grabbed a fork. Sidestepping his discarded clothes, he walked out into the living room and plopped down onto the couch and turned on the TV.

The redhead grinned to himself. _Technically_ he wasn't supposed to eat out _here_ anymore than he was supposed to eat in his room, but by now, Tseng was probably halfway to Junon and what his mentor didn't know wouldn't hurt him. He put his feet up on the coffee table and dug into his bizarre little concoction as he channel surfed.

* * *

It was just after noon, and Rude was alone again. Margret had to cover for a friend at work this weekend, and their morning after together had ended just moments ago.

Rude had always been a bit of a loner. He had friends back in Rocket Town growing up, of course... but honestly, none of them had been _close_ friends. He'd never felt like they really understood him very well. Here in Midgar, though... here, he'd found not one, but _two_ people he connected with on a level he could hardly begin to describe. Margret... and Reno. And it was wonderful.

He grinned silently to himself, wondering if his friend's evening had gone as well as his had. He knew perfectly well what the other teenager had planned. After a few minutes he grabbed his PHS from the table, and dialed Reno's number. He answered on the second ring.

" _Soooo? How'd it_ _ **go**_ _?"_ the younger teen asked without preamble. _"You still a virgin?"_

Rude snorted a soft laugh. Trust that to be the very first question out of the redhead's mouth...

"... I don't kiss and tell," he replied, shaking his head in amusement.

" _Oh, come_ _ **on**_ _, you asshole! You can't just torture a guy like that. I've been dyin' here, waitin' to hear from you. You get laid last night or what?!"_

"Hmph... Did _you_?" he teased in reply.

" _No, as a matter of fact. Which really sucks for me. Now let me live vicariously through you already..."_ the other rookie replied, snickering.

"You up to anything today?" Rude asked instead.

" _If I were do you think I'd be all but begging to hear about your evening?"_

"Wanna grab some lunch?"

" _Hell, yeah!"_ he responded, enthusiastically. _"Hey, Tseng's gone for the weekend. Why don't you head over here, and I'll cook for_ _ **you**_ _for a change_ _?"_

"... Thought you didn't cook?" Rude said, somewhat uncertainly. If he remembered correctly, Reno had described his cooking as tasting 'like death'. That didn't sound especially promising.

" _Eh... Tseng can't cook for shit, either, so I've been practicin'. Come on... worst case scenario, it sucks and we order a pizza instead."_

Rude laughed quietly. "Alright. I'm on my way."

* * *

Worst case scenario, he'd said. We'll order a _pizza_ , he'd said.

Rude moaned faintly as he tried to catch his breath in between bouts of vomiting. He didn't know what was in that... 'food'... but right now, he was half-convinced he was dying.

It had started out innocently enough. Reno had thrown together burgers and was just finishing them up when Rude had arrived. And to be fair, they actually hadn't tasted _terrible_. Not great, either, but alright... especially considering the redhead's lack of ability in the kitchen. It was a good effort.

And then, things had taken a turn for the worse. That had to have been close to an hour ago. In that time, he hadn't been able to move from his position on the floor, hunched over the toilet. Every few seconds, his stomach would resume its mission to eject the entirety of its contents... or possibly turn itself inside out. He wasn't quite sure at this point, as much of the effort resulted only in increasingly painful dry heaving.

Rude shakily groped for the lever and flushed the current aftermath, only to be hit with a fresh wave of nausea moments later. He moaned again.

"... Uh... h-hey," Reno's voice said from the hallway, "So... Tseng said to call you first if there was a problem. Well, I... kinda got a problem."

It took him a moment to realize, in his somewhat dazed state of mind, that his friend was on the phone, rather than talking to _him_.

"Nah, nothin' like that. I'm fine, but... um... I _think_ I mighta maybe... accidentally poisoned Rude." He paused for a few seconds, apparently listening to the other person's reply. "Yeah... 'kay. See ya in a few. Thanks."

Soft footsteps entered the bathroom, and and a hand came to rest between his shoulder blades.

"Hang in there, pal... Saya's on her way over."

Rude spared a momentary glance up at his friend, flashing him a accusing look. The redhead cringed.

"I'm _really_ sorry..." he added.

"How are _you_ not sick, too?" Rude groaned, letting his forehead rest on the cool toilet seat. "You ate _twice_ as much..."

"Tch... please. My stomach can handle anything. If spendin' half my life eatin' cripshays didn't kill me, a little bad burger meat won't do shit."

"Oh, god..." he whimpered at the mention of snacking on one of those ugly little creatures from the slums, and quickly started heaving again. He'd _heard_ that people sometimes ate them in the poorer sectors, but he'd never really believed it. Reno rubbed his back, comforting him as best he could until it stopped again.

"Uh... heh... maybe I should quit talkin' about the shit I used to eat as a kid, huh..."

"At least... I'm not... gonna die a virgin..." Rude panted in response.

* * *

Reno sighed and stared down at his ankles. He was presently sitting cross-legged on the couch in the living room, having been chased off by Saya, and, somewhat unexpectedly, Dr. Ward, whom the senior Turk had dutifully brought with her.

He felt terrible. And _not_ because of his horrendous cooking. Rude was sick because of him. He sighed again and hugged his knees against his chest, resting his chin on top of them.

Why couldn't _he_ have been the one to end up puking his guts out? Why'd it have to be Rude? He'd asked him over in part to hear about how his date with Margret had gone, but also to help him keep his mind off his impending Hell Week. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this.

"Oh, dear Shiva... dinnae tell me _yer_ feelin' sick now, too..."

The redhead looked up as Saya made her way over to him, a look of concern on her face. He shook his head.

"No. Just feelin' like the biggest asshole on the fuckin' planet. How's Rude?"

Saya smiled and took a seat next to him. "He'll be alright in a few days. Just a wee bit o' food poisonin', accordin' ta the Doc. Needs some rest is all. Yer _sure_ yeh feel alright? Tseng'd have my head if I left a sick rookie on his own, 'n I think Rude'll fare better in his _own_ bed 'stead 'o yers, so I'm takin' him home in a few minutes."

"Yeah... I'm fine."

"What in Odin's name did yeh feed the poor boy, anyway?" Saya chuckled softly. Reno sank down in his seat.

"... I made burgers. I guess _maybe_ the meat'd been sittin' around too long." He shrugged slightly. "Never bothered _me_ eatin' something that was a little past its prime. I didn't even think twice about it..." He looked up at her, imploringly. "How pissed at me is he?"

"I think he's too poorly just now ta be anything other'n nauseous, ta be honest..." she snickered in reply. Reno groaned and hugged his knees tighter. Saya leaned in and put her arm around him. "Oh, now... I'm sure he's not angry with yeh. Yeh didnae do anything on purpose. No need ta fret. Rude'll be back on his feet in no time."

From the hallway, Reno heard the sound of a door opening and then closing again. A moment later, Dr. Ward appeared in the corridor. She quickly zeroed in on the pair and walked over to them.

"He'll be alright ta travel, I think. That anti-emetic I gave him seems ta be settling his stomach nicely. For the time being, anyway. I doubt this is over for him quite yet. Yeh can take him home now."

Saya grinned and ruffled Reno's hair before standing up and hurrying off to collect the other rookie. She returned shortly, escorting Rude slowly towards the door. The redhead got to his feet as well, and accompanied them.

"I'm really, _really_ sorry..." he said.

Rude groaned softly, clutching his stomach.

"... I'm _never_ eating your cooking again."

"... Yeah. That's probably for the best," he replied, guiltily, "Just... feel better, 'kay?"

His friend nodded and Saya gently guided him out the door. After a few steps, Rude glanced back at him and forced a grin.

"At least you got me out of Hell Week for awhile..."

~end chapter 29~


	30. First Kill

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 30: First Kill**

 **by Desha**

"Why the fuck are we leavin' town _now_?" Reno asked, stuffing a few more items into his travel bag. They were going to the western continent, to the wilderness in the south... the farthest he'd ever been from home. Quite a ways farther south than the Gold Saucer. Normally, he'd have been excited... but Rude was due back at work today, after being off an entire week following his unfortunate encounter with the redhead's cooking. "Today's the first day of Hell Week!"

"And that's precisely why we have an assignment that will keep us away from Midgar for most, if not all, of the week. _You_ have to go through it eventually, as well. It's not fair if you see what it entails ahead of time," Tseng replied. "Now hurry and finish packing. Our transport leaves from Junon in two hours, and we still need to _get_ there to board it."

"Tch... and that's another thing... What's with the fuckin' boat? Why can't we just take the copter? You keep tellin' me you're gonna teach me to fly it, but we hardly ever use it," the redhead groused, irritated. He was already supremely annoyed at being forced to abandon his best friend when he needed his support, and now every little slight was beginning to add to that.

"Because our target isn't likely to simply present himself to us. It does us no good to announce our arrival in the area, and while helicopters are many things... subtle isn't one of them," the Wutaiian Turk chuckled. "Bring extra socks. It's the rainy season in the south."

Reno rolled his eyes at his mentor, but stuffed another two pairs into the bag.

"Are we sure this guy's even down there? Sounds like a pretty shit place to hide out, ya ask me."

According to Tres, a former employee had recently left the city and headed across the ocean... which wouldn't have normally interested the Turks, but it seemed that said former employee had decided to take a one of the R&D department's prototypes with him. Saya and Sato had tracked him as far as his departure from a small private dock south of Junon, but Veld had recalled them to Midgar last night in favor of sending the Turks' youngest rookie off on his first _real_ mission. Which, apparently, had the added benefit of removing the Turks' youngest rookie from the building for the duration of Rude's Hell Week. He doubted _that_ was a coincidence.

"Well, it certainly wouldn't be _my_ first choice," Tseng replied with a soft laugh. "Aside from a small town called Gongaga, that region is little more than forests, swamps, and the odd mountain or two. Hardly luxurious. _But_ an ideal place to hide, if one knows the terrain, and Mr. Summers is originally from the area. Our orders are to terminate on sight. Given what he took, he undoubtedly is aware of that."

"S'pose it makes sense he'd run someplace he feels safe, then..." the redhead mused. A second later, he paused and looked up in surprise. "Wait. So we're... just gonna kill him? Just like that?"

"I'm afraid so. It's not one of the more enjoyable parts of our job, but it _is_ a necessary one. Shinra Company does not tolerate corporate espionage. Particularly where weapons development is concerned. While Summers isn't any great threat personally, whomever he might be planning on selling that weapon to _may be_. His fate will be made known to the department at large to discourage others from following his example."

The redhead shuddered slightly. A little more than half a year he'd been with the Turks, but his actual time in the field had been fairly limited. He'd certainly never been tasked with anything like this before. He supposed it was inevitable, though. He knew the Turks killed people. He knew that, eventually, he'd be expected to do the same. Still, though... He was glad he was going with Tseng. It was really _his_ mission, not the rookie's. He could just... _watch_... this time.

Reno forcibly shoved the thought from his head and zipped his bag closed.

"Ready?" Tseng asked, gesturing toward the door. The rookie nodded and followed him. The older man paused for a moment in the doorway. "Incidentally... you _don't_ get seasick... do you?"

The redhead grinned and turned around, walking backwards ahead of the Turk lieutenant as they made their way out to the parking lot.

"No idea," he replied, "Never been on a boat before."

* * *

Boats, Reno quickly decided, were overrated.

It had, admittedly, been kind of cool watching from his perch on the upper deck as the crew had gotten to work, casting off and taking them out to sea. But once Junon was little more than a distant spec on the horizon, it quickly became apparent that all the sea had to offer was... more sea. There was literally nothing but water, stretching on endlessly in all directions. Even the birds, by now, had deserted them, unwilling to venture so far from land.

It was a _small_ boat. Not one of the big cargo ships that normally sailed out of Junon. Those were much slower than the little ferry they'd hopped aboard. It would have taken almost a full day to make the crossing... maybe closer to two if the weather had turned. This would get them to Costa del Sol by mid-afternoon. Then they'd have to find some other manner of transportation south.

The redhead found himself laying on his back on the narrow platform above the ship's bowsprit, legs dangling over either side, staring up at the clouds as they passed under them. He could already feel the temperature rising slightly as they ventured into more tropical waters.

"I hope you're not expecting me to jump in after you should fall off of that..."

Reno snickered and lifted his head to find Tseng standing behind the metal railing at the edge of the deck.

"... Because, though I'd willingly do so were it necessary to prevent your untimely demise, I think I would prefer to avoid getting wet," the senior Turk added, teasingly.

"Ah, relax. I'm not goin' anywhere," the rookie replied, turning his gaze back up at the sky. The boat suddenly rolled sharply to one side, broadsided by a large wave, and Reno was forced to grab hold of the platform to keep from being tossed overboard. It was several seconds before things stopped moving so much. "... Uh... on second thought, it's gettin' a little rough out here..."

Tseng laughed as the rookie carefully ducked back under the railing to join him within the safety of the main deck. Reno grinned.

"Hey, 'least I'm not seasick..."

"Which is very fortunate for you... as I would _not_ be retrieving you from the water if you were in the same condition your impromptu lunch date put Rude in last week," the senior Turk replied, smirking. Reno groaned.

"None of you guys are ever gonna let me live that one down, are you?"

He'd been putting up with comments like that all week long. And much of the weekend, for that matter. Tseng gently ruffled his hair, earning him an annoyed glare from the redhead.

"I very seriously doubt it." His smile widened. " _I_ most certainly will not be, at any rate. Thanks to you, I'm officially no longer the worst cook on the team. As lacking as my food tends to be, it has somehow never managed to poison anyone."

"Oh, ha fuckin' ha..." the rookie replied, rolling his eyes.

Tseng chuckled, and turned his gaze on the horizon.

"I believe we're nearing our destination," he commented, and Reno turned to look. The far shore was, indeed, now just barely visible as a dark stripe separating sea from sky.

"How much longer, ya think?" the redhead asked.

"Probably an hour or two. I'd like to make as much progress south as we can today. We'll eat on the way."

Reno nodded. He'd kind of figured they wouldn't be sticking around the resort town for long. Too bad, though... he really would have liked to have seen more of it. They'd spent a very short time there on the way home from his birthday trip to the Gold Saucer – just long enough to grab a bite to eat on the beach – but he hadn't gotten to explore much of anything.

"Hey, Tseng? I heard President Shinra's got a vacation house in Costa del Sol. You ever seen it?"

"Of course. I'm usually included in the family's security detail when they vacation, so I've stayed there several times, in fact. It's quite nice, though I prefer to be a bit farther from the main part of town when I visit on personal time. It's quieter."

Reno shook his head. "Weird to think there's people who have so much money they can just have whole houses anywhere they wanna go. Down in Two, I considered myself lucky to find a place I could afford that still had all four _walls_..."

"It doesn't seem entirely fair, does it?"

"Since when's life fair?" Reno asked with a shrug. "Some people just get dealt a shit hand... That's all there is to it."

"Like you?" Tseng prodded. The redhead snickered.

"Heh... Yeah, my hand _was_ pretty craptastic. Got a _much_ better one on that last draw, though," he laughed. "So... When we get there, how are we gettin' south, anyway?"

"Oh... I have an idea or two on that..."

* * *

" _Oof!_ Quit it, you Ifrit forsaken fuck!" the redhead hissed as his mount jolted upwards again. The motion was needlessly painful – for Reno, anyway – and, Tseng was certain, thoroughly intentional. At the rate his ward was going, he'd be lucky if he'd be able to walk by the time they reached their destination.

The large yellow bird warked in amusement, and ducked it's entire body forward. Reno gave a sharp cry as his seat was suddenly no longer beneath him, and tumbled head over heels to the ground. He somersaulted twice before coming to a rather abrupt halt against a large rock.

"You miserable _bastard_!" he groaned, slowly righting himself. Quiet laughter answered him, as Tseng brought his own chocobo to a stop a few feet away and gazed down at him.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"No! That feathered freak is tryin' to kill me!" the rookie complained, rubbing his now tender inner thighs. "Or fuckin' _castrate_ me... One of the two."

They really hadn't gone far. Upon arriving in Costa del Sol, the senior Turk had procured the two birds, and they'd left almost immediately... but Reno's inexperience with them had become very apparent, very quickly. And it didn't help that the the animal didn't seem to like him very much. Tseng shook his head and offered the rookie a hand.

"Come ride with me for awhile. I was going to suggest it anyway, before your... unexpected dismount. We'll be coming up on some treacherous paths soon. Not a good place for a novice to have to worry about keeping his chocobo under control."

Reno nodded and let Tseng pull him up behind him. He settled himself as comfortably as he could manage, and Tseng prodded the bird toward the rookie's former mount, seizing the reins to guide it along. A second sharp kick sent the chocobos running and Reno was forced to wrap his arms tightly around his mentor's waist to keep from falling again.

"How 'bout a little _warning_ next time?!" he groused. Tseng snickered, but said nothing. Soon, they were deep in the mountains, with Reno holding on for dear life as the bird nimbly passed over the steep trails. They paused on a high ridge, and Tseng pointed down towards the valley below them.

"That's Corel down there," he said. "The residents are largely coal miners. These mountains have a rather abundant supply."

"That make 'em Shinra's competition?" Reno asked, peering out from behind his mentor. It was a cozy little place. A scattering of wood-frame buildings, a large water tower, and train tracks leading up into the mountains.

"Perhaps in the local market. Though as I understand it, Corel is on the shortlist for potential reactor sites. The town and its mines may well be Shinra property in the very near future." He turned and pointed to the south. "And I'm quite certain you recognize _that_ location."

Reno grinned widely. The strange, treelike silhouette of the Gold Saucer was visible in the distance, surrounded by an ocean of desert.

"Don't s'pose we have time to stop?" he asked, his tone only half-serious.

"I'm afraid not," Tseng chuckled. "I suppose you've brought that lifetime pass of yours with you on the off chance you might talk me into it..."

"... Maybe," the redhead replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"We are here to work, Reno," he said sternly. The teenager's shoulders sagged in obvious disappointment, but he only nodded. Tseng sighed. "… Perhaps if we can wrap this up quickly, I will _consider_ a very _brief_ visit on the way back."

"Yes!"

"But _only_ if time allows. Veld expects this to be handled by the end of the week, and I don't intend to be late returning."

"Tch... so what are we doin' hangin' around here, then? Enough sightseein'. Let's get movin'!"

Tseng obligingly spurred the chocobo forward again, and Reno's grip on him tightened slightly. Under normal circumstances, he never would have made such an offer. Turks did not work for such childish rewards, and allowing his rookie to fall into the habit of expecting such recompense for finishing a job would do neither of them any good.

However... if things went according to plan, this wasn't going to be a normal mission, and Reno might well not be in the mood for a trip to the amusement park anyway.

* * *

 _Sunday afternoon, a day earlier..._

"Saya reported in this morning. They've lost track of him. He boarded a ship bound for the Gongaga region," Veld said, frowning at the view from his living room window.

"I assume they'll be following?" Tseng replied.

"No. I've recalled them to Midgar."

The Turk lieutenant looked up from his tea in surprise.

"... Sir?" he queried. It wasn't like his mentor to pull two capable Turks out of the field with a target in the wind.

"We know roughly where he's headed. A day or so's delay in catching up to him won't cost us much. I want you and Reno to take over. I've had Junon security book you passage on a ferry out of Lower Junon tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir," Tseng replied. Now he understood. Hell Week was to begin tomorrow for the older rookie. Tseng had been planning on keeping Reno occupied elsewhere for the duration to avoid ruining the surprise for when his _own_ time came. This was simply a convenient opportunity to make doing so that much easier.

Veld stepped back from the window and rejoined his Second at the little table.

"That's quite enough of _that_. You two know the rule," a female voice chastised, from the direction of the kitchen. She emerged, moments later carrying a small platter of cookies, and a fresh pot of coffee. "No shop talk at home," demanded, as she refilled Veld's mug. She turned to the other Turk and smiled. "More tea, Tseng?"

"No, thank you. I believe you've plied me with enough to sustain me the entire week at this point," he replied, chuckling softly. Esme was a lovely woman who doted on her husband... but she didn't tolerate any sort of discussion of Turks' business in her home. It was something of a compromise between the two of them. She put up with all of the worry and pain that inherently came with being married to a Turk... and he didn't bring _unnecessary_ worry and pain home with him.

"For Shiva's sake, woman!" Veld said teasingly, "I was just telling him that he'd been heading out early tomorrow! It's not as if we were discussing security checkpoints and infiltration scenarios..."

He seized her by the wrist, and pulled her toward him, quickly catching hold of the coffee pot before it could spill and setting it on the table. Esme laughed and did her best to dance away from him, only to be twirled expertly back into Veld's arms. He kissed her cheek before releasing her.

"Is Dad in trouble _again_?" a new voice asked, and a small face peered around the corner from the hallway. The twelve year old emerged from her hiding place, and rolled her eyes.

"So far as I'm aware, your father is _always_ in trouble with your mother," Tseng interjected before either member of the couple could answer. He quickly hid his smirk behind the tea cup as he took a sip. "It's a perpetual state for him."

Felicia giggled and stole a cookie from the plate when her mother wasn't looking, and then took up residence in the chair next to Tseng.

"Dad says you have a rookie now," she declared, turning her full attention on the Wutaiian. Esme scoffed and retreated towards the kitchen.

"If it's not _you_ , it's your _daughter_ ," she said, shaking her head. "... And _she's_ not even a Turk! I give up. If you need me, I'll be baking more cookies."

Veld laughed quietly and sat down. "Well, now you've done it."

" _Well_... ?" Felicia prodded, ignoring both of her parents. Tseng snorted faintly in laughter. The girl was always difficult to dissuade, but never moreso than when she was curious about something.

"Yes, I have a rookie now," he replied, smiling patiently.

"What's his name?"

"Reno."

"Is he cute?"

" _Felicia!_ " Veld, interrupted, and Tseng couldn't help but snicker. Felicia's very recent discovery of boys had thrown her father for a bit of a loop.

"I don't think I would be a very good judge of such things," the Turk lieutenant replied, as diplomatically as he could manage, "I really have no idea what twelve year old girls consider 'cute'."

"Go and help your mother, please," Veld laughed, gently hugging his daughter. Felicia sighed but did as she was told, disappearing into the kitchen in search of Esme. The Turk leader shook his head. "She's growing up much too fast..."

"As I understand it, children _do_ have a tendency to do that."

"Too true," Veld replied, smiling. He suddenly sobered and lowered his voice. "... Speaking of which. You're aware that Summers is terminate on sight?"

"Yes, sir..."

"Have Reno do it."

Tseng choked slightly on the sip of tea he'd just taken. "Sir... He's –"

"I know he's young. But you know as well as I do that the first time doesn't get any easier if you put it off. The sooner the better, I think."

Tseng frowned and set his cup down on the table, staring into the dark liquid. Veld was right. But that knowledge didn't make the idea any less unappealing.

"... Yes, sir," he said at last.

* * *

They stopped in Corel for the night. Tseng had decided that it was too dangerous to venture out into the desert in the dark, even on chocobo-back, and Reno was eternally grateful for the respite. He couldn't recall his backside ever having hurt so much in his life. Everything from the waist down that wasn't already numb, simply ached.

"Why the _fuck_ do people ride those things?" he groaned, as he tentatively eased himself down onto the bed.

"Many find it quite enjoyable," the senior Turk answered.

"Tseng... I can't even fuckin' _feel_ my ass at this point. I'm not sure it's even still there. And everything _else_ down there is... _literally_ throbbing. No one in their right mind would find this 'enjoyable'." He flopped back and had to physically lift his legs, one at a time, up onto the mattress by hand. He glared at the snickering Wutaiian.

"You truly do have a gift for the melodramatic," Tseng teased, tossing him an extra pillow. "It was, admittedly, a rather difficult ride for a beginner, but tomorrow will be easier. The terrain isn't nearly as uneven and the ride will be much smoother. For now, just try and get some sleep."

Reno grumbled quietly to himself for a few more minutes, but soon he felt himself drifting off in spite of his aching legs and lower back. The redhead yawned and curled himself into a ball, letting his eyes slide shut.

When he woke, it was to the sound of quiet rustling in the faint light of dawn. Reno tensed his body, stretching tired muscles, and yelped as his calf muscle suddenly contracted in a painful cramp.

"Ow, ow, ow, _fuck_!" the rookie ground out, massaging the limb in a desperate attempt to get it to relax. At last it did and the redhead breathed a soft sigh of relief.

"... You haven't even made it out of bed yet and you've already injured yourself?" Tseng asked. He pulled open the curtains, letting in a little bit of light. Reno snorted softly and sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

"It's a gift," he sarcastically replied. Tseng chuckled, and turned back to him.

"Perhaps if you didn't _sleep_ tied in a knot, you might not be so prone to waking up in one."

Reno shrugged and got to his feet with a yawn. "And maybe if you didn't sleep flat on your back, you wouldn't sound like a Shiva-forsaken buzzsaw," he shot back, smirking.

"I do _not_ snore," Tseng replied, a somewhat indignant expression crossing his face.

"Yeah... keep tellin' yourself that," the redhead laughed, "So... since we're both up I guess that means we're headin' out?"

"Shortly, yes. Food, first, I think... for both us _and_ the chocobos."

"Tch... those assholes can starve for all I care. Goddamn mutant feather dusters..."

"You know... I _really_ can't imagine why they don't seem to like you," Tseng snickered.

* * *

By that evening they'd crossed the desert and forded the small river that marked it's southern border. Here, the land rapidly turned lush and green, leaving behind the sparse vegetation of the more arid region. Soon, trees began to appear along their route, and it wasn't long before the were enveloped within a dense forest. The sun had long since disappeared behind the clouds... which, though at this point they were only visible sporadically through the treetops, were beginning to look ominous and dark. When thunder rumbled in the distance a short time later, Reno glanced upwards apprehensively.

"Uh... boss?"

"I _did_ tell you it was the rainy season down here..." Tseng replied, easily interpreting the question. "With luck, it will hold off until we reach Gongaga. I don't care to be drenched any more than you do..."

"The hell kinda name's 'Gongaga', anyway?" the redhead laughed. "Name like that, there oughta be a hell of a party goin' on..."

"If that's what you're expecting, I'm afraid you'll be extremely disappointed. Gongaga is a small logging town. Or it used to be, before Shinra built one of its first reactors there. They have less need of the income logging once generated, so there is less logging in general these days. Many are now employed by Shinra, maintaining the reactor."

"Lemme guess... that's how _our_ guy wound up workin' for us, too."

"A valid assumption. According to his file, Summers showed considerable mechanical ability at the reactor and was later recruited by research and development."

"So how likely's this son of a bitch to start shootin' at us soon as he spots us?"

Tseng glanced back to look at his rookie. "He's local to the region, and locals are typically fairly... robust. I'd say good odds that he won't go quietly. _Preferably_ we will simply execute him before he even realizes we've located him, but if the weapon prototype isn't present, we may need to take him alive to ascertain its whereabouts first."

Reno went silent for a moment, pondering that. It felt... wrong... to just kill a guy an not even have the decency to look him in the face while you did it. On the other hand... he could see how being overly decent might tend to get a Turk killed. If Tseng noticed his hesitation, he didn't mention it.

"How are we plannin' on findin' him without him knowin' we're comin' for him? Guy's gotta have friends back home. And if he's got half a brain he'd've told 'em not to say shit to anyone wanderin' around lookin' for him."

"With the proper... incentives... even the most loyal of friends will talk. Eventually. You've not yet had the opportunity to sit in on an especially difficult interrogation. That's something we'll need to rectify soon."

Reno looked up at the sky again as a fat raindrop smacked him squarely in the forehead. He somehow doubted they were going to make it to Gongaga before that storm hit.

"Hey, Tseng? H-how long's it take to... ya know... be _okay_ with shit like that?"

"I hope to Leviathan to never find out," Tseng replied, seriously. "I don't think _any_ Turk is quite socold-hearted that the things we do cease to affect them. You don't have to be okay with it. You simply have to learn to live with it."

The skies suddenly opened up, and the two Turks found themselves in the middle of a deluge. Lighting struck a tree in the distance, followed by a resounding crash of thunder, and Reno's chocobo balked. The redhead unexpectedly found himself facedown in the mud, as the bird raced off into the forest in a panic.

"Reno!" Tseng called out, alarmed, as he tried to keep his own mount calm. The rookie pushed himself to his knees and spat out a mouthful of mud.

"Ugh... I'm fine. Goddammit, I fuckin' _hate_ chocobos!"

* * *

The storm was still raging as they staggered into Gongaga. In the end, Tseng had been forced to lead his bird and walk with Reno. The avian was far too skittish to attempt to ride. They tethered it inside a small stable near the local inn, and walked inside, dripping.

"Got caught, did ya?" the innkeeper queried, glancing up from his newspaper.

"Unfortunately," Tseng responded with distaste. The old man nodded.

"It's forty gil a night. Normally I ask for payment in advance, but... head on up and get that boy of yours dried off before he catches his death. First room on the right's available. Dinner's in an hour."

"Thank you," the Turk lieutenant replied, as he escorted the redhead toward the stairs.

"Tch... Great. Like I don't get enough of that little kid bullshit at home," Reno muttered once they were out of earshot. Tseng laughed softly.

"To be fair, you _do_ look a bit like a half-drowned toddler at the moment. Now... I suggest we take the gentleman's advice and get out of our wet things," he replied, setting his bag down on the small side table, and stripping out of his jacket before pulling out some dry clothes.

Reno did the same, quickly divesting himself of the sodden fabric and digging through his own bag for something to take away the chill. It may have still been warm down south compared to autumn in Midgar, but that squall had dropped the temperature considerably.

"There's little more we can do today, I think," Tseng commented as he changed. "We'll join our host for dinner, and start fresh in the morning."

Reno paused in his efforts to dress, and grinned. "In that case... fuck this. I'm gonna go warm up in the shower. Even after gettin' rained on, I still got mud in places I didn't even know I _had_."

* * *

It had rained all through the night. A pounding, driving rain with frequent claps of thunder that shook the whole building and flashes of lightning that illuminated the room even with the curtains drawn. Though much of it had passed by dawn, there was still a cold drizzle falling when the two Turks arose, somewhat against their will, knowing they had a target to locate.

"Ugh..." Reno groaned. He rubbed at bleary eyes for a moment before dragging on some clothes. "Well that was a nice, uninterrupted eight hours of sleep..."

"... I'm not yet awake enough to tell if you're being sarcastic or not," the senior Turk replied biting back a yawn. "And if you're not... I think I may hate you slightly right now."

" _Please_ tell me this place has coffee..." the redhead said in response.

Tseng smiled wanly and tucked his weapon into its holster. "I'm sure the innkeeper can accommodate your caffeine addiction. And I think, for once, I may join you in that indulgence. Something tells me my usual tea is simply not going to be enough this morning."

Breakfast was a quiet affair, that consisted largely of Tseng subtly questioning the innkeeper over steak and eggs, and Reno keeping his mouth alternately shut or filled with food so that his mentor could find out what they needed to know. Far too soon for the redhead's taste, they found themselves in the forest again, slowly working their way west, towards what their host had referred to as the local hunting grounds.

If their man was really trying to disappear into the forests, he'd need a place he could survive for an extended length of time. The area they'd been directed to was, apparently, a favorite spot among locals for camping, hunting, and fishing. There were good odds they'd find him there... or at least nearby.

"So lemme get this straight," Reno said, shoving a dripping branch out of his path and sliding past it before letting it snap back into place. "There are people out there... completely _insane_ people... who actually thinklivin' like a fuckin' animal for a week or two counts as a vacation?"

Tseng chuckled softly. "Many people find _nature_ to be relaxing, Reno. And yes, there are those who enjoy immersing themselves in it fully for extended periods by camping and living off the land."

"Fuckin' lunatics is what they are..." the redhead grumbled. "Wait... _you're_ not one of 'em, right?"

The senior Turk snorted a laugh. "Hardly. As pleasant as nature can be, I prefer a soft bed to a sleeping bag. Now, Kai, on the other hand is quite the outdoorswoman."

"Tch... _That_ figures. I already knew _she_ was nuts."

"Careful," Tseng replied, turning back and smirking at his young rookie. "Kai will supervising your survival training next month. I suggest not openly insulting one of her favorite pastimes when you're going to be stuck with her, alone, in the middle of nowhere for a week."

Reno froze, mid-stride.

"W-wait... _WHAT_?!"

* * *

It was growing dark. The sun had already sunk below the treeline, leaving them in an eerie twilight. And still, they hadn't caught sight of their target. They _had_ however, stumbled upon what may have been the man's camp... which was the only reason the two of them were still out there, with night fast approaching.

"Come on, Boss... Face it. The fucker's not comin' back," Reno whispered, as he shifted position.

They'd been crouched in these Leviathan-forsaken bushes for what felt like hours now, waiting and watching, with nothing to show for it but bug bites. Thunder was once again rumbling in the distance, and Tseng had the sneaking suspicion that if Summers didn't turn up soon, they were in for a repeat of last night when they finally managed to return to Gongaga. The Turk lieutenant wasn't looking forward to that... but he wasn't ready to give up quite yet. He just had a feeling that Summers would return. They simply had to be patient. Reno scowled at the lack of an answer and leaned back on his heels.

"'Kay, fine... how much longer are we gonna do this, then?"

"Until I say otherwise. Now settle down and keep quiet." He reached over and tugged the hood of the redhead's sweatshirt up, covering his hair. "And try not to stand out so much."

The rookie snorted softly. "Easy for _you_ to say..."

Tseng smiled and shook his head. He couldn't exactly contradict him on that. It wasn't the teen's fault that he was a natural beacon... particularly surrounded by so much green. A branch snapped somewhere nearby, and Tseng hurriedly ducked, pulling Reno down alongside him.

The Turk lieutenant's smile widened noticeably as their quarry stepped out of the trees, nervously looking around, as if inspecting his camp for any signs of disturbance... signs that Tseng had been exceptionally careful not to leave when he'd searched it for the stolen prototype earlier. Reno gently nudged him, and he pulled his gaze away from his target long enough to glance down at the rookie. The redhead pointed towards the shadows of the forest, and Tseng realized that Summers had dropped something at the base of a tree. Perhaps the very item they'd been sent to get back.

"Retrieve it," Tseng mouthed, and Reno nodded. He disappeared silently into the underbrush.

The safe thing to do would be to simply shoot the man. But the prototype was important. R&D wanted it back, and it certainly wasn't in Shinra's best interests to return without it. If it wasn't in that bag, then the only person on the planet who knew where it _was_ , was Summers... and he could hardly give them that information if he was already dead.

Reno reappeared on the far side of the clearing, just as Summers was kneeling down to coax his campfire back to life, and the senior Turk watched as he reached for the bag. Something – and even Tseng wasn't sure what it had been – gave his protege away, however, and the target was suddenly on his feet, turning towards the rookie. A split second later, the tree Reno was crouched behind quite literally exploded, and Summers shot off in the opposite direction, the weapon still smoking slightly in his hand.

Tseng swore in a brief moment of indecision, and finally darted toward the redhead, letting their quarry escape into the trees. Reno shook his head violently, as if trying to clear it and waved him off.

"I'm okay! Go!"

The Turk lieutenant nodded and abruptly switched directions, sprinting after Summers.

* * *

There was still a faint, high-pitched ringing in his ears, but Reno still managed to stagger to his feet. He didn't know what had alerted Summers to his presence, but that had been damned close. He looked over at the remains of the tree beside him. It was little more than a splintered trunk now. Branches and leaves had been blasted in every direction. Looking at it, it was a damn good thing that he'd been crouched low in the brush, or he might have come away from this with something considerably worse than a slight, temporary loss of hearing. Assuming he'd have walked away from it at all.

He didn't have time to worry about that now, though. Summers was still out there... with that weapon... and Tseng was chasing him. He took off at a dead run in the direction the target had fled.

Agile as he was, on the muddy trail, Reno had a hard time catching up to his quarry. He persisted, however, and was soon within sight of his mentor. Tseng spared a brief glance backwards and looked decidedly relieved to have the redhead close to rejoining him... though he seemed to be faring little better in the muck than Reno was. Fortunately, it turned out that Summers wasn't exactly having an easy time of it either. At the top of a small rise, Reno saw the Wutaiian Turk stop and take aim at a target farther down the path. A single shot rang out, echoing in the trees that surrounded them, and Reno sighed. It was over. All that was left was the cleanup, and then they could go home.

He trudged up the steep incline, pausing next to his mentor and glanced down at the body... only to freeze when said body suddenly moved, clawing its way forward toward the weapon that had been thrown several paces away from him. He'd never known Tseng to miss. Reno waited for the inevitable second shot that would finish the job, but it never came. The Wutaiian Turk sighed heavily in the damp air.

"... Boss?" Reno queried, uncertainly. Tseng turned to him.

"Finish it."

"W-what?" the redhead managed, his eyes widening. He swallowed sharply. "W-why do _I_ have ta –"

"Because all Turks have to eventually. Now finish it. Before he reaches that prototype."

Reno turned his gaze on the injured man. Tseng's shot had decimated his knee. Summers wasn't going _anywhere_ very quickly. He suddenly realized that that was intentional. Tseng had ignored a perfectly easy kill shot on purpose, in favor of crippling the target... to make it impossible for Reno to miss.

He glanced back at Tseng, but his mentor's expression was unreadable. The redhead took a few steps farther toward his target. His hand shook slightly as he leveled his gun at man's head.

Summers froze in his bid for the weapon and rolled over, looking up the pair of Turks, fear apparent in his eyes.

"Please... Please! Don't kill me... T-take it back. It's not worth it! I'll disappear! Anything... just let me go!"

Reno squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. The Company had ordered the man's termination. There was to be no reprieve. No matter how much he didn't want to do this.

" _Please!_ Don't do this..." Summers begged. Reno opened his eyes, and slowly exhaled. He pulled the trigger.

Summers collapsed, motionless on the leaf-strewn forest floor, his plea dying on his lips. The echo of the shot lingered in the air for several seconds. When it finally faded, the rookie's gun fell to the ground, disappearing beneath leaf litter. Reno's arm dropped limply to his side, and a moment later, he, too, dropped, landing on his knees in the mud. He stared numbly at the sight of the dead man. The man _he'd_ just killed.

His stomach recoiled in disgust, and it was all he could do to force down the bile that rose in his throat. Tseng slowly lifted him to his feet, and pulled him tightly against his chest.

"... I'm sorry," the senior Turk whispered. Reno shoved him away with an angry growl.

"You son of a _bitch_! Why didn't you fuckin' _tell_ me you were gonna make _me_ do it?!" He still felt sick, and an unwanted wetness unrelated to the drizzling rain dampened his face. Tseng shook his head, and knelt down to retrieve the rookie's weapon from the ground.

"Because it would have only forced you to dwell on it the entire time we were tracking him. I couldn't bear to make this worse for you than it was already going to be." He rose to his feet again, and fixed the younger Turk with a look of deep regret. "We are Turks... and Turks are killers. It's one thing to know that. It's another thing altogether to understand what that means. Until today, you knew, but you didn't really understand."

Reno shivered in cool air. He couldn't have let him live in that blissful ignorance just a little longer? It had to be _now_?

" _Fuck_ you, Tseng..." he said after a long moment. Tseng handed him back his gun.

"I don't blame you for being angry with me. Very few are everreadythe first time they take a life. It's simply something that has to be," Tseng answered. He placed an arm around the redhead's shoulders, turning him away from the grisly sight amongst the trees, only to be rebuffed again. He shook his head, and gestured back in the direction of Gongaga. "Go back to the inn. I'll deal with Summers' body. We'll head home in the morning."

Reno didn't bother to look back at him. He simply trudged, wordlessly, back towards town... alone.

* * *

Summers had traveled prepared. Tseng had found several useful items amongst his possessions... Right now, he was making use of the camping shovel that had been stowed in the man's pack. He'd gone some distance from the campsite before he'd started to dig. In all likelihood, animals would unearth the body eventually... hopefully, though, that would be a good long time after anyone from town might still be looking for him. At last satisfied with his handiwork, he rolled Summers' corpse into the void he'd created, and started filling it back in.

Rain was starting to fall again as he finished. It seemed somehow appropriate to his current mood.

He couldn't help but feel he'd stolen something precious from his ward tonight. Reno was a genuinely kind person at heart. He didn't relish killing, like some men did... and Tseng seriously doubted he ever would. He could still remember to look of self-disgust that had been etched on the boy's face that day in Sector One when he'd been forced to defend himself and thought he'd killed his attacker. He could still remember the odd mixture of relief and terror that had replaced it when the man had suddenly sprung back to life and seized the redhead, too.

Tseng made his way back to the camp, and started to pack it all away. There was a small ravine a short distance south. He would dump the supplies there before returning to Gongaga. If anyone found them, they'd assume their previous owner had been traveling in the opposite direction of his small, shallow grave.

By then, however, the sun had set and the storm had arrived in earnest. Reno would have long since made it back to the little town... but it was going to be a far more difficult trip for him. And a dangerous one, at that. With a faint groan, he resigned himself to spending the night in the dead man's tent, and crawled inside, out of the inclement weather. He frowned as he tried his phone, intending to alert the rookie to his delayed return, only to find that either the storm or the remoteness of his current location had left him without service.

"Of course..." he sighed. It was going to be a very long night.

* * *

Over the last few hours, Reno had gone from brooding anger... to cold indifference... to vague concern... and finally to tenuously-restrained panic, as the hour grew later and later and there was still no sign of Tseng. Where in the nine hells _was_ that bastard? It couldn't possibly take _that_ long to get rid of a body...

The redhead poked, uninterested, at the bowl of potato stew the innkeeper had served up for dinner. It was tasty... but he was too distracted to eat. Half a dozen scenarios kept running though his head. What if Tseng was lost? Or hurt? Or lost _and_ hurt? What if Summers hadn't been as alone out there as they'd thought? Or some creature had smelled the blood and come to investigate?

He flipped open his phone, and scowled darkly at the display. Still no service. He couldn't even call for help if the goddamn son of a bitch didn't turn up by morning.

He was still angry, but worry was beginning to quell a good deal of it. Even if he was currently furious at Tseng for blindsiding him like that... he was still his friend. More than a friend, really. His stomach twisted uncomfortably at the thought of not seeing him walking up the road to town in the morning.

He should have stayed with him. He should have acted like a Turk and not a goddamn five year old throwing a temper tantrum, and fucking _stayed_. He was warm and dry and fed, and Tseng was... fuck only knew where, but given the way the storm was raging, probably just the opposite by now. And now Reno was angry _and_ he was scared, and that was pissing him the fuck off even more!

He jumped slightly as a hand unexpectedly patted his shoulder, and the redhead turned to see the old innkeeper, looking down at him compassionately.

"I wouldn't worry too much," he said, "Your old man probably just ended up hunkered down somewhere to wait out the storm. He'll be back when it lets up."

Reno snorted softly, and poked at his food.

"Tch... We're not related, ya know," he muttered, still mildly annoyed that everyone he met lately seemed to think he was somewhere closer to twelve than seventeen. The man laughed and ruffled the rookie's hair... a gesture he was quickly coming to hate.

"You don't say..." he chuckled, somewhat sarcastically, "Never woulda guessed what with all that family resemblance and all."

Reno merely rolled his eyes.

"He takes care of you, don't he?"

"Yeah..."

"And I'm just guessing here, but I'd wager you don't have anyone _else_ around to do that..."

The redhead shrugged.

"Well, close enough then," he declared. "Anyway... it's late. You finish that up and head on up to bed. No sense sitting up worrying all night."

Reno sighed and obligingly polished off the remainder of his meal. The guy had a point. And if he ended up having to go out _looking_ for the senior Turk tomorrow, he'd be completely worthless if he was exhausted from having not slept. He got to his feet and headed for the stairs.

"Hey, kid?" the innkeeper called after him. The rookie paused at the foot of the stairs and turned back. "Just for the record... my boy ain't my blood, neither. Never made a lick of difference to either of us."

* * *

Tseng slogged back into Gongaga just after sunrise the next morning. It had been a very long, very sleepless, night. He was filthy and damp, he was tired, and he was hungry, but more than that, he was eager to be reunited with his rookie... who _hopefully_ was feeling a little less betrayed by now. He slipped quietly into the inn, and was greeted by the scent of fresh baked bread. His stomach growled faintly in response as he helped himself to the platter that had been set out on the long sidetable near the kitchen.

The door in the back of the inn opened and the proprietor shuffled inside with an armload of wood for the fireplace.

"Mornin'," he said cordially, as he set down his load and brushed off his hands. "Wondered when you'd finally turn up..."

"I thought it unwise to risk the trip back in the dark in the middle of a downpour..."

"Smart man," he replied, nodding in approval. "The boy's upstairs, asleep. He's been worried about you."

"Thank you," Tseng replied. He made his way up to their room, soundlessly easing the door open. Reno was splayed across one of the beds on his stomach, tangled in the sheets. An arm and a leg hung limply over the edge of the mattress. Apparently, he'd been a little restless last night. Usually, Tseng found him curled into a ball in the center of the bed, buried beneath the covers.

The Wutaiian reached out a hand, and shook him gently. The redhead immediately tensed and attempted to roll over, obviously not realizing how dangerously close he was to falling. He landed on the floor with a surprised yelp and a loud thud, swearing as he looked up and recognized his mentor. Tseng couldn't stop the faint smirk that crossed his lips.

"Goddammit, Tseng!" the redhead growled, angrily righting himself and glaring up at him from the floor. "Where the _fuck_ have you been?"

Tseng laughed quietly and helped him to his feet.

"... _Please_ tell me that's not what _I_ look like when you return home past your curfew and I end up asking you the same question..."

Reno narrowed his eyes. "I'm still pissed at you..." he assured him, ignoring the teasing.

"I know," Tseng replied. "And you have a right to be. But the fact of the matter is there _are_ going to be things that I will have to force you to do that will not be pleasant. Especially now that you're starting to be sent into the field. I can't shield you from the reality of our job forever... no matter how much I wish I could."

The redhead sank down onto the bed, still scowling, and Tseng joined him a moment later. He sighed.

"Veld warned me, you know... quite some time ago, in fact," he added, after a brief silence, "He _said_ that one of the hardest things I would ever have to do as your mentor was order you to kill for the first time, and he was right. I'm not sure I was any more ready for it than you were."

Reno remained stubbornly silent, but some of the tension in his posture relaxed. Tseng ran a hand down the younger Turk's back, and was relieved when he didn't push him away this time.

"Go down and get some breakfast. I'm going to clean up, and then we'll start for home."

"... 'kay," he replied.

* * *

The trip back to Midgar had been slow and painful. Reno was far from his usual talkative self until they reached Junon, and Tseng had opted to give him the freedom to sort through what he was feeling himself, rather than push him. It wasn't until they were boarding a supply truck bound for Midgar that he finally seemed to reach a conclusion.

"... Hey, Tseng?" the redhead prodded as the small convoy got underway. Land travel wasn't optimal, as it required a lengthy trip through the mountains, but if they wanted to go by air, they would have to wait until tomorrow.

"Yes?"

"Was it like this for you?" he asked. Tseng didn't need him to elaborate.

"The first person I killed was... not much older than you, actually. He'd broken into a small Shinra facility near Rocket Town. Veld and I were there purely by chance, and I think he realized that he wasn't going to walk away from the encounter unscathed. He shot Veld in the shoulder before we even realized he was there. And then he ran. Veld ordered me to shoot to kill. So I did. It wasn't until afterward that I realized that there was no reason Veld couldn't have done it himself," he replied, "I was... angry, too, for awhile. Both at Veld, and at myself. Up until then, training as a Turk seemed... almost like a game." He snorted derisively and shook his head. "I was a bit naïve as a rookie, I'm afraid."

"... Guess we got that in common, then. Kinda seemed like a game to me, too, sometimes," the redhead admitted. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "It's serious as fuck, though... isn't it?"

"Most of the time... yes. Yes it is."

Reno leaned back against on of the crates they'd nestled themselves in between in the back of the truck, and turned his gaze toward the fading silhouette of Junon in the distance behind them.

"... That's why we look after each other so tenaciously," Tseng added. "No one else in the world understands a Turk like another Turk."

The redhead didn't answer. He simply inched closer to his mentor, and settled in for the remainder of the ride home.

~end chapter 30~


	31. Grand Theft Auto: Midgar City Stories

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 31: Grand Theft Auto: Midgar City Stories**

 **by Desha**

"Come on... can't ya even tell me a _little_ bit of what happened?" Reno pleaded. Rude resolutely shook his head.

"Sorry. Not allowed."

"A hint... a vague innuendo... come on, man. You gotta give me _somethin'_!"

"... Hell Week has that name for a reason," the other rookie said at last, a smug grin gracing his lips. Reno groaned.

"You suck, man. You seriously, _seriously_ suck."

A firm hand clamped down on either teenager's shoulder, and Kai bent down slightly so that she was at eye level with the two seated rookies.

"You two know the rule abut discussing Hell Week with Turklings that haven't been through it yet. And _bad_ little Turklings miss out on all the fun... so you better behave yourselves," she said, somewhat enigmatically, a shooting them a knowing grin.

"Tch... _Your_ idea of fun I think I can stand to miss out on," the redhead replied, annoyed by the interruption. "It usually involves me goin' home lookin' like I got jumped."

Kai giggled madly. "Oh, I think you'll wanna keep yourself in the running for this one. Of course... _you've_ already got a distinct advantage over the rest of us. Tseng hardly goes anywhere without _you_ these days," she laughed. She reached over and gently tugged on the short little ponytail the redhead had tied his hair back in that morning. "Jeez... you're even starting to _look_ like him."

Rude sniggered quietly next him and Reno glared at them both.

"Fuck you, Kai... That's got nothin' to do with Tseng. I'll do whatever the fuck I want with my hair," he replied, crossing his arms and jerking his head to the side to yank it out of her grip. "And I'll thank you to keep your hands the fuck _off_ of it."

The senior Turk's grin widened and she softly ran her fingers through the messy locks on top of his head.

"But it's so soft and _fluffy_!" she teased. Reno scowled and ducked out from under her hand, glowering at her. But before he could tell her to fuck off, the door to the conference room opened, admitting Veld and Tseng.

"Alright... Quiet everyone. I've been asked to join the executive board meeting this morning, so we're going to have to make this fast," the Turk leader began. Kai obediently abandoned her teasing of the redhead and took a seat a few chairs away, next to Remy. Veld waited another moment until the general chatter in the room had ceased before continuing. "Tres, Corneo's asked for a meeting. See what he wants. Luca, Remy, Shay... I'd like a review of Turk candidates from the recruiting program by the end of the week. Our numbers are still low, and the sooner we get them built back up, the better. I want to know how close the new recruits are to being ready for promotion and who's got the most potential. Rude... You're with Sato today for demolitions training. Saya... you've got your interrogation subject. Reno... with Tseng. He'll fill you in."

It was rattled off so quickly that the entire meeting was over almost before the rookie had realized it had started. Veld really _must_ have been in a hurry this morning, and he vaguely wondered if something was up. Turks weren't typically asked to sit in on board meetings. Tseng lightly cleared his throat as Veld began to bring the briefing to a close.

"Ah... Yes. I nearly forgot," Veld replied with a nod. "President Shinra and his family will be taking their annual vacation to Costa del Sol in three weeks. As always, three of you will accompany them as security. Tseng has already been assigned to lead the detail. The other two will be assigned at his discretion." He smirked slightly and chuckled. "So... I suggest you prepare your bribes. Dismissed."

Reno glanced over at Rude, a curious expression on his face, as the other Turks began to get up from the table and disperse, murmuring amongst themselves.

"... We're expected to bribe our way into guard duty?" the redhead asked, incredulously. "Tch... no thanks."

"Don't be daft, yeh little know-it-all... Vacation security is a _very_ coveted assignment," Sato snickered, as he approached them to claim his rookie for the day. "It's basically a vacation fer whoever gets ta go, _too_. Yeh hardly have ta do anything but sit on the beach all day 'n keep the locals from gettin' too close ta the President. At worst, yeh might have ta stop Rufus from drownin' his high-'n-mighty self on that damn surfboard 'o his..." He turned to Rude with a grin. "Yeh ready ta go 'n blow some shite up, rookie?"

"You're _supposed_ to be instructing him on how to _prevent_ things from blowing up," Tseng corrected him as he strode up to the little group. Sato laughed.

"He's a beginner. Mistakes're bound ta happen."

Tseng pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated. "Just... don't blow _him_ up, please. Let's go, Reno. We have what I suspect will be a very... _stressful_... day ahead of us."

Reno shrugged. "Catch ya later, Rude," he said in farewell as he got to his feet and followed his mentor out of the room and down the hallway. They stepped into the elevator and Tseng pressed the button for the parking deck. "So... What's up?"

The Turk lieutenant sighed softly. "Something I must confess I've been putting off far too long. I really should have done it quite some time ago, but I haven't exactly been looking forward to it."

The redhead swallowed nervously as he wondered what the hell kind of training _Tseng_ would balk at conducting. Was it going to be even worse than their recent trip to Gongaga?

"... I... um... Is this gonna involve me... ya know... _killin'_ someone again?" he asked somewhat hesitantly. He'd obey the order if it was given... but he'd kind of prefer not to have to. His first kill was still a little too fresh in his memory.

Tseng smiled slightly, and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Not unless something goes terribly, _terribly_ wrong," he chuckled, shaking his head. "There's no need to worry. Actually, I suspect _you_ will end up enjoying it immensely..." He sighed, and added, " _I_ ,on the other hand, will be lucky not to have a nervous breakdown by the end of the day, if past experience is anything to go by..."

The elevator dropped them off at the parking deck, and Reno followed Tseng toward his car... only for the senior Turk to walk right past it, continuing on down the long line of parking spaces. He finally came to an abrupt halt near the end of the row.

An older car sat, unassumingly, in the last space. It had certainly seen better days... The side panels were badly dinged and scratched, and there was a large dent in the passenger side door. The gray paint was chipped and peeling near the rear fender, and rust had set in on the exposed metal.

"Get in..." Tseng said, gesturing to the vehicle. The redhead shrugged, and took a step towards the passenger's door... only to be blocked by his mentor. "The driver's side," he added, resignation evident in his voice. Reno's eyes went wide.

"W-wait... You mean _I_ get to drive?" he asked, an excited grin spreading over his face.

"Yes. And I would suggest you get behind the wheel quickly... before I regain my sanity."

Reno laughed and dashed around the car, yanking open the door with abandon and sliding into the driver's seat. He gripped the wheel and turned ecstatically towards his mentor as he – with slightly less enthusiasm – climbed in beside him. He held up a set of keys, and Reno reached for them, only to have the snatched back before his fingers could close around them.

"You will take this _seriously_ , and follow instructions."

"Yes, sir," Reno quickly replied. Tseng finally relinquished the keys, and then reached over and pulled the seatbelt across himself, fastening it securely. The rookie did the same.

"Dear Leviathan, please just let me survive this..." the senior Turk breathed, as the redhead gleefully started the engine.

* * *

Several hours later, Tseng silently staggered into the Turks' lounge and collapsed onto the couch, letting his head flop backwards against the cushion. He groaned.

"Went that well, did it?" Saya sniggered, looking up from the report she was editing.

"... He doesn't actually _need_ to be able to drive. Does he?" the Wutaiian asked, drawing a loud laugh from the other Turk.

"Oh, now... it couldn'tna been _that_ bad."

"In the grand scheme of things... no. It really wasn't. But teaching a very... enthusiastic... seventeen year old how to drive may well be one of the most terrifying things I have ever done in my life."

"More terrifyin' than havin' ta do the same fer me 'n Sato?"

The Turk lieutenant sat up slightly and looked the woman square in the eye.

"Astoundingly enough... yes."

The younger woman laughed and shook her head. "Where's the wee thing gone off ta now?"

"Lunch," Tseng replied, "We'll be resuming afterward. Unless of course I give in to my sense of self-preservation and call in a bomb threat. I'm quite sure a building-wide evacuation would get me out of driver's ed."

"Oh, it is going that well?" a voice said from the doorway, and Tseng glanced up as Veld joined them. Tseng shook his head in dismay.

"He's something of a menace behind the wheel at the moment," the Wutaiian replied. "Incidentally, the department will be getting invoiced for repairs to the parking deck's main gate."

Veld smirked.

"Just remember... it was entirely _your_ idea to recruit an inexperienced sixteen year old boy. You've no one to blame for this but yourself," he teased. Tseng snorted softly and fixed him with a sharp look.

"... And _you_ remember, sir... You have a twelve year old daughter who, in three or four years time, will be demanding that you teach _her_ to drive. And I will not hesitate to mock your terror and dismay as you mock mine."

Saya coughed in a poor attempt to hide her laughter, as the Turk leader chuckled and walked over to his lieutenant, offering him a hand.

"Let's go and get you some nice, calming tea," he replied, "It sounds like you could use it. And I have some interesting news to share."

Tseng was quick to accept the offer.

* * *

"So how's demolitions training goin'?" Reno asked, in between bites. He swallowed harshly. "Blow anything up yet?"

Rude shrugged and continued his own meal at a more sedate pace. "A few things..." He suddenly grinned. "It was pretty awesome. What's Tseng got _you_ doing that's such a big secret."

The redhead snickered and forced down another oversized mouthful.

"I'm learnin' to drive," he replied with a wide smile.

"No wonder he looked so scared at the briefing this morning..." Rude snickered.

"Hey! I'm doin' alright..." Reno shot back. "I mean... okay, so I might taken out a couple of gates on the way outta the parking deck, but... I didn't hit _anything_ else."

"... Tseng say anything about the Costa del Sol assignment while you were out?"

The other rookie shook his head. "We didn't really talk about much of anything. Mostly he just kept naggin' me to 'keep my eyes on the road', and 'watch out for pedestrians', and 'use my turn signal', and 'for Leviathan's sake, look out!'," he said, laughing, "The whole tropical vacation thing didn't come up."

"So you don't know if he's taking you?"

"Not for _sure_ ," the redhead said with a shrug, "... but come on. Kai said it earlier. I'm his rookie. Tseng hardly goes anywhere without me. I'm _totally_ goin'." He grinned widely. "I'll put in a good word for ya, if you want..."

"Hmph... Doubt he'd take _two_ rookies on an assignment like that," Rude replied, and the redhead was slightly surprised to hear a note of disappointment in his voice.

"... You really wanna go, don't you?"

Rude shrugged noncommittally, and turned his attention back to his plate.

"I like Costa del Sol. Used to go there all the time back when I was flying for my dad. Haven't been in a couple years, though. I just... kinda miss it."

"... Want me to turn it down, so you can go?" Reno asked, somewhat hesitantly. He really _did_ want to see what all the hype was about over the resort town, but... it sounded like it'd mean a lot more to Rude. Plus the guy had just gone through Hell Week. He kinda deserved a break, if it was really as bad as everyone seemed to think. Reno could always go another time... Maybe when he had some vacation time saved up.

Rude smiled and shook his head. "You've never been. If Tseng picks you, you should go. You'll love it."

"Yeah, but..."

"How long 'til you've got a full week's vacation coming?" Rude suddenly asked. Reno looked at him, puzzled for a moment.

"I dunno... few more months maybe? Why?"

"You go on the assignment if it gets offered to you. Then we'll hit up the beach _together_ when you got the time off. More fun that way, anyway."

"You sure, man? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I'll survive without being sent off for guard duty on the beach."

"Don't you two think you're getting just a _little_ ahead of yourselves?" Luca's voice interrupted. The senior Turk set his plate down and took a seat next to Reno. "Neither one of you've been given the assignment _yet_."

He took a bite of his sandwich and fixed the redhead with a slightly disapproving look.

"And just because _you're_ his rookie doesn't mean you've got yourself a guarantee," he added. "You start acting like you're entitled to special treatment, you're gonna get on a lot of people's nerves, Reno. You might belong to Tseng, but you're no better than any other rookie Turk... so you'd _best_ remember your place."

"... Yes, sir," the redhead replied, thoroughly chastised. Luca nodded in approval... then he smirked.

"So... what's this I hear about you destroying half the parking deck?"

The redhead rolled his eyes.

"For fuck's sake... It was just a _gate_!"

* * *

Over the course of the next few weeks, Reno's driving improved markedly... and by Friday, Tseng had gradually started to relax the white-knuckled grip he tended to have on the car's emergency brake.

"So now that I can drive... when do we start trainin' on the copter?" he asked as they pulled back into the parking space inside the Shinra Building's parking deck. Tseng shook his head.

"Not until you've passed the city's driving test and obtained your license," Tseng replied. He quietly added, "... Hopefully by _then_ it will be the dead of winter and we'll have to put it off until the spring thaw."

"Aw, come on, Boss... I'm doin' pretty good, aren't I?"

"Yes... I have to admit, you are," the Turk lieutenant chuckled. The pair of them exited the vehicle and made their way back to the elevator, bound for the Turks' offices. "And that being the case... I suppose now is as good a time as any to inform you that you'll be coming to Costa del Sol with me."

"Sweet!" the rookie replied with an exuberant smile. As the doors opened, Reno found himself greeted by a familiar face.

"Reno! Hi!" Izzy cried, grinning widely, "Where have you been? I haven't seen you around lately..."

"Eh... You know. Tseng's been keepin' me busy... learnin' to drive," he replied, returning her smile. "You up to anything tonight?"

"Well... there's a party over in Sector Five. I _could_ use a date... Wanna come?"

" _Hell_ yeah..." the redhead agreed.

"Great! Things start at nine..."

His face fell slightly, and he blushed, embarrassed.

"... Oh. Um... I kinda... have this... curfew... thing..."

Tseng sighed quietly. " _Perhaps_ it'stime I gave you a bit more freedom. The purpose of a curfew was to keep you from getting into too much trouble while you adjusted to your new living situation. I... think you've done that."

Reno looked as though Tseng had just told him they were going to the Gold Saucer that very night, and the Turk lieutenant couldn't help but chuckle. Izzy giggled.

"Well, in _that_ case... I'll give you a call later with the details, 'kay?" she said.

The redhead nodded, and Izzy leaned in an kissed him on the cheek just before the doors opened on her floor. She grinned and scrambled out, giving him a quick wave as they closed again. Tseng shook his head, with a soft laugh.

"Do _try_ to stay out of trouble..."

"Ah, come on, boss... You know me."

* * *

Tseng was awake even before his phone rang. He wasn't sure why, but somehow he just knew it was going to. Sure enough, a scant thirty seconds later, it did just that. The Turks second-in-command sighed and rolled over, wondering if his decision to relax Reno's curfew was as wise a move as it had seemed that afternoon.

He shook his head. Maybe he was simply jumping to conclusions. There was _always_ the possibility that it was Veld calling to notify him of an assassination attempt or a break-in on one of the classified floors at headquarters or some such emergency.

Somehow, though... he knew it wasn't. He didn't even bother glancing at the display as he answered.

"At what point in my life did I do something so unforgivable that I deserve this?" he asked crossly.

"Er... I'm sorry, sir. Maybe I have the wrong number. This is Detective Arnet with the Midgar Police Department. I'm trying to reach Tseng Itsudake?"

Tseng mentally kicked himself. He'd been expecting Reno to call personally... which, in retrospect, was a bit silly, if he was, in fact, sitting in a jail cell.

"You have. I apologize... I assumed you would be someone else. What is this regarding?"

"Well... This evening we pulled over a car for excessive speed in Sector Five. The driver was a minor without a valid license. When we ran the registration, it came back as belonging to you."

Tseng's hand clenched in a death grip around his PHS and his jaw tightened in barely restrained fury. _Surely_ he wouldn't have been _that_ foolish. If he found out that Reno had taken his car without so much as asking permission – not that he would have granted it – he was going to murder him. Painfully.

"I see," he responded in a clipped tone, "And where is my car now?"

"Sector Five impound." His eye twitched. "The driver has refused to cooperate, so we haven't yet located a parent or guardian. We're waiting on fingerprints now. Once he's been identified, you'll be able to press charges if you wish."

"Let me guess..." Tseng hissed, roughly pinching the bridge of his nose, "Approximately seventeen years old, red hair, very thin, with two crescent-shaped facial tattoos around his eyes and a tendency to swear every other sentence?"

"I... Yes, sir," the detective answered, sounding surprised.

"Which station is he at?" the Wutaiian Turk ground out.

"Sector Five, Substation C."

"I'll be there in thirty minutes. Tell him I'm coming. _That_ should make him far more cooperative."

* * *

It was closer to forty-five minutes before Tseng stormed angrily into the police station. The trains had been running slow. He had little trouble spotting the redhead through the window of an interrogation room, and started towards him. His progress was halted by older police detective.

"Mr. Itsudake?"

"Yes."

"Perhaps you could clear some things up for me. He seemed a bit... er... _terrified_... when we told him you were on your way here. How exactly do you know him?"

By then the redhead had spotted _him_ as well, and was watching the senior Turk through the tempered glass window, looking decidedly pale. Tseng scowled at him and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Unfortunately, I'm responsible for him."

" _You're_ his guardian?" the detective asked, leafing through his notes. Apparently his rookie hadn't been especially forthcoming, even _after_ being informed of Tseng's imminent arrival. They'd be having a word or two about _that_ later...

"Technically, he's a ward of Shinra Company," Tseng replied, "But he is under the direct supervision of the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department... more specifically, under _my_ supervision. I have legal authority over him until he's of age. Assuming he lives to see tomorrow, that is..."

The other man swallowed nervously. "The Turks?"

"Yes."

The detective cast a glance over his shoulder at the redhead, offering him a look of sheer pity, before turning back to Tseng.

"I take it you won't be pressing charges, then."

"No... I'll deal with him personally. What _exactly_ has he done?"

The man cleared his throat and flipped open his notebook. "He was pulled over for speeding about an hour and a half ago. He failed to present a valid license, and, obviously, the car wasn't registered to him. He was with a young lady... also a minor... who was extremely inebriated, and there was an open container of alcohol on the floor of the car. _She_ has since been remanded to the custody of her parents."

Tseng's eyes narrowed. "Is _he_ drunk as well?" If he was, the senior Turk was going to strangle him. Drinking on his time off was one thing... though Tseng didn't, strictly speaking, approve. Drinking and then going on a joyride – _in his car_ – was quite another.

"No, he's not. He claims he hasn't had anything to drink at all, actually... though being a minor, we're limited in what tests we can perform without a parent or guardian's permission."

"Anything else?"

"He _did_ try to flee after he was pulled over. The arresting officer said he got about six blocks before he apparently thought better of it and surrendered peacefully."

The Wutaiian Turk ground his teeth. Of all the idiotic things to do...

"I assume there's no issue with releasing him to me... Along with my car?"

"No... No issue. Uh... Right this way." He led him towards the interrogation room and unlocked the door. Tseng stepped inside pausing directly in front of his wayward rookie.

Reno scrambled to his feet, fearfully coming to attention. "I can explain..."

"I would _strongly_ advise holding your explanations until I'm in a slightly less homicidal mindset," he intoned, dangerously. He pointed to the door. "Now move."

"Uh... I kinda think I might rather stay in jail tonight..." the redhead replied, eying his irate commander with trepidation.

" _Move_ ," he repeated, in a tone that was not to be argued with.

"... Yes, sir..." the rookie squeaked, meekly, before cautiously slipping past him and out of the interrogation room, never taking his eyes off of Tseng.

The Wutaiian Turk clamped a hand down on the teenager's shoulder and roughly guided him out the front door of the station, following the officer to the impound lot. Neither of them said a word to one another as Tseng reclaimed his stolen property and forcibly strapped Reno into the passenger's seat. The silence lingered over them until they were nearly halfway back to the apartment. Finally, the redhead seemed to work up the courage to break it.

"I'm sorry."

"You're most certainly _going_ to be," the senior Turk responded, eyes locked on the road in front of him. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw Reno flinch... which normally would have bothered him immensely, but at the moment he was teetering dangerously on the edge of murderous, and frankly, it was probably a _good_ thing that the rookie was a bit scared. "I hesitate to even ask for an explanation right now. I'm far too angry with you as it is..."

The redhead sank down lower in the seat. "I... I was..." He took a deep breath, visibly attempting to calm himself. "Izzy's car wouldn't start. I... told her I'd give her a ride. I _know_ it was stupid of me. I just... You were finally trustin' me, 'n...I didn't wanna miss out. I screwed up."

"Was she the girl the police found you with?"

"Uh... No. I met _her_ at the party," he admitted, "Izzy was talkin' to some friends of hers, 'n I was just hangin' out. The kid was doin' vodka shots in the kitchen with some other guys."

"Were _you_ drinking as well?"

Reno vehemently shook his head in denial. "I wasn't... I swear. Not when I knew I was gonna be drivin' home later. I'm not that stupid."

" _That's_ up for debate..." Tseng glanced over at the rookie, who by then seemed to be trying to make himself as small as possible in the seat. He didn't _seem_ to be lying.

"And just where were you taking this apparently _very_ drunk girl the police found you with?"

"It's not what you think... I _swear_ it's not what you think."

"What I think is irrelevant. Answer the question."

"I was takin' her home," the redhead said quickly, "Look, I know what it looks like, but I wasn't gonna try anything with her. Some asshat slipped her somethin'. I... just didn't want anything to happen to her."

Tseng's harsh glare softened slightly at that. The redhead was likely being honest about his intentions... He'd seen enough of his ward to know that he _did_ have something of a protective streak when it came to women. Though that one good deed didn't change the fact that he'd stolen a car. _His_ car. A car he was very, _very_ attached to.

"S-so... on a scale of mandatory guard duty 'til I'm forty to pack your shit, I'm drop-kickin' you back to the slums... How much trouble am I in?" Reno nervously asked in a small voice.

"I haven't decided yet," Tseng said, evenly. "And I don't intend to until I'm less likely to do something I'll eventually regret. But I will tell you this. The Costa del Sol detail next week? You can most certainly forget about _that_. Rude will be taking your place on the security team."

He knew his rookie had been looking forward to that assignment. Luca had mentioned overhearing the team's rookies discussing which of them might be going. The teenager had had so few opportunities to ever leave the city... Tseng couldn't blame him for being rather excited when such a mission came up.

"Yes, sir..." the redhead replied, his voice sullen and resigned. Tseng turned into the parking lot of their apartment building and pulled into an empty space.

"We'll discuss the specifics of your punishment in the morning, after I've had some time to calm down. In the meantime, I suggest you enjoy your remaining few hours of freedom, Reno... because they're the last you're going to have for awhile."

~end chapter 31~


	32. Pride Before the Fall

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 32: Pride Before the Fall**

 **by Desha**

When Reno woke the next morning, it was with a feeling of dread. Tseng had sent him off to bed last night with the warning that they'd be 'discussing' his punishment when heads were cooler and tempers weren't running quite so high. And for _that_ much, he was grateful... but he knew he was in trouble. No matter how much Tseng had calmed down, last night was a screw-up of the epic variety, and his mentor wasn't going to just let him off the hook with a warning and a slap on the wrist. He'd be lucky if he set foot out of his room for anything other than work until he was thirty.

Which was why, when his alarm went off, the redhead groaned in dismay and forced himself from his bed, intent on presenting himself at the his earliest inconvenience... before the Wutaiian Turk had cause to come in and rouse him. He was in deep enough shit as it was... there was no sense in aggravating the man further.

"Wish me luck, Mr Foo-foo. Think I'm gonna need it..." Reno sighed, as he tucked his treasured stuffed bunny beneath one of his pillows, and hurried to pull on some clothes. It was Saturday... which _usually_ meant that Tseng would spend an extra hour or two in bed, enjoying the peace and quiet that came with an obligation-free morning, before getting up, having breakfast, and heading out for a somewhat truncated version of his morning run. Something told the rookie, however, that his mentor wouldn't be sleeping in this morning.

He soon discovered that he was correct in that assumption.

Tseng was seated at the kitchen table, dressed not for his run, but for the day, and Reno wondered if something – aside from his impending punishment – was going on. Tseng was a creature of habit and seldom varied his routine. The redhead silently braced himself as he prepared to make his presence known.

"Sit down," Tseng said, evenly, before Reno even had the chance to reveal himself. "We have a few things to talk about."

He sighed. The Turk lieutenant certainly didn't sound as thoroughly pissed off as he had last night... but he definitely wasn't happy, either. He quickly took a seat opposite the senior Turk.

"Last night was an utterly appalling example of poor judgment, irresponsibility, and outright stupidity. You were granted a level of trust, and you almost immediately decided to abuse it. Six months ago, I _might_ have been inclined to be somewhat lenient with you, but at this point, you've been here long enough to know that such behavior will _not_ be tolerated," Tseng began. The rookie held his breath, preparing for the worst. "I am... _extraordinarily_... disappointed in your choices, Reno."

And there it was. Reno couldn't remember a time when so few words had cut so deeply. He dropped his gaze to the tabletop and swallowed. His throat felt thick, and a deep-seated nervousness was rising in his gut.

"... I know, sir," he managed to say. "... I'm sorry."

"As we've already discussed, you will _not_ be going to Costa del Sol. You will also not be given any field work until I've returned to Midgar, and will instead spend extra time in the training hall. Your curfew is reinstated indefinitely... _and_ you will now be home by _eight_ 'o clock until I say otherwise. For this _coming_ week, however, you are restricted to the apartment. You will go straight to the office in the morning and come straight home in the evening, where you will remain... and if I learn that you _dared_ disobey me while I'm gone, it will not end well for you. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir... Completely."

"Furthermore... as Saya will be joining the security team, Kai will be in charge of you for the duration of my absence."

Reno resisted the urge to groan. Kai was a pain in the ass at the best of times... and he had the distinct impression that that was _exactly_ why Tseng had decided to leave him to her. It wasn't that he didn't _like_ the diminutive Turk... but what she lacked in size, she more than made up for in zealousness. _She_ was the one who ran him through the gauntlet his first week as a Turk. Twice. And she never failed to cut him down to size any time she felt he needed it.

Plus... the constant'Turkling' comments got _really_ annoying after awhile.

"She will escort you to and from work. She has also quite graciously agreed to be thoroughly inconvenienced, and will check in on you at random intervals while off-duty..." Tseng added. Reno cringed... Kai wasn't just in charge of him. She was his fucking babysitter. "While I am in Costa del Sol, there will be no alcohol and no guests... and Leviathan help you if you ever even _think_ about touching my car again, now or in the future."

By the time his mentor was finished, Reno felt lower than dirt. He couldn't even be indignant over the punishment... as even _he_ felt he deserved it. One word from the senior Turk's diatribe stood out strongly against all the rest. _Disappointed_. He hadn't actually realized it until that moment, but Reno desperately _didn't_ want to be a disappointment. Not to Tseng.

He silently vowed, then and there, that he would earn back his mentor's trust and pride... no matter what he had to do.

* * *

Monday arrived, and Tseng left... along with Rude and Saya. Tseng, at least, had departed early that morning, even before Reno had awoken, without so much as a goodbye. Reno sighed as he halfheartedly poked at a piece of toast. He hadn't dared set foot outside for his usual run that morning. Tseng hadn't clarified whether or not that was allowed while he was grounded... and he wasn't about to take a chance. He'd run at work, on the track on Thirty-one.

A loud knock interrupted his breakfast, and he hurried to down the coffee, at least, before rushing to the door to let Kai in. She stood on the little porch out front, arms crossed over her chest.

"I _told_ you naughty Turklings missed out on the fun," she said, smugly. "And from what I hear, you were very, _very_ naughty." She flashed him an obnoxious grin. "Did you _really_ steal Tseng's baby and go on a joyride in the middle of the night?"

The redhead sighed. "... Yeah. I took the car."

Kai shook her head in disbelief. "You have any idea how much he loves that car? You're lucky to be _alive_ , my little Turkling," she laughed.

"... Can we just go to work, already?"

She shrugged and tossed him a helmet, and gestured to the motorcycle waiting out front.

If he'd thought Tseng's driving could be a little wild, it was nothing compared to Kai's weaving in and out of traffic. More than once, Reno was convinced he was about to die, only to receive a last-second reprieve as she skirted whatever happened to be in her path. By the time they arrived at the Shinra Building, his arms were wrapped around her waist in something of a deathgrip.

Somehow, though, they made it without incident. Kai pulled into a space, and shut off the bike before removing her helmet.

"You can let go now," she snickered, when the redhead didn't initially move a muscle. He didn't answer. Instead, he simply forced his over-tensed muscles to relax, releasing his hold on the woman, and followed her to the elevator.

"Tseng left pretty specific instructions on what I'm supposed to do with you," Kai added, almost gleefully, as they headed upstairs. "No field work at all. You get to train. Then you get to do paperwork for the rest of us. Then you get to train some more. Day after day... all week long. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"... _Super_ fun," Reno replied with no small amount of sarcasm.

"Oh... and because you enjoy it _so_ very much, we'll be running the gauntlet twice a day, before and after lunch."

"... Shoulda seen _that_ comin'..." he muttered in response. Kai had a particular fondness for the obstacle course. Apparently, she'd helped design it and took great pride in having held the record completion time for three years running.

"You're also not going to be attending morning briefings. If there's anything you need to know, I'll pass it along later in the day," the senior Turk continued, "Since you're not allowed to leave the apartment to run, you'll be running laps in the morning until I come back downstairs to get you."

Well, that certainly took care of any uncertainty on _that_ matter. When Tseng had said he wasn't to leave the apartment for any reason other than work, he'd definitely meant _any_ reason. The redhead was glad he'd opted to err on the side of caution that morning. He didn't need any more screw-ups right now.

Kai dropped him off on the thirty-first floor, and Reno headed for the locker room to change. It was going to be a long week... but he was going to do whatever was asked of him, no matter how much it sucked, and he wasn't going to complain. He was going to prove to Tseng that bringing him into the Turks wasn't a mistake and that he'd learned his lesson. Whatever it took.

* * *

Tseng was unusually silent for much of the flight to Costa del Sol. They'd left earlier than originally anticipated... a last minute change in itinerary so that President Shinra could see to a minor business meeting upon arrival. He'd spent several frantic minutes contacting Rude and Saya, after having been woken unexpectedly early... so frantic he'd quite literally forgotten about waking Reno as well until he was halfway out the door. By then, however, he'd had no time to spare.

He supposed it didn't really matter. Kai would be arriving later to take him to the office, anyway... but he still didn't like leaving so abruptly. He'd had a few last minute instructions for the redhead. But Kai would take care of informing him of them.

Rufus was sleeping soundly in one of the seats across from him, pointedly facing away from his father's new girlfriend... _and_ the company's newest executive. Scarlet had just three weeks prior been appointed head of Weapons Research and given a spot on the executive board... and it was no secret how she'd gotten that promotion, either. Veld had been vaguely disgusted by the blatant favoritism being shown, when he'd informed his lieutenant of the staff change... but such things weren't the Turks' concern. She was an executive now, and was to be granted the full level of protection that came with it. He made a mental note to speak to Rufus about it at some point... he doubted very much that the younger Shinra was especially pleased.

For the moment, through, he did his best to put the subject of nepotism out of his mind. He imagined that, had he been able to come, Reno would have been napping peacefully, just as Rufus was. It was unfortunate... Tseng had been looking forward to the assignment up until Friday night. He'd wanted the rookie to see that not every mission outside of the city was like their trip to Gongaga... and he'd wanted Reno to be able to enjoy himself for a short while, after what he'd had to do in the little village.

But he couldn't just let Friday's actions slide, even if he'd wanted to... and truth be told, he was still rather angry about it, to boot. Reno needed discipline... and he was going to get it. Even if it meant missing out on a rare trip to Costa del Sol.

"Sir?" Rude inquired softly, next to him. The Turk lieutenant turned to look at him.

"Yes?"

"If it's not out of line of me to ask... Why'd you end up taking _me_ on this mission and not Reno?"

One of Tseng's eyebrows rose in surprise. He'd assumed that Reno would have called his friend to inform him of what had happened at _some_ point during the weekend. He'd placed a number of restrictions on the redhead, but cutting him off from his primary means of communication wasn't one of them.

"Reno... thought it would be amusing to take a little trip on Friday evening," he explained, "In my car... without a license and without my permission. He was returned to me by the police later that night. As such, I didn't think rewarding him with a working vacation on the beach would be appropriate. It seemed only fair that you be next in line."

That... and he'd wanted to separate the two of them to give Reno time to think long and hard about what he'd done. Having his friend around, even if it was only at work, would just provide a distraction from his punishment. Truth be told, that was why he'd assigned Saya to the detail, as well. The woman had a tendency to be somewhat softhearted when it came to the team's rookies. He knew damn well that she'd have babied him at every opportunity if he'd left her in Midgar.

"... He _is_ still _alive_... isn't he, sir?" Rude asked, somewhat stunned by the new information. Tseng smirked. His attachment to his vehicle was rather well-documented amongst the other Turks. After all... it wasn't everyday that Rufus Shinra personally granted a Turk a gift.

"Yes... Alive and well. Fortunately, I _did_ manage to restrain myself in that respect, at least," he replied, "... Barely."

* * *

The week went by agonizingly slowly for the redhead. Day after day, he followed the same set routine. Morning run while all of the other Turks attended the briefing. Hand to hand training with either Kai or Remy for an hour, followed by solo practice, the gun range, and then the pool while they tended to their assignments. Then the gauntlet, followed by lunch, and a couple hours of forced filing of paperwork for everyone else on the team. He'd very quickly become their office slave in the afternoon, and he hated it. Then it was time for weight training, a second round of hand to hand, _another_ run on the gauntlet, and then straight back to the apartment on the back of Kai's Ifrit-be-damned motorcycle... because apparently a full day of torture wasn't enough. He had to be scared half to death on the way home, too.

By Thursday night, Reno was nearly at his limit, both physically _and_ mentally.

He staggered into the apartment and collapsed face down onto the couch with a loud groan. He ached all over. Kai, he was almost certain, had ratcheted up the difficulty level on the gauntlet for his second run that day, and he _felt_ it. He was exhausted.

But it would be worth it. He'd take his punishment like a Turk. He'd make it through this week, and he'd show Tseng that he was serious about not continuing to fuck up. It was just one more day. All he had to do was make it to the weekend. Then Tseng would come home, see that he was behaving, and things would go back to normal.

Reno's stomach growled loudly, but instead of dragging himself to the kitchen, he curled up in the center of the couch and closed his eyes. He was too fucking tired to eat. Hell, he'd probably end up falling asleep in the middle of fixing dinner and burn down the fucking building with _his_ luck. He'd eat in the morning. Right now, he just wanted eight uninterrupted hours of sleep before his final day of torment.

He woke some time later to the sound of loud knocking on the door, and sat up, startled from a sound sleep. He glanced around in confusion for a moment, wondering who the fuck would be visiting so late at night... until he realized that bright morning sunlight was streaming through the windows. He swore and made his way unsteadily to the door, shaking the fog from his head as he went.

"Rise and shine, my little Turkling!" Kai greeted him with far too much enthusiasm for his taste. "Time to go!"

"I got time for breakfast at least?" he asked. He glanced down at himself, suddenly realizing that he was still in uniform from the previous day. He really _must_ have been tired.

"Sorry... you'll just have to grab something at the office. I'm running late myself... we're gonna hit all kinds of traffic if we wait any longer."

Reno bit back a yawn and nodded, closing the door behind him and following her to her bike.

* * *

"Kai... a moment?" Veld called out to the younger Turk as she was preparing to head back downstairs to check on the rookie after the morning briefing.

"Sir?"

"I just wanted to ask after Reno. Think he'll ever do something _that_ foolish again?" the Turk leader chuckled softly. Kai grinned.

"Not after I'm through with him, he won't."

" _Don't_ get carried away," he replied, holding up a finger in warning. "Tseng asked you to discipline him. Not torture him."

"Oh, he's _fine_. And he's cut almost thirty seconds off his time on the gauntlet," she replied dismissively. "We're going for a personal best today."

"Kai..." Veld said, a note of warning in his voice, "Remember... he's still only a rookie. And a very young one at that. Don't push him too hard on that obstacle course of yours. You could seriously injure him if you're not careful."

Kai sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She knew what she was doing. Probably more than Tseng sometimes. Reno would be fine... and he'd certainly never steal another car as long as he lived.

"Yes, sir," she replied, with a slight grin "I'll be careful not to break Tseng's precious little Turkling."

* * *

Reno stared at his lunch, trying to will it off the plate and into his mouth. When that failed miserably, he sighed in defeat. His arms felt leaden. Kai had switched things up after the morning briefing. They'd skipped the training hall altogether and gone straight to the gauntlet. Then they'd skipped the gun range and headed back to the gym instead for a run and weight training. He'd done so many bicep curls, that by the time she'd dismissed him for lunch, he'd been worried that his arms were going to fall off before she allowed him to stop.

"Fuck it," he muttered and leaned forward, dropping his face to plate-level and taking a bite.

Food... real, actual food. He moaned faintly as he chewed. All he'd had time to snag for breakfast were some bagels. Whoever had brought those abominations in this morning ought to have been smacked upside the head. They were just like donuts... except instead of being sweet and delicious, they were terrible and wrong. He'd choked down three of the damn things anyway, owing sheerly to the fact that if he hadn't, he'd have never made it to lunch.

"Um... What are you _doing_ , exactly?" a voice asked, and the rookie paused in his hands-free assault on his turkey sandwich to glance up at the new arrival. Shay was standing at the opposite side of the table, plate in hand, looking like he was debating on whether he should join the rookie or find somewhere... saner... to sit.

"What? You never seen a guy eat lunch before?" he asked, sitting up straight again.

"Not like a starving, crazed nibelwolf, no..."

Reno snorted a quiet laugh. Maybe he _was_ being just a little bit of a drama queen. He was sore... but not _that_ sore.

"I'm just really... beat," he sighed. Shay smiled warmly.

"Hey, at least it's almost over, right?"

"Thank Ifrit..." the rookie breathed. "I just hope Tseng doesn't think I need another week of this before I've learned my lesson. I'm not sure I could take it."

Shay laughed and dug into his own plate of food.

"Oh, come on... Tseng couldn't have been _that_ mad at you. I mean... it's just a car."

Reno shook his head. "Oh, believe me... it's more than just a car to him. Found _that_ out the hard way. Plus he wasn't real happy 'bout me gettin' arrested again, either. I've never _seen_ him so pissed... I'm just gonna keep my fuckin' head down, do whatever Kai tells me to, and _pray_ I'm not still on his shitlist when he gets back on Sunday."

"Did I hear a little Turkling call my name?" Kai interrupted, descending upon their table, and ruffling the redhead's hair. "You done eating yet?"

Reno glanced down at his mostly eaten sandwich, and then back up at the senior Turk. "You in a hurry or somethin'?" he queried. Kai snickered.

"I've got good news and bad news... The bad news is that there's no paperwork for you today," she said with an exageratingly sad frown. That didn't exactly _sound_ like 'bad news' to Reno. He eyed her suspiciously.

"... What's the _good_ news?"

"Good news is... You _now_ have time to run the gauntlet _twice_ this afternoon!"

He couldn't help it... in spite of doing his best not to utter a single complaint all week, he groaned. _Twice more_?

"... Kai? Are you _tryin'_ to kill me?" he asked. Her grin widened noticeably.

"Hurry up and finish that... and then meet me at the gauntlet," she replied, patting him on the head. With that, she turned and all but skipped out the cafeteria doors. Reno sighed and picked up the last bite of his sandwich, popping it in his mouth.

"Shay, do me a favor?"

"Sure... What?"

"If I don't survive this, tell Rude I'd like my ashes spread over the Gold Saucer."

"Will do," Shay snickered.

* * *

"Come on, Rookie! You're almost there! Push it!"

Reno would have glared at her... but at the moment, Kai was still about eleven feet above him, and most of his concentration was focused on locating his next handhold. She _was_ right though. This was his second post-lunch runthough. He _was_ almost there. Once he made it up the climbing tower, down the zipline, and through the shooting gallery... his week of punishment would end. He could go home, curl up in bed, and sleep until Sunday afternoon when Tseng returned. He was so close, he could _taste_ it.

The redhead could feel the sweat pouring down his back. He was uncomfortable and sticky and desperately wanted a shower. It was making his hands slick as well, and he hurriedly wiped his free hand across his shirt before reaching up for the next hold.

Apparently, it wasn't quite enough. The moment he shifted his weight, he felt his fingers slipping. Reno desperately tried to backtrack, but it was too late. He was going down, and that was all there was to it. Twenty feet didn't see all that high in the grand scheme of things... but the drop seemed to take forever. He was distantly aware of Kai calling his name in alarm, but his attention was more focused on the almost slow-motion approach of the ground.

Seconds later, he hit the mat at the base of the tower, landing on his side with a sickeningly loud crunch. It was several seconds, however, before the pain of the injury actually registered. When it did, though... for a moment, he was certain he was going to pass out. Sharp pain lanced down his left arm, starting at his shoulder and leaving his fingertips tingling unpleasantly.

"Reno! Hang on, it's alright... " Kai said, easing him onto his back. The redhead all but screamed, as the movement seemed to intensify the pain tenfold. His vision swam.

" _Fuuuck!_ "

"Sorry... sorry... Where's it hurt?" she asked, her voice surprisingly calm.

"Shoulder..." the rookie ground out, and the woman's fingers were immediately prodding the injury, making his breath catch in his throat. He let out a low, pained moan at the slight pressure.

"Crap. Okay, well... _that's_ definitely dislocated. Anything else hurt?" Reno shook his head, and Kai carefully helped him sit up. "Come on. Let's get you down to Medical. They'll have you fixed up in no time."

Reno winced as she pulled him to his feet and slipped beneath his good arm to support him. For a moment, he vaguely wondered why. His _legs_ were just fine. It was his arm that felt like it had been torn halfway off. He figured it out as he took the first step towards the exit and nearly fell over as the movement jostled his shoulder slightly, sending another wave of agony coursing through him. He was suddenly glad she was there... because he almost certainly would have fallen over, otherwise.

They made their way to the elevator and down to the ninth floor, where Kai helped him through the door to the medical bay. A younger male doctor was apparently on duty today. He looked at the new arrivals through narrow, wire-rimmed glasses for a moment before hurrying over.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Fell a good twenty feet from a climbing structure in the gym," Kai explained for him, "Shoulder's out of joint."

"Any other injuries?" the doctor inquired, escorting them over to a small exam table, "Any dizziness, vomiting, double vision?"

Reno shook his head. "Tch... Landed on my shoulder, not my head. And it's fuckin' _killin'_ me. Can't you do somethin', already?"

"Yeah, come on, doc... pop that sucker back into place. He's really hurting."

The doctor shook his head as he examined the redhead. "It's in the wrong position for a dislocation. It looks to me like it's separated. He's torn the ligaments between the collarbone and the shoulder blade. Sorry... but he needs an x-ray before we do _anything_. Trying to rearticulate a shoulder that's not actually dislocated will only make things worse. I'll give him something for the pain, and then arrange to have him taken to Midgar General."

Reno groaned. Great... so much for ending the week without screwing something up.

The doctor disappeared behind a screen for a moment... only to emerge holding a large needle. Reno cringed. This just kept getting better and better...

* * *

By the time they arrived at the hospital, Reno wasn't feeling a damn thing. Whatever that doc had given him... he _liked_ it. He grinned up at Kai, somewhat dazed.

"Heh... I feel pretty good now," he said, and wondered why his speech seemed so heavily slurred. "I don't think we need to go to the... hostital... hopsicle... hostilcal..." he frowned. None of those sounded right. "... ya know... the doctor place... after all..."

"Trust me, Reno... We _need_ to go," she snickered, as the orderlies wheeled him inside, "Think that guy might've given you just a little _too_ much. You're high as a damn kite."

He blinked in confusion. Was _that_ what this was? He honestly didn't know... The one, and subsequently _only_ , time he'd taken something trying to get high, he'd ended up hiding in a closet for a couple hours, convinced that some nameless, faceless person was trying to murder him. He'd had a lingering sense of paranoia for days afterwards. He'd never tried that shit again, and for years had wondered why so many people seemed to think it was so great. If _this_ was what it was _supposed_ to feel like... he suddenly understood.

"Now what's this, then?" a familiar voice asked before he could respond. Dr. Ward was approaching rapidly, and Reno tried to sit up, grinning. Kai hurriedly coaxed him back down, as the doctor joined them. "Oh, my little headache... How in Shiva's name did yeh do this ta yerself?"

"Heh... _her_ fault," he replied, still grinning madly as he pointed at Kai with his injured left arm. Or tried to point. He found that he couldn't really lift it very well, and it just sort of flopped to one side. The redhead laughed, and tried it again, only to achieve the same result. Ward quickly seized him and held him still.

"For _Odin's_ sake... When Alonso called to tell me that one of my patients was being admitted, he didn't say anything about drugging him out of his mind! How much did he _give_ the poor thing?!"

"I don't know but... he was pretty loopy the whole trip here," Kai replied.

Dr. Ward shook her head and directed them to a room down the hall. "Well... at least he's not in pain fer the moment," she sighed, "Let's see ta getting that x-ray done, and find out just how much damage there is. If he's lucky we can get him inta a sling and an ice pack and call it a day. If he's not... he may well be in fer a bit of an operation."

* * *

Reno, as it turned out, was not lucky. The x-ray showed that the ligament had completely detached from the bone, leaving his shoulder unanchored. Ward had quickly scheduled him for surgery to have it reattached, but it would have to wait until tomorrow morning. In the mean time, he was receiving regular doses of pain killers... which, after the initial novelty had worn thin, had soon become less than pleasant.

"I don't think I like this anymore..." he whispered to the empty room. Everything seemed... distorted. Sounds, faces, the way the bedsheets felt against his skin... even the smells that surrounded him. Though the latter might have been due more to his inexperience with hospitals than with the drugs. It was like living in some bizarre, not-quite-right world than he couldn't leave... and it was starting to freak him out.

Worse, Kai had run off somewhere a short while ago, leaving him alone with his thoughts. And those thoughts had taken a turn for the dark. He'd failed. He couldn't go _one goddamn week_ without fucking something up. The fact that he was laying in a hospital bed, pumped full of painkillers, waiting to have his shoulder surgically reattached or whatever, was proof of that. Tseng was going to be so... disappointed. Again.

What was he going to do if the Turk lieutenant decided he just wasn't worth the hassle anymore? Could he even _be_ a Turk if his mentor gave up on him? He doubted it. After all, if Tseng didn't want him, who would? And if he wasn't a Turk, he'd have no way to support himself up here on the Plate. He didn't have any _real_ skills... unless, of course, someone was in need of a seventeen year old bartender who wasn't even allowed _in_ the bars topside.

He'd end up back in the Slums.

His chest tightened uncomfortably at that thought. He couldn't go back to that life. He'd never be able to take it after this long. He'd die down there. The same way his mother had. He didn't _want_ to die...

He suddenly felt overwhelmingly restless, the need to move outweighing the need to avoid aggravating his injury. The blanket on top of him was too constricting. He felt as though he was suffocating, and he shoved it aside, kicking it to the floor. It didn't help. He couldn't breathe right. Every time he took a breath, if felt as though someone were sitting on his chest, preventing his lungs from filling.

He was worthless. A screw-up that no one really wanted, least of all Tseng.

His breathing was rapid and forced now, leaving him dizzy as he sat up in bed, trying to alleviate the sense of pressure on his chest. He somehow managed to find his feet, standing shakily next to the bed. The tile floor was cold underfoot, and he suddenly found that he was much too warm. He dropped to his knees first, feeling the slight tug of the annoying little monitors Ward had stuck all over him as they started to pull away from his skin. He didn't care. He slowly dropped the rest of the way to the floor, savoring the delicious coolness of the tile against his skin.

There was a sharp pinch as the IV pulled free of his uninjured arm, but he didn't give a shit about that, either... though he did wish that irritating beeping would quit already. Some of the tightness in his chest eased in this new position... but still, he coughed weakly trying to catch his breath.

"Reno?!"

Kai was suddenly kneeling next to him, and he whimpered softly in distress.

"Don't let him send me back..." he pleaded, ignoring the frantic calls for Dr. Ward and the subsequent arrival of medical personnel to lift him back into bed. They didn't matter. He just kept repeating those six words, over and over again, until darkness mercifully claimed him.

* * *

Kai paced near Reno's bed, pausing occasionally to glance over at the pale redhead in concern. Ward had ultimately had to sedate him. She looked up as the door to the room opened, and the doctor returned.

"What the _hell_ was all that?" she demanded. Ward shook her head.

" _That_ was a drug-induced panic attack. Apparently he doesn't respond well ta narcotic painkillers... a little fact I've added ta his medical records in very large, very _bold_ print so that we don't have a repeat of this the _next_ time he ends up here," the aging doctor responded as she checked on her patient. "Though in the interim, it _is_ going ta be a bit of a problem, seeing as he's going ta be in quite a lot of pain until we get that shoulder fixed... not ta mention the recovery time. I can give him non-narcotic alternatives, but they probably won't be nearly as effective."

Kai sighed, and looked down at the rookie again. Tseng wasn't going to be happy about this.

"Out of curiosity... do yeh have any idea what he meant by 'don't let him send me back'?" Ward asked as she was taking the sleeping teenager's blood pressure. Kai shrugged.

"I'd assume that 'he' is Tseng. And there's really only one place anyone could send him back to."

"... The slums," Ward said, gravely. She shook her head. "Why would he be worrying about something like that?"

"... Uh... Tseng's _kinda_ ticked off at him at the moment. Or at least he was before he left town on assignment. Reno pulled a pretty stupid stunt last week and got himself arrested," Kai replied, before adding, "But he's not _that_ ticked. And even if he were, he'd never just dropkick the kid back down there. Reno knows that."

"Are yeh so sure about that?" the doctor asked. She didn't wait for a reply. "Well... At any rate, he seems ta be resting comfortably enough now. We'll keep him sedated fer the time being, and I'll see what I can do about moving that surgery up a bit. The sooner the better, I think. Yeh can go home if yeh like. I'll take good care of him."

Kai snorted derisively.

"You kidding, Doc? Tseng would absolutely _kill_ me if I just left him here. Hell, he's probably gonna kill me anyway for letting him get hurt in the first place. Assuming Veld doesn't get to me _first_ ," she said with a sigh, "He warned me about pushing him too hard on the gauntlet."

"Hmph... a pity _he_ has ta suffer in order fer _yeh_ ta learn that lesson," Ward replied, before turning from her patient. "I'll be back ta check in on him later. Yeh've been here enough over the years, I'm sure yeh already know where the coffee machine and the like are."

With that, she retreated, leaving the senior Turk alone with the rookie. Kai shook her head and stepped over to Reno's bedside, lightly running her fingers through his hair.

"I'm really sorry about this, kiddo. You weren't supposed to get hurt."

* * *

Tseng had just settled in for the night. The President had insisted upon turning in early, as they'd be leaving first thing in the morning. It had taken some cajoling to convince Rufus to do the same, but the Turk had finally managed to convince him to head off to bed, leaving the small security team free to retire as well. Saya was already asleep when he'd looked in on her, and Rude was making his way back to his own bed the last he'd seen of him.

The Wutaiian sighed contentedly and shut off the light. It had been an utterly textbook, and enjoyably relaxing, assignment. Everything had gone smoothly and all that remained was the trip home in the morning. It wasn't often that absolutely _nothing_ went wrong.

So naturally, the very moment that thought had entered his head, his PHS rang.

Tseng grimaced and turned the light back on, before reaching for the phone and noting the caller ID with no small amount of trepidation. Justinia Ward _did not_ call him for anything trivial. Especially not at nine-thirty at night. There were only a handful of reasons she'd be contacting _him_ and not, say, Veld right now... and most of them had to do with a certain red-haired seventeen year old.

"Tseng here," he quickly answered, fearing the worst.

"I know it's late... and before yeh get yerself all worked up, no, it's not, strictly speaking, an emergency. I just thought yeh might appreciate a little advance warning."

"... Advance warning about _what_ , exactly?"

"Yer little rookie is here with me at Midgar General. Seems he took a bit of a tumble on that Shiva-forsaken obstacle course yer so fond of and separated his shoulder. He's scheduled fer surgery in the morning."

Tseng swore loudly in his native tongue, and climbed out of bed, stalking toward the window and gazing out towards Midgar.

"Yeh watch yer language, young man. Don't think I don't recognize cursing just because it's being done in Wutaiian. Now then... he's going ta be just fine, but he'll be on restricted duty fer at least a week. Probably closer ta two. I suggest yeh plan accordingly. Incidentally... it's his _left_ arm, so... if yeh were thinking about putting him behind a desk, I don't think he'll be much good to yeh as a secretary fer awhile."

Though he appreciated the information, frankly, finding something for the redhead to occupy himself with for the next two weeks was the farthest thing from his mind right now.

"May I speak to him?" Tseng asked.

"I'm afraid not. He had a bad reaction ta some medication. I had him sedated ta calm him down... _and_ so that he doesn't have ta suffer through the night without any pain relief, since I'm a little hesitant ta just go experimenting ta see he what he can and can't tolerate right before surgery."

Tseng sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he took a seat on the edge of the bed. The fact that he was presently a ocean away from an injured rookie – one that _should_ have been right there alongsidehim – didn't sit well with him.

"There _is_ one more thing," Ward continued, and he could hear the slight hesitation in her voice.

"What?"

"He wasn't entirely... _lucid_... at the time, mind yeh, due ta the medication. But before I sedated him, he kept repeating something. Right up until he drifted off, in fact. Kai doesn't seem ta think it's anything ta worry about, but... I think yeh _still_ might want ta sit him down when yeh get home and find out what's going through that boy's head."

Tseng frowned slightly in concern. "What did he say?" he asked.

"Don't let him send me back."

The Wutaiian Turk exhaled slowly and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"He _knows_ I'd never do that. I took great care to assure him as such the _last_ time this came up."

"Well... as I said. He wasn't _exactly_ with it at the time, and painkillers'll do funny things ta people who have a sensitivity to them," Ward replied. "Still... it might not be such a terrible idea ta reiterate that yer not about ta abandon him. Seems the notion's still floating about somewhere in the back of his mind."

"Thank you, Justinia. Is anyone staying with him?" Someone had damn well _better_ be staying with him... and that someone better have been Kai if she knew was was good for her.

"Kai's sitting with him. Don't yeh worry. We'll take good care of him until yeh get here. If Kai's got yer schedule right, he should be in the recovery ward by the time yeh land."

"Noted. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Tseng. Try not ta worry. He's in good hands."

He ended the call and set the phone aside. Reno would be fine. There wasn't a physician on the planet he trusted more than Justinia. As she'd said... his rookie was in good hands. And it wasn't as if he could actually _do_ anything, even if he _were_ there right now.

Of course... that knowledge didn't make sleep come any easier to him.

* * *

"Reno..."

The redhead couldn't seem to open his eyes. His eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. Just _trying_ to lift them was exhausting. For that matter... he couldn't move much of anything else at the moment, either.

Where in the nine hells was he? He couldn't seem to remember shit. He had a vague recollection of falling... and then intense pain. After that, everything was muddled and hard to sort out.

"Hey, Turkling... Come on. Can you hear me, or what?" the voice asked, and the rookie turned his head slightly towards its source.

"Mmph..."

Nope. No good on talking, either. The fuck was wrong with him?

"Oh, fer Shiva's sake... Don't pester the poor thing. He hasn't fully come out of the anesthesia yet..." a new voice replied. He felt a gentle pressure against his chest as he was enveloped in warmth. Fingers lightly brushed his hair back from his forehead.

Anesthesia... he knew that word. It was one he'd only recently added to his vocabulary, during a conversation with Luca about injuries he'd sustained on the job. Crap... had he been hurt? His head felt like a jumbled mess, and he couldn't think clearly. The redhead tried to reach out toward the voices, only to be assailed by sudden pain the moment he moved his arm. He gasped softly, eyes reflexively flying open. He squinted in the somewhat harsh light that he suddenly found himself bathed in.

"Yeh keep that arm _still_ , yeh daft thing. Yeh'll pull yer stitches out if yeh go waving it about!" Dr. Ward chastised. The redhead groaned faintly and turned his head to his left, taking stock of the bandages that were wrapped around his shoulder and upper arm. They encircled his chest, as well, keeping the appendage immobilized... unless he forced it to move.

He blinked slowly as some of the confusion cleared. He'd fallen. He'd been climbing the gauntlet's tower, and he'd fallen just as he was nearing the top.

He also remembered the sound it had made when he'd hit the floor _very_ clearly. His shoulder was aching slightly after the attempt at moving it. Apparently it hadn't been a _good_ sound.

"Hey," Kai interjected, peering down at him. "How ya feeling?"

The redhead blinked again and then closed his eyes.

"Hungry..." he murmured. Starving was more like it. How fucking long had he been here? He remembered now... Kai had dragged him back to the fucking obstacle course right after lunch. They'd been at it until nearly quitting time... and then he fell. He briefly opened his eyes again, this time turning his gaze toward the windows. It was daylight. At the very least, he'd missed dinner and breakfast. Maybe today's lunch, too.

"Well... that settles it. If his first thought is _food_ , he _must_ be fine," the senior Turk snickered. Ward scoffed, and pressed a button on the wall, raising the head of the bed until the rookie found himself sitting up.

"There, now. Better?" she asked, and Reno nodded. "Yeh just sit back and relax. Yeh've only just come out of surgery. Yeh can eat once yer a little more awake. It'll be a bit before yer feeling yerself again."

"What'd I do?" he asked, groggily. He remembered falling. He remembered the crunch on impact with the floor. He _vaguely_ remembered staggering down to Medical with Kai. Beyond that, though... it was still a blank. Obviously he'd done some serious damage to himself. He wondered just _how_ serious.

"Yeh tore a ligament in yer shoulder. Caused it ta separate. Nothing we couldn't fix for yeh, but yer going ta be laid up fer a bit, and probably more than a little sore while yeh recover."

The redhead sighed and let his head flop back against the pillow.

"Tseng's gonna be pissed..."

"Yeah. Thanks for reminding me," Kai said, dryly. "I _almost_ managed to forget how much trouble I'm gonna be in." She shook her head and sighed. "Well... at least he won't find out about this for another hour or two. Got some time to put my affairs in order."

Ward chuckled softly.

"Oh... I informed him Reno was here last night."

"You _what_?!" Kai all but shrieked.

"Well, he _is_ Reno's legal guardian," the doctor huffed, clearly annoyed, "Of course I notified him."

"Oh, man... I'm dead," Kai groaned.

* * *

Tseng sat somewhat rigidly by Reno's bedside. The rookie had been sound asleep when he'd arrived twenty minutes ago, and he hadn't been able to bring himself to wake him. In fact... he wasn't entirely certain he _could_ wake him... He hadn't so much as stirred when a nurse had come in to check on him a short while ago. Normally, the slightest sound or physical contact seemed to rouse him immediately. Right now, though, the redhead was dead to the world.

Ward had said he'd come through surgery with no problem. So long as he took it easy, and kept the injury immobilized, he'd be good as new in two to three weeks.

Reno made a soft, vaguely irritated noise, and attempted to roll onto his side... only to be prevented from doing so by the pillows Ward had tucked in on either side of him to stop him from doing just that. Apparently the realization that he was trapped on his back was enough to pull him from sleep. A moment later, blue eyes fluttered open, and almost immediately locked onto Tseng.

"How do you feel?" the Wutaiian Turk asked. Reno flinched slightly as he shifted position.

"Like I fell off a climbing tower, I guess..."

Tseng snorted a soft laugh. "I suppose that makes sense, given how you got here."

He reached out and brushed a few stray locks of hair off of the rookie's forehead. Unexpectedly, Reno pulled his head away from his touch and dropped his gaze.

"... I'm sorry."

Tseng frowned slightly and shook his head. "Haven't we already been through this once?" he asked. "Hmph... come to think of it, you were under Kai's supervision _that_ time, as well. You are not at fault for the mistakes of those training you."

"... I mean for bein' such a... ya know. Such a disappointment. I tried... I really, _really_ tried. I couldn't even make it through the week without doin' somethin' stupid."

Tseng blinked in shock, not quite certain how to respond to such a statement. At last he simple shook his head.

"What in Leviathan's name put the idea that I consider you to be a disappointment into your head?"

"You said so. Before you left," he replied, daring a glance up at his mentor. Tseng groaned and found himself automatically pinching the bridge of his now between his thumb and forefinger. If this kept up, he was going permanently disfigure himself doing that.

"Reno... I _said_ I was disappointed in your _behavior_ and lack of judgment. And I most certainly was and still am. It was inexcusable. But I never said or meant to imply that _you_ are a disappointment to me. And I certainly would never hold you accountable for an accident during training that, from what I've been told, resulted from your supervisor pushing you to the brink of exhaustion. I _will_ be speaking to _Kai_ about that, however..."

"So... you're not still ticked at me for takin' your car without askin'?" the redhead asked, cautiously.

"Annoyed, would be more accurate, at this point," Tseng replied, smiling faintly. "But I think before we discuss that any farther, I think there is something I need to be very explicit about with you."

Reno visibly cringed, apparently expecting the worst.

"Reno... You are not prefect. And you never will be," he stated, calmly. "I've yet to meet anyone who is, and I don't _expect_ you to be the first. I only expect you to do the best you are capable of. Last Friday absolutely did _not_ fit that criteria..."

"... Yeah," the redhead whispered, staring down at his fingernails.

"That being said, I want there to be absolutely no uncertainty about one matter in particular. I will not, under _any_ circumstances, return you to where I found you. And I don't want you to fear that. Ever. I give you my word... No matter what you may do, I will never send you back to the Slums."

"Not even if I turn out to be a total fuckup as a Turk?" the rookie queried. Tseng chuckled quietly.

"You won't. But no... not even if Veld personally ejected you from our ranks with extreme prejudice," he replied, gently lifting the teenager's chin until he could see his eyes. "I've... grown to care about you Reno. I could never simply abandon you."

The rookie awkwardly turned his head away from his mentor and gave a somewhat self-deprecating snort.

"Well... _Now_ I feel pretty fuckin' stupid."

Tseng chuckled lightly, and moved closer. "Perhaps next time... just ask when you're uncertain of something. I'm sorry I left you with the impression that you had somehow failed me. You're... very self-reliant, Reno. Sometimes I forget that you're still only seventeen and don't always react like an adult."

The redhead's stomach suddenly gave an angry growl.

"Uh... not to kill the mood or anything... but I think I've missed like four or five meals at this point. Can I _please_ eat somethin'?" he asked with a pleading expression. Tseng smirked.

"... And then there are times when your age is painfully obvious," he snickered. "I'll go and check with Dr. Ward."

The Turk lieutenant stood and left the redhead on his own, quietly closing the door to the room behind him as he went off in search of the doctor. A short distance down the hall, he spotted another familiar figure instead, however, and quickly approached on silent feet, coming to a halt directly behind the woman as she retrieved a cup of coffee from the vending machine.

"Kai."

The younger Turk yelped in surprised and dropped the cup as she turned to confront the unexpected interloper.

"Goddammit, Tseng... That was the last of my change," she said, glaring at him.

"This is the _second_ time I've left Reno in your care and returned to find him injured."

The woman rolled her eyes. "For Shiva's sake... it was an _accident_. And the kid's going to be fine."

Tseng crossed his arms over his chest. "Forgive me if I'm having a difficult time believing that," he replied, coolly, "It wasn't so long ago that you accused me of using him to prove something. As I recall, your sentiment was along the lines of 'I'm going to get him killed and his blood will be on my hands... just like Allisa's.' If this is about her, then kindly have the decency to say so to my face. Don't take it out on a teenager who had nothing to do with it."

Kai narrowed her eyes as him. "It. Was. An. Accident," she repeated, "Fuck you, Tseng. You and I have our issues... but I'm not some fucking psychopath who'd go after a fellow Turk just to get back at _you_. I _happen_ to like Reno. Everyone does, in case you haven't noticed. I don't want to see him hurt any more than you do... so don't go making bullshit accusations that have no basis in reality."

He was silent for a long moment, staring at her appraisingly, before finally backing down.

"I believe you," he replied. He turned and started down the hallway again, intent on resuming his search for Dr. Ward. "Still, Kai. This was the second time. There will _not_ be a third," he added, without looking back.

~end chapter 32~


	33. Never Prank a Prankster

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 33: Never Prank a Prankster**

 **by Desha**

 **Author's Note:** _I know it's a little early for Halloween, but I'm actually a lot farther ahead in my timeline that I'd planned to be... and I've been in a Halloweeny mood lately. Chapters might be a little slower in coming out for a bit, as I don't have quite as much free time as usual right now. But don't worry about any lulls in posting. I haven't gotten tired of this story yet. :)_

* * *

"Can't I take this fuckin' thing off yet?" Reno asked, as Dr. Ward gently prodded his shoulder. It had been three weeks... going on four... since his training accident, and the redhead was sick of being sidelined. He wasn't allowed to lift anything. He wasn't allowed to do any sort of hand to hand practice. Hell, he couldn't even do much on the gun range, because it was his dominant hand that was incapacitated by the shoulder injury, and shooting one-handed with his off hand just resulted in a lot of wasted ammunition.

For the past few weeks, he'd effectively been an office slave. Filing completed reports, organizing the archive room, handling scheduling issues, and running errands between floor for the others. He'd become the Turks' secretary, and he wanted it over with. Now.

Plus he was sick to death of all the stupid little 'therapeutic' exercises she had him doing, to ensure that the muscles in his arm didn't weaken from disuse.

"Language!" the doctor snapped. She eased his arm out of the sling, and carefully pulled it out straight in front of him. "Any pain?"

Reno shook his head.

"Let's see yeh try and raise it over yer head. Stop if it hurts."

He did as ordered, stretching his arm up into the air. Ward gave – what he hoped was – an approving nod.

"Alright... Yer cleared fer general duty."

"Oh, _thank_ Ifrit..." the rookie breathed.

"... _But_..." she added with a stern look, "I want yeh ta ease back inta training. Don't go and overdo it yer first day back at it."

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, grinning. "We done here? I'm gonna be late for the mornin' briefing."

Dr. Ward chuckled, and held out a bright purple sucker. "Yeh can go. _Try_ not ta turn up in my exam room again fer a bit, hmm?"

"Where else am I gonna get free candy?"

"As if _that's_ going ta be a problem," she snorted softly. "Yeh _do_ realize what tomorrow is, don't yeh?"

The redhead's eyes went wide.

"... Holy _crap_... I fuckin' _forgot_! Hey... do they _really_ just hand shit out to anyone up here?"

" _Language_!" the doctor replied, in an exasperated tone. "And yes... They do. Don't they have Halloween down in the Slums?"

"Well, sure... but most people can't afford to just give shi– _stuff_ away..." he replied, censoring himself at the last second. He wouldn't put it past the doctor to take back his treat for violating her language filter even after she'd given it to him. "'Least not in Sector Two. Mostly, it's just an excuse to pull pranks 'n scare people."

"Hmph... Then I'm sure by this time next week, yeh'll have eaten yerself inta a diabetic coma. Right then... off with yeh. Back ta work, my little headache."

Reno grinned and hopped off the table, pulling his jacket back on. Freedom from that stupid sling and no more restricted duty... _and_ free candy? This was shaping up to be a good week.

* * *

By the time he made it upstairs, the morning briefing had already begun, and Reno crept into the room as silently as he could, trying not to interrupt. He slipped into the chair next to Rude, just as Veld was passing around copies of a dossier.

"It's imperative that he be located as soon as possible," the Turk leader was saying. "But under no circumstances is he to be harmed in any way. Be warned, though... he has no such obligation against any of _you_. Watch yourselves."

"What's goin' on?" the redhead whispered to his friend.

"Tell you after," Rude replied quietly, as Veld's focus landed squarely on the redhead a moment later.

"Reno. What did Medical have to say?" he asked, startling the rookie slightly.

"... Uh... Ward cleared me for duty," he stammered, caught off-guard. Veld nodded.

"Good. I'd like you paired up with Rude for this, then. He'll fill you in."

"Yes, sir," he replied, still having no idea what was going on.

"Alright. Everyone... let's get started."

With that, the entire team collectively got to their feet, dividing up into partners and taking their dossiers with them as they hurriedly exited the room. Reno stared after them, slightly shocked by the abrupt departure.

"... Okay. _That_ was weird."

"There's an intruder in the building," Rude explained. He was already on his feet, and the redhead quickly mirrored him. "He's some kind of weapons engineer. Used to work for us. Security spotted him on the overnight surveillance footage about twenty minutes ago. They think he's still here. Come on... we've got floors five through ten to search."

"What's all this shit about us not hurtin' the guy?"

Rude shrugged. "Not sure... Veld just said he's not to be harmed. At all. Need him for interrogation, maybe?"

Reno frowned slightly. That was unusual... but he supposed if this guy had valuable information, shooting him in the head might be a little counterproductive. Still... what if he attacked _them_? They couldn't fight back? Not even to disable him?

He flipped open the folder on their target. He was middle-aged, with a five o'clock shadow and short, tightly-curled brown hair. He didn't _look_ particularly dangerous... if anything he looked like any other tech nerd from the various research departments. But the redhead knew better than to judge on appearance alone. Just because someone doesn't _look_ like they might try and kill you doesn't mean they don't have a knife behind their back.

Something nagged at him, though. Why had Veld paired him up with _Rude_? Not that the two of them didn't work well together... but it seemed a little odd to put the team's only two rookies together for a building-wide manhunt.

Maybe it was a chance for them to show the rest of the team how far they'd progressed. Or maybe he was sending the two of them to the least likely place their target might be encountered. Or maybe it was a combination of the two... a low-risk mission without a senior Turk hovering over them. You know... just to see how badly fucked up without their mentors around.

He frowned as they boarded the elevator, still deep in thought.

… _Maybe_ it was something else, altogether.

"Something wrong?" Rude asked. Reno shook himself from his musings.

"... Nah. Not really. Just... Doesn't this seem weird to you?"

"Weird how?"

"I dunno... I mean, I keep hearin' how company headquarters is the most secure building in all of Midgar. And this guy just walks right in and disappears?"

"..."

"And then Veld puts us _together_. Not that I'm complainin' about havin' you around, but when's the last time you got sent somewhere without a senior Turk to back you up?"

"... Now that you mention it... that _is_ kind of weird."

"And just throwin' it out there, but... it's the day before Halloween. Maybe shit's different topside, but down in the Slums, we call that Mischief's Eve. It's the biggest fuckin' prank holiday of the year. Awfully big coincidence... don't ya think?"

"You... think they're trying to prank us? All of 'em?"

Reno shrugged. "I'm just sayin' something's weird about this," he replied as the elevator dropped them off on the fifth floor. The pair exited and found themselves in a small lobby. Five was headquarters for the advertising and public relations department. The walls were decorated with the company's most recent ad campaigns, and promotional materials. The redhead sighed. "But... I guess we gotta treat it like it's real, either way. 'Least 'til we know otherwise. I don't wanna be the one explainin' shit to Veld if it turns out to be legit and we let the guy get away, thinkin' it's a prank. Do you?"

"Definitely not," Rude replied.

* * *

Tres snickered gleefully as he slipped into the security station on Ten. This was going to be epic. Veld had – grudgingly – agree to the prank Monday evening during the afternoon meeting while the rookies had been busy elsewhere. Even Tseng hadn't taken much effort to bring on board. And the others... well, with the exception of Remy who never seemed to see much humor in anything... they'd been _very_ enthusiastic about the idea of scaring the ever-living shit out of the rookies for Halloween.

He sat down at the console and pulled up the cameras on the fifth floor. It didn't take him long to zero in on his targets. The others would be setting things up and preparing themselves by now... he just had to keep everything coordinated.

Rude was going to absolutely _freak out_... and Reno... He grinned again. His fellow former-slum rat'd probably piss himself.

He watched in silence as the pair started down the hallway, in a standard search pattern, just the way they'd been taught. The lower floors were a safe zone. Nothing would happen to them there. They'd become complacent. And then, once they'd wandered into his trap, they _real_ show would begin...

Best of all... neither one of them had even the slightest inkling that it was coming.

* * *

"Sooo... I was thinkin'..."

Rude snorted a laugh. "Should I take cover? That's usually dangerous."

"... You're hilarious, ya know that?" the redhead said, dryly. "Just for that... I'm not even gonna tell ya."

"Sure you are," Rude replied. He paused in his bid for the next office and glanced back at the redhead, smirking, "You always tell me... whether I'm interested or not."

Reno glared at him petulantly and flipped him off before turning on his heel and marching off the check out a small conference room across the hall. The bald Turk snickered.

"Spill it already."

"Tch... Hell no. Fuck you, if you're gonna be like that."

Rude shrugged. "Suit yourself."

He waited. The younger Turk wouldn't have even brought it up if he hadn't been dying to share whatever had crossed his mind, and once he'd decided it needed to be discussed, it was only a matter of time... a fact that Rude thoroughly enjoyed teasing him about.

It was largely the exact opposite of his _own_ personality. Rude preferred to keep his own counsel until he had a full grasp of the situation at hand. His friend, on the other hand, liked to talk through ideas as they came to him.

He lasted all of a minute and a half.

"So, I was thinkin'..." Reno repeated, and Rude smirked silently to himself before turning back to his fellow Turk. "Let's just, for the sake of argument, say that this _is_ some elaborate prank that Veld, or Tseng, or one of the others came up with and got everyone to cooperate on. There's no 'intruder'... or, better yet, they've got some guy hiding around here somewhere, waitin' for us to find him. If _you_ wanted to scare the fuck outta some poor, unsuspecting rookies... how would _you_ do it?"

Rude shrugged again. He had a feeling an answer wasn't really expected of him.

"For one thing... you'd wanna watch, right?"

"Goes without saying," he agreed, as Reno poked his head into the next room, pointedly not looking at him... and Rude suddenly realize where he was going with this. "You think someone's watching us on the cameras?"

"Someone. Maybe _several_ someones. I mean... if this really _is_ a prank."

Rude subtly side-eyed the unobtrusive dome mounted on the ceiling a short distance down the hallway, and casually turned to rummage through a nearby supply closet.

"... So _if_ someone were watchin'... Could they hear us, too?" the redhead continued, keeping up the act.

"No. Not on the building's system anyway. It's video only. No audio. Maybe if they set something up ahead of time. Or bugged one of _us_ without us knowing..."

"Anyone give ya anything unusual this mornin'... ?"

"Nope," the other Turk replied... but now his own suspicions were being roused. _Had_ anyone handed him something this morning that could contain a bug of some sort? He didn't _think_ so...

"... Like, for instance... a dossier on a mysterious 'intruder'? That they knew we'd hold onto so we could flash his photo around during our search?"

Rude froze momentarily and glanced down at the folder tucked under his arm... and at the shiny glint of the large clip that held the man's photograph to the inside cover. _That_ never would have occurred to him.

"Heh... catchin' on there, pal?" By now, Reno had made it slightly farther down the hall and was standing in front of a women's restroom. He smirked slightly and pushed the door open. "They _did_ say look everywhere, right? Come back me up... ya know... just in case our guy's hidin' out in one of the stalls."

Rude rolled his eyes slightly, but crossed the hallway and joined him. The duo slipped into the bathroom, letting the door close softly behind them.

"... 'kay, so is that thing bugged or what?" Reno asked, the smirk dropping from his face. Rude flipped the folder open and pulled the clip off of the photo, holding it up to examine it. It _was_ slightly larger than normal... and when he pulled on it, attempting to unbend it, the thin metal didn't give much at all. He lifted his sunglasses for a closer look, squinting at the end. To his surprise, there was a pair of tiny indentations... which he immediately recognized; an opening for the microphone, and the button to physically activate it.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." he breathed, and looked up at his friend, who was now grinning cattishly.

"I fucking _knew_ it. _Nothin'_ about this bullshit seemed right," he chuckled, "Is it on?"

"... Not sure," the other rookie answered, studying the little device. "Something this small wouldn't have much of a battery life, though. Twenty... Thirty minutes max. Usually you'd activate it remotely when you knew you needed it."

Reno reached into his pocket and pulled out a felt-tipped marker.

"What are you going to do with that?" Rude asked.

"Hopefully get a date or two..." the redhead snickered as he scrawled his phone number on the bathroom wall near one of the sinks. Rude rolled his eyes.

"Reno..."

"What? Can't a guy multi-task?" Task completed, the put the pen away. "Look... they assigned us six goddamn floors, right? Gonna take us a hell of a lot longer than thirty minutes to cover that much ground. So let's assume that the first one's not where they're gonna pull whatever they're gonna pull. False sense of security 'n shit. Probably not eavesdroppin' just _yet_..."

"Okay."

"Now look where they _put_ us. Five's advertising... We can be _pretty_ sure they're not gonna get us _here_. Too crowded. Six... That's building administration. _Lots_ of employees wandering around, too. Busy as fuck every time I've been there... and I've been there a lot lately with all of you guys' goddamn fuckin' requisition forms the last few weeks. Seven? Billing and customer service. Nuh uh... Once again, too many people in 'n outta there, and a lot of 'em aren't even employees. I don't think any of our fellow Turks are crazy enough to pull somethin' there. They'd want a more controlled environment." He suddenly grinned. "But then... we get to Eight. And _what's_ on Eight?"

Rude's own smile widened. "Overnight sleeping quarters for employees."

"Exactly... Basically a whole lotta nothin' this time of day. _That's_ where they'll try 'n get us. I'd bet every gil I got on it."

Rude chuckled and wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders. "I ever tell you you're a genius?"

"No... but feel free," the redhead laughed. "'Course _now_ the question is... what are we gonna do about this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we certainly can't just _let_ 'em prank us. And fucked if I'm gonna let 'em get away with _tryin'_ , either. So how do we make 'em sorry for even thinkin' about it?"

"... Prank them back?"

The redhead grinned evilly. "Exactly. Got any ideas?"

* * *

"The fuck are those two doin' in there? Jerkin' each other off?" Tres muttered, as he continued to stare at the screen displaying the hallway on Five. The pair of rookies had just disappeared into the restroom as part of their search... nothing odd about that. But they were certainly taking their sweet time about it. The door behind him opened and closed again, with a soft, electronic beep, announcing that someone had entered the security office. It was the only sound he heard until the new arrival spoke.

"How goes it?"

He smirked and didn't bother looking over his shoulder.

"Ya know, someone oughta tie a fuckin' bell on you, Tseng."

"Veld tried that once, actually," the Turk lieutenant replied. Tres raised an eyebrow.

"And... ?"

The Turk lieutenant chuckled softly. "And we learned that, while it may be effective on cats, it's significantly _less_ so on me."

Tres snorted in amusement and spun around in his chair to face his superior.

"Now why doesn't _that_ surprise me?"

"Where are they?" Tseng asked, nodding to the monitors.

"Fifth floor women's bathroom. Been in there awhile. I was just about to turn on the audio 'n see if one of 'em fell in, or somethin'."

"Knowing Reno, he's decided to take an extra moment or two to graffiti the walls with his phone number," he sighed, rolling his eyes. Tres laughed.

"Ya know... I wish _I_ had _half_ his luck with women..." A slight amount of movement on the video screen caught his eye, and he quickly turned back. "Heh... They're on the move again. Looks like they've finished up and are headin' upstairs to Six."

"I'll let the others know."

* * *

They'd spent a good twenty minutes showing the alleged intruder's photo around to the staff in the sixth floor's building administration offices... and surprise, surprise, not one person had recognized him. The two of them were keeping conversation between themselves to a minimum, since they had no real way of knowing when whoever was watching them might decide to listen in. They'd run a little bit of a risk staying in the bathroom as long as they had. Hopefully their observer hadn't gotten impatient and done a little eavesdropping on _that_ conversation.

They'd settled on three things during their brief private meeting.

One... this was _definitely_ not a real security breach. Nothing added up, and the bugged dossier was about all the proof they really needed. And just in case they needed more, once they'd reached the sixth floor, Rude had unobtrusively logged in to check the building's live security alerts while Reno had been 'questioning' a few other employees. Building security wasn't on alert. Neither was Solider. Neither were the _Turks_ , at least not officially. There was absolutely _no_ record of any intruder, or any other issue, in any of the building's security systems.

Two... They all had to be in on it, from Veld on down. Otherwise, it never would have worked. They hadn't decided who had masterminded it... but they'd come up with a shortlist. Tres was at the top of Rude's. Reno suspected Kai. And they had both grudgingly agreed that they couldn't _entirely_ dismiss the possibility of Tseng being behind it, just because he was the last person anyone would have suspected of attempting to pull a Halloween prank.

And three... They had to pay. Neither rookie was willing to just call them on it, laugh, and move on. Those jokers needed a taste of their own medicine.

To that end, though... they needed supplies. And it was going to be hard to get them if the were constantly being watched. Which was why Reno once more found himself sequestered in a bathroom... alone this time. They needed a little outside help. He pulled out his PHS and dialed Izzy's number.

" _Hey, Reno,"_ she answered, _"What's up?"_

"... Any chance you can get away for about ten minutes or so? I need a little favor."

The woman giggled softly. _"Oh_ _ **really**_ _? What_ _ **kind**_ _of favor?"_ she asked, teasingly.

"Heh... Unfortunately, not the kind your thinkin'. Although, if ya help me out, I'd be very, _very_ grateful."

" _Hmm... Are we talking sensual massage grateful? Or... Izzy's got a new strap-on she needs to break in grateful?"_

The redhead grinned widely as he added the last digit of his number to the wall. "Long as you got plenty of massage oil, I'm up for either."

" _What do you need me to do?"_

* * *

"Anything?" Rude asked as the other rookie emerged. He'd been standing guard in the somewhat busy hallway, directing traffic away from the restroom while Reno had called in backup.

"All clear. Think that just about covers this floor," he replied, keeping up the facade, "Up to Seven?"

The bald Turk nodded and took the lead, heading for the elevators. He frowned slightly at the 'out of order' sign that greeted them. That hadn't been there earlier. He glanced back at Reno, who gave him a subtle nod.

"I guess that means we backtrack to the east elevators," he said, "Unless you wanna hit the stairs."

Reno shrugged, but flashed him a pointed look. "Tch... I got to skip my morning workout for once 'cause of this shit. I'm not trudgin' up a bunch of stairs if I don't have to."

The pair turned away from the elevators and started back across the building. Rude looked at him questioningly, and 'accidentally' stuck his thumb over the hidden microphone as he pulled out the photo to study it.

"Think it was them?"

"Yep," Reno replied, as they made their way down the hall. "And I'm guessin' they did it 'cause they wanna keep us over on the east side of the building."

"... So why are we doing exactly what they want us to?"

"Because we still got one more floor to go before he hit Eight. We play this just the way they expect us to... then we fuck with their plans and head up the west stairs instead."

"Okay... But what makes you so sure they didn't just intend for us to take the stairs back there?"

The redhead smirked. "No cameras in the west stairwell right now. Remember? That power surge we had awhile ago fried 'em all, and security's still workin' on replacin' 'em. They started on the secure floors up top. Haven't gotten this far yet."

Rude's jaw dropped slightly. _He'd_ forgotten about that. Granted, he'd had other things on his mind at the time it happened – namely his Hell Week – but he didn't like that there seemed to be gap in his intelligence-gathering. Reno smirked.

"I finally manage to one-up ya?" he snickered. The other rookie chuckled.

"Guess it had to happen at least once."

"Anyway... Izzy's gonna leave our supplies on the west landing for Eight. When we get up there, we're gonna need to split up. Those assholes are _probably_ hidin' up there somewhere, just waitin' to scare the shit outta us... so we gotta move fast and beat 'em to it. You just keep 'em followin' you around the floor. I'll take care of the setup."

"How are you going to avoid the cameras, though?"

The redhead laughed. "Oh... trust me. I got _that_ covered."

* * *

Things were going exactly the way he'd planned them, and the two rookies had just boarded the east elevators.

"Good job, Remy. They're on their way up to Seven, now..." he said in to his PHS. He heard a soft snort on the other end of the line.

"Please tell me you didn't interrupt my entire day with this moronic idiocy _just_ so I could hang a few out of order signs for you..." she sighed.

Tres snickered. "That's exactly what I did. 'Cause I knew it'd annoy the crap out of ya. Thanks for the assist."

"... Grow up, Tres."

With that, the line went dead, and the senior Turk burst out laughing. Remy could be sweet as candy when she was in a good mood, and she'd been a dear friend to him since he'd been recruited... but the poor girl had _zero_ sense of humor. The same was frequently said about Tseng as well, but the Turk lieutenant could, at least, take a joke. And occasionally even play one. Remy, though... she was the consummate professional through and through, and serious to a fault. He'd been trying for years to get her to lighten up a little, with very limited success.

"One of these days, you're going to annoy her just a bit _too_ much."

Tres very nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected declaration. He hadn't heard the bastard come in this time. "Fuckin' _hell_... Ya know, I'm pretty sure I've asked you before to not _do_ that!"

Tseng smirked. "So has everyone else. I've not accommodated any of _their_ requests. I fail to see why you should be an exception. Today in particular."

"Yeah, well, when you end up givin' one of us a heart attack, you might start rethinkin' that stance," he muttered, and turned back to the monitors. "Fuckin' sadist..."

"They're on Seven?" the Wutaiian Turk asked, ignoring the name calling, and Tres nodded.

"Right on schedule. Kai, Saya, and Sato are finishin' things up on Eight as we speak, and Luca and Shay are positioned outside the elevators to... heh... _nudge_... them into the trap. Veld sure he doesn't wanna come help out?"

Tseng shook his head and laughed softly. "He already delivered your fake briefing. Just how involved do you _want_ him? And before you answer that, you might consider that, should this backfire or Heidegger catch wind of it, plausible dependability on Veld's part may be the only thing standing between you and a week in a detention cell."

"Ya make a good point..." Tres replied, grinning. "Alright, alright... anyway... You stickin' around here, or are you goin' downstairs?

"Oh, I plan on having a front row seat for _this_..." the Turk lieutenant chuckled. "Especially since I've been suckered into having to either take Reno trick or treating tomorrow night or relax his curfew so he can go on his own. After what happened _last_ time, I've opted for the former. Leviathan only knows what he might get up to unsupervised on Halloween..."

Tres raised an eyebrow. "... Isn't he a little _old_ for that sorta thing?"

Tseng snorted in laughter. "Try convincing _him_ of that. He's been obsessed with the idea since he heard the words 'free candy'." The senior Turk gave a soft sigh, "And he's largely missed out on such things. I must admit... I couldn't tell him no."

"Never thought I'd live to see the day Tseng Istudake went soft..." Tres goaded him, grinning widely. Tseng narrowed his eyes at his subordinate.

"You just sit here and watch your precious cameras. I'll _show_ you how 'soft' I've become."

* * *

Reno pushed open the door to the west stairwell, and ushered Rude through. They hurried up the stairs to the eighth floor, pausing on the landing. As he'd expected, there was a small black gym bag waiting for them upon arrival. The redhead knelt down and opened it, rummaging through its contents. A moment later he looked up, grinning, and gave his friend a thumbs up.

They'd already discussed tactics. From this point on, they had to assume that some, or all, of the others were listening in. Reno slipped out of his jacket and slung the bag across his chest, before pulling the garment back on to conceal it. It would still stand out like a sore thumb... but with any luck he wouldn't be on camera long enough for anyone to notice it. He nodded, and Rude pushed open the door that would take them into the employee sleeping quarters. It was time for a little acting.

"Tch... Well, this isn't creepy as fuck at all, now is it?" the redhead offered as they stepped into a dimly lit corridor. Rude snorted softly.

"What were you expecting?" he asked. "No one has any reason to be down here in the middle of the day. Why waste the power?"

"Huh... Kinda makes it the perfect place for our guy to be hidin', doesn't it?" Reno paused and turned so that his little bag of tricks was hidden from the nearby camera. "Fuck it. It's gonna take forever to search the whole floor. We'll cover more ground if we split up."

Rude nodded. "You take this side. I'll take the east side of the building." He smirked slightly. "Scream if you see anyone."

"Tch... That s'posed to be a lame-ass Halloween joke?"

The bald Turk chuckled and and headed off with a wave. Reno, meanwhile, turned toward the first door in the hallway, and with an exaggerated sigh for the camera, opened it and disappeared inside.

* * *

" _Fuck_ ," Tres swore. He hadn't planned on the two of them splitting up like that. Not only was it against protocol in situations like this, it was fucking _stupid_ , too. He'd taught Rude better than _that_. He and the rookie were going to be having a little refresher course on wide area searches when this was over. And he'd be mentioning it to Tseng as well. After all, it _had_ been Reno's idea.

He grabbed his PHS and dialed Luca's number to let him know.

" _Luca here,"_ the other Turk answered.

"Got a problem. Those two fuckwits decided to split up."

Luca snickered quietly. _"You almost sound like you're taking it as a personal slight..."_

"Rude _fuckin'_ knows better than to pull some amateur bullshit like that! And Reno's got himself into enough shit lately... you'd think _he'd_ be _extra_ careful to follow protocol."

" _... Oh, so you_ _ **are**_ _taking it as a personal slight..."_ the Turk replied, still laughing. _"Don't worry. Shay and I can wrangle 'em. Thanks for the heads up."_

* * *

Reno was careful not to make too much noise as he unzipped the bag Izzy had left him. He shrugged out of his jacket again and stuffed it inside, and extracted a small screwdriver. He made quick work of the vent cover on the wall, and lifted it up on its hinges, before tucking the screwdriver away and locating a flashlight. He hurried to shove the bag into the narrow opening and crawled in after it. The vent slammed shut behind him with a loud bang. Hopefully, it had only _sounded_ loud due to the confined space he now found himself inside. He didn't want the other Turks he suspected were hiding elsewhere to start hearing suspicious noises and come to investigate.

It wasn't exactly easy going, and for a moment he was half convinced that he _had_ somehow miraculously put on the weight that Dr. Ward continuously said he needed. After the first few feet, however, the passage widened slightly into more what he'd been expecting. The redhead clicked on the light and placed it between his teeth as he shimmied his way deeper into the mazelike air vents.

It was a little bit of a squeeze... but it allowed him to move just about anywhere on the floor without being seen. Soon, he found himself edging his way along a hallway. Muffled voices reached him from what sounded like one of the small rooms to his left. At the next junction, he made a lefthand turn and scurried across the hall.

"Yer _sure_ yeh haven't overdone it, right?" Saya said quietly, as Sato fiddled with a small device laid out on the bed. "We're not tryin' ta blow the wee things up. We're just tryin' ta give 'em a bit o' a fright."

"Quit yer naggin', woman. I bloody well know what I'm doin'. Now... hand me that pressure switch."

Reno smirked and watched the senior Turk tuck some sort of device under the mattress, and another under a small area rug. He wondered how many of the rooms the pair had booby trapped. They _had_ to have been up here awhile by now. Half the floor could be rigged.

Though... that made things difficult. He'd have to be very careful setting up his _own_ little prank, or he might end up getting caught in theirs by accident. At least now, he had some idea what to look for. As silently as he could, he backed up the way he'd come, all the way to the junction, and hurried to continue on in the opposite direction of the two senior Turks.

Once he'd put a little distance between himself and the twins, he made for one of the other rooms and cautiously slipped out of the vent. The redhead pointedly avoided stepping on the rug until he was certain there were no hidden triggers or tripwires, and then made a quick sweep of the space. He sighed in relief. It looked like the pair had either skipped this room, or hadn't managed to _get_ this far.

With a grin, he snapped the lock on the door closed and set the bag down on the bed. He had some work to do.

* * *

Rude paused, mid-stride, as he slowly traversed the next hallway. He was certain he'd heard something nearby... but now that he was listening intently, all was silent. After a few long moments, he started forward again. Wherever the others were, they were well-hidden. He pushed his sunglasses up slightly, and stole a glance up at a camera as he passed under it.

Tres was probably watching him. The many loved his cameras... and he'd instilled the same fondness for unobserved surveillance in the rookie he'd taken under his wing. Technically... Veld was Rude's _official_ mentor. But the Turk leader had very quickly recognized the young man's affinity for intelligence and surveillance. As a result, Veld had largely turned over his training to Tres hardly a month after Rude had been promoted.

Rude was glad for it. It suited him better than training as a field commander or infiltration specialist. He _liked_ knowing things he wasn't supposed to know, and Tres had taught him how to make a career of that very skill.

He repressed the urge to smirk. Tres had to be going nuts right about now, if Reno was right about how the others had expected this to play out. They had to have thrown a significant wrench into the plan by now. They weren't where they were supposed to be, and they weren't together. Like himself, Tres was pretty good when it came to working from a plan... but having to change things up on the fly tended to throw him a bit, and made him overthink his next move.

Reno, meanwhile, likely had things planned out half a dozen steps in advance with contingencies ready to go the moment the situation changed. He'd been following the redhead's lead all morning.

Rude had told his friend some time ago that he'd make a good strategist... and the more he got to know the younger rookie, the more certain of that he became. He really _did_ have a gift for it, and Rude wondered if Tseng had noticed that.

Probably so, given that, as he understood it, the Turk lieutenant had all but demanded his recruitment. Tres had explained to him the significance of a first rookie shortly after they'd been told Reno was coming to join them. Far more often than not, it wasn't just a matter of choosing a rookie, but an eventual successor, as well. It wasn't a hard and fast rule, of course... but it _was_ fairly common. Tseng had been Veld's first rookie... and now he was his second in command. It wouldn't have surprised Rude to learn that the redhead was slowly being groomed for the same role.

Though he suspected that Reno himself would have dismissed that idea outright. Rude knew full well that his friend still didn't feel as though he were meeting expectations... particularly after his recent misadventure... and he suspected that much of that came from being so utterly unwanted for so long.

His train of thought was derailed by another soft sound on the floor. He paused again as a shadow flitted past the intersection and around the corner ahead of him, and he forced himself not to laugh. Apparently they weren't going to be subtle about this. He obediently followed, knowing that, whoever it was, they were intentionally leading him somewhere. It was his job to begin to coax them back over to where Reno would be waiting...

* * *

Reno put the finishing touches on his little display, and grinned. The looks on their faces when they saw this were going to be epic... and maybe next time they'd think twice before messing with a couple of rookies. It was time to get their attention.

He sent a text message to Rude... their predetermined signal that he was ready... and waited. It took several minutes, as he suspected his friend was clear on the other side of the building by now, but soon enough he heard footsteps outside the door. If things had gone as they'd planned, whoever was keeping an eye on them would have seen the bald Turk glance down at his phone, and then hightail it across the floor with a slightly panicked look on his face. And if they held true to form, they'd be close behind.

The redhead smirked and cracked open the door as the footsteps were passing by, and reached out into the hallway, careful not to be caught on camera, grabbing the other Turk and dragging him inside. He slammed the door as hard as he could behind him and flipped the lock, sniggering.

"Everything go alright?"

Rude returned the smug look. "If they weren't following me before, they will be after Tres tells 'em someone dragged me through a door..." He glanced around the room and snickered. "You sure you used enough blood?"

Reno shrugged. "I wanted to be thorough," he replied, and tossed the other Turk a pair of handcuffs before hopping up onto the bloodstained bed. Maybe he _had_ been a little heavy handed... but he was going for shock. And this would definitely be a shock.

"Hope we're not the ones stuck cleaning it up..." Rude laughed as he fastened the younger man to the headboard. Reno grinned and dumped a bottle filled with more of the faux-blood over his chest and stomach, before completing the look by tucking a long knife from the building's kitchen into his armpit so that it stood up as though stuck clean through him. Rude snorted softly.

"Hey... It's only gotta be convincin' for like five seconds," Reno shot back in a whisper, and tossed him a second bottle, "Now get the fuck down on the floor 'n look murdered."

More footsteps were heard, rushing toward them. They had only seconds. Rude hurried to douse himself and collapse at the foot of the bed. Almost the moment he hit the floor, the doorknob rattled. Reno grinned widely and let out an agonized scream and then went perfectly still, waiting.

The door was immediately kicked in.

"Reno! Rude!" Luca shouted. It was followed by a gasp of horror, and the redhead was fairly certain _that_ had been Kai.

"... Oh, dear sweet Shiva..." Saya breathed as she pushed her way past her cousin.

"Reno?!" That was Tseng's voice, and Reno had to try very hard not to move a muscle.

"What's going on? Sato! Move, will ya?" Shay demanded, peering over the taller Turk's shoulder. "... Oh my Holy..."

No one moved for a second of two, but then Reno felt hands on him, rolling him onto his back. Tseng swore as the handcuffs prevented him from picking the younger man up, and fingers crept up to the artery in his neck, frantically seeking out a pulse.

More rapid footsteps echoed from the hallway, and moments later, Tres joined the group as well.

"Rude?! The fuck happened? Are they okay?"

He would have loved to have continued the charade... but the redhead was about two seconds from laughing hysterically. He slowly turned his head towards Tseng, opening his eyes, and gave him his best evil smile.

"Boo," he said, calmly. Rude snickered from his position on the floor, and Tseng swore loudly in Wutaiian before roughly dropping the rookie he was by now cradling back onto the blood-soaked sheets with an annoyed glare.

"Yeh devious little bastards!" Sato cried, suddenly bursting out laughing.

"Ugh..." Kai groaned, "I'm going to kill _both_ of your for this, you little shits!"

"Hey, _you_ guys started it with all that fake intruder bullshit," Reno replied.

"This _wasn't_ funny," Saya retorted, but her cousin was, by then, nearly doubled over.

"Are yeh _kiddin'_ me? This was _way_ better than what Tres had planned!" Sato guffawed. By then, Tres was helping Rude back to his feet, but he paused long enough to shoot Sato a withering look. The Mideelian Turk just continued to laugh. "Gotta tell Remy about this. She's gonna be right pissed she decided ta head back upstairs 'n miss out. Bet she'da liked ta see the look on Tres' face just now..."

"Ah, fuck you, Sato," Tres muttered, escorting his rookie towards the door. "Come on, Rude... We're goin' back to the office and you're tellin' me _exactly_ how you two fuckers pulled this shit off without me realizin' it."

The other Turks filed out one by one behind them, leaving Reno alone with Tseng. The Turk lieutenant gripped the rookie's wrist and unlocked the handcuffs. Once he was free the senior Turk pulled him tightly against his chest, ignoring the 'blood' that quickly saturated the front of his uniform.

"If your goal was to give me a heart attack, you very nearly succeeded," he said, lightly stroking Reno's hair, "The next time you feel the need to outdo one of Tres' pranks, I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't fake your own death."

"Heh... Don't try 'n prank me, and you won't have to worry about it."

Tseng released him and chuckled quietly.

"I suppose we _did_ have it coming," he agreed with a laugh. "Still... Coming face to face with one of my greatest fears was not an entirely pleasant experience." He shook his head and smiled. "I'll see you at the end of the day..."

Reno raised an eyebrow. "Uh... what's that s'posed to mean?" he asked, uncertainly. Tseng smirked, and in dim light of the sleeping quarters it looked utterly evil.

"Tres seems to have commandeered your partner in crime... but _someone_ still has to clean this up."

The redhead paled slightly as he looked around the room... at the blood-stained walls and bed and floor and ceiling. Oh yeah... he'd _definitely_ gotten carried away. He groaned loudly.

"You're not serious..."

"You made the mess... and I won't be fielding complaints from maintenance for this," Tseng replied. "I'll send Shay down with a mop and bucket for you. I'm sure you be finished by the time you're off duty."

Reno plopped down onto the bed and shook his head.

"By the time I'm off duty next _week_ maybe..." he muttered, as Tseng took his leave. He distinctly heard his mentor laugh from out in the hallway.

~end chapter 33~


	34. Nature Trail to Hell

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 34: Nature Trail to Hell**

 **by Desha**

"Rude? Might I have a word in private?" Tseng asked. The rookie looked up from the new training schedule he'd been studying and nodded. Reno shot him a questioning look from across the room, but the bald rookie could only shrug. He couldn't even begin to guess what Tseng might want him for so early this morning, but he hurried to followed the Turk lieutenant back to his office and somewhat nervously took a seat in front of his desk. Tseng smirked.

"Why is it that anytime I ask to speak to someone privately they assume a reprimand is in order?"

"... Because that's usually the case, sir," Rude hesitantly responded. The senior Turk chuckled softly.

"Fair point," he chuckled, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "But at any rate, you're not in trouble... I actually need to ask a favor of you."

One of Rude's eyebrows rose in curiosity. Typically, he was simply ordered to do something. Not asked.

"A favor, sir?"

"Yes," he replied, and sighed heavily. "I have decided that it's time... _past_ time, really... for Reno to move out on his own."

Rude frowned deeply.

"... This doesn't have anything to do with that Halloween prank, does it, sir?" he asked in concern, "Because if it does, I want to be clear that it was just as much my idea as his. It's not fair that Reno take all the blame..."

"Your loyalty to your friend is commendable... but this isn't a punishment," Tseng replied, smiling slightly. "I only ever intended to house him for a few months. Just until he acclimated to life outside of the slums. He's been with us more than half a year now. However, I have found letting him go to be... a bit more difficult than I'd anticipated. Which is why I've decided that I should do it sooner rather than later."

Rude tried – and failed – to fight down a grin.

"You mean before you talk yourself out of it, sir?"

"... Essentially," the Wutaiian responded in an awkward voice, before clearing his throat. "Which brings me to my request."

"Which is?"

"I don't want him to feel... _abandoned_. Leviathan knows he's had enough of _that_ in his lifetime. Which is why I would like to rehome him in the same building _you_ currently occupy. I think he would feel better knowing that he has a friend nearby. And quite frankly, so would I. If you're willing to have him as a neighbor, of course."

Rude's grin widened slightly. Was he kidding? Of _course_ he was willing. Having Reno living down the hall from him would be _blast_. Particularly since it would mean an end to that annoying curfew that, more often than not, resulted in the pair having to cut their fun short in order to avoid Tseng's wrath should the redhead be returned to him late.

"Judging by your expression... _perhaps_ I should reconsider the wisdom of this idea..." the Turk lieutenant suddenly added. Rude shook himself from his thoughts.

"I-I... no! I... mean... I think it's a _terrific_ idea, sir..."

"That's precisely what worries me..." Tseng snickered quietly.

"... I'll keep him out of trouble, sir," Rude quickly assured his superior.

Tseng laughed outright at that boast. "Rude... _That_ is something even _I_ have been unable to do. But I'm glad to see you're enthusiastic about this. I'll begin making the arrangements. It may take some time... I believe the building is currently at capacity. It probably won't be until sometime after the holidays."

"Yes, sir," he replied.

"Oh... and... don't say anything to Reno just yet. I'd like to do so myself."

"Yes, sir," Rude nodded.

"Thank you. You're dismissed."

The rookie got to his feet and slipped out of the office, heading back to his own desk, a faint grin still firmly in place. This was going to be fun. No... better than fun. Reno had quickly become his best friend, and _now_ he was practically going to be his roommate.

Rude really hadn't had many friends growing up... and certainly none he was as close to as the redhead. He'd been such a shy, introverted child. Hell, he still _could_ be, more often than not... though Reno liked to push him out of his comfort zone on such a regular basis that he'd undeniably improved in that respect in recent months.

His musings were interrupted by a loud groan from the tiny office he shared with his friend.

"Oh, quit whining. _Every_ rookie has to do it. It's standard training. You got the rest of the morning to get your equipment together, then we'll go over some basics after lunch. We'll be leaving at four a.m. tomorrow... back on Saturday"

"Oh, you _gotta_ be shittin' me!" Reno groaned again. "What the hell, Kai? _Tseng_ doesn't even get me up _that_ early!"

Kai was snickering loudly as Rude rounded the corner. "Well, ya know what they say... The early Turkling gets the worm," she teased, cheerfully, before turning on her heel and all but skipping off toward the lounge.

"The fuck's that even _mean_?!" the redhead yelled after her. Rude chuckled as he walked into the office, and returned to his desk. He had a feeling he already knew what that was all about. He'd had _his_ special training with Kai just a few weeks before Reno had been recruited.

"Let me guess... Survival training?" he queried as he sat down. His fellow rookie sighed and sank down petulantly in his chair.

"Yeah," he grumbled. "What the _fuck_ am I gonna learn from freezin' my ass off in the middle of the Ifrit-foresaken woods anyway? It's almost fuckin' _winter_ for fuck's sake. Who in their right mind goes campin' _this_ time of year?"

"Kai does. She camps year-round, from what I hear."

"I said their _right_ mind, pal. Kai's completely outta _hers_."

Rude snorted in laughter and picked up his schedule again. "It's not so bad. Goes pretty quickly, actually. You might even end up liking it. Kai really knows her stuff."

"Tch... yeah, right. That midget's got it out for me," the redhead muttered, "I'll be lucky if I make it back in one piece."

"She's five feet even... I don't think that technically qualifies as a midget," Rude teased him. Reno glared at him.

"Yeah, well, I'm almost six feet tall, and the Doc says I got another year or two before I'm done gettin' any taller. Trust me... from my point of view, she's a fuckin' midget. A really annoying one."

Rude laughed again and turned away from his friend to check the morning announcements on the company intranet. "Wouldn't let _her_ hear you call her that..."

The redhead chuckled in response.

"Hey, give me _some_ credit, pal. I don't have a death wish." He paused for a moment, studying the other rookie. "So, speakin' of people who could kill us if we pissed 'em off enough... What'd Tseng want?"

"..."

Rude cringed slightly. He'd been hoping his friend wouldn't ask. Tseng had ordered him not to say anything. The redhead studied him expectantly for a moment and then simply rolled his eyes.

"For fuck's sake, if he told ya not to tell me, then just say so. Not like I'm gonna be mad at ya for followin' orders..."

* * *

Kai stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest, openly glowering at her commanding officer. She'd been in such a good mood just a moment ago. Before the son of a bitch had intruded upon her morning coffee. Tseng, meanwhile, merely gazed back at her, unperturbed.

" _Why_ do _you_ wanna go? You _hate_ roughing it," she finally demanded. Tseng returned her irritated look.

"I told you after that last incident on the gauntlet... I won't let him be injured under your supervision a third time. If that means inconveniencing myself for a few days, then so be it. You're too reckless with him, Kai."

"Oh, for _Titan's_ sake..." she grumbled, "Tseng... I know we don't always see eye to eye on shit, but come on. He's supposed to be training to be a _Turk_ , not a desk jockey. They kid's _gonna_ get hurt once in awhile. It's a fact of life. Don't you think you're being just a _little_ overprotective of your precious baby Turkling?"

Tseng snorted derisively. "Weren't _you_ the one who told me I'd end up getting him killed?"

"You're just gonna keep throwing that back in my face, aren't you?" she said, rolling her eyes. "Let it go, already. You know damn well how full of yourself you can _be_ sometimes. I was pissed at you, alright? I said a few things that weren't... _entirely_ warranted."

"I'm still going with you."

Kai shook her head, annoyed. "Ya know what? Fine. You wanna tag along, go right ahead. I'm guessing _you_ could probably use a refresher, anyway." She stood up and strode out of the lounge, taking her coffee with her and muttering to herself as she went. "... Asshole probably doesn't even _remember_ how to pitch a goddamn tent..."

Well... if Tseng wanted to join them, she was going to _ensure_ that the rookie wasn't the only one learning a thing or two. That in mind, she suddenly paused and turned back after a a few steps. She grinned widely, changing course and knocking on the door to Veld's office.

* * *

"You can't be serious."

Veld raised a challenging eyebrow at his lieutenant, who quickly appended a "sir" to that statement.

"Kai has a valid point. She _is_ the team's current, undisputed expert in survival training, and it _has_ been quite some time since you went through that training yourself. I think that, if you insist upon accompanying your rookie into the field, that it's only fair you actually _participate_ as opposed to merely supervising. And that means temporarily relinquishing command to your instructor."

When the Turk leader had called him into his office a few minutes ago, this was the last thing he would have assumed they'd be discussing. Tseng glared at Kai. How _dare_ she go over his head like this? It was outright insubordination, and the Wutaiian Turk was not the least bit amused.

"Or... you can stay here," Veld added. "That's my verdict, and those are your options."

He recognized that look in his superior's eyes. Veld wasn't going to budge on this. In fact, Tseng was quite certain his mentor was thoroughly enjoying putting him in this position. And he knew perfectly well it wasn't just Kai who felt he still occasionally needed a minor lesson in humility.

"So be it..." Tseng sighed softly, defeated. "What time do we leave tomorrow?"

"Four, sharp," Kai replied, grinning just a little too widely for Tseng's taste.

* * *

It was still dark when Tseng slipped into Reno's bedroom and roused the younger man from slumber. The redhead moaned softly from deep inside his little cocoon of bed clothes... He'd taken to the habit of burying himself in blankets ever since the weather had started to get colder. That is to say... moreso than usual. The teen had always chosen to sleep curled in on himself and hidden beneath the covers. Now, though, instead of a lump beneath the sheets, there was simply a large pile of fabric that snored occasionally.

He prodded the mound a second time and was rewarded with a somewhat disoriented grunt a moment later. The blankets spent several seconds shifting this way and that before Reno finally poked his head out near the foot of the bed. Tseng snickered at the sight.

"How in Leviathan's name can you sleep like that?" he asked, amused.

"It's how I always sleep," the redhead replied, with a jaw-cracking yawn. "It fuckin' _can't_ be time to get up already..."

"I'm afraid it is, unless you'd prefer to skip breakfast in favor of an extra half hour of sleep. Though I should warn you... Kai will probably not be feeding us until lunch time."

Reno's stomach growled in response, and the rookie sighed, groping for the workout clothes he'd discarded on the floor a day or two ago, and dragging himself out of his nest.

"So you're really comin' on this nightmare trip from hell, too, huh?" he asked, sliding into a pair of sweatpants.

"I am. And I hope you're planning on wearing more than that for the trip..." Tseng commented, as he headed for that door.

"Tch... Priorities, boss. Food first. Then I'll worry about clothes."

The younger man stretched his arms upwards, over his head, until his shoulder cracked. Tseng flinched at the sound.

"That can't possibly be good for that shoulder. It hasn't been healed all that long..." he tutted as he followed his charge out into the hallway and towards the kitchen. Reno shrugged and headed straight for the fridge.

" _Feels_ pretty damn good..." he replied as he helped himself to cold pizza from two nights ago, and leftover spicy noodles from the night before. Tseng reached for the bowl of fruit on the counter and set a banana in front of him as well.

"Eat _something_ with some nutritional value, please..." he chided, and then went to fix his own breakfast.

"Yeah, yeah..." Reno mumbled around a mouthful of noodles. "Huh... Ya know, I think these things are actually _better_ cold..."

"And with that declaration, a thousand years or so worth of Wutaiian gourmets just rolled over in their graves..." Tseng replied, shaking his head. His mother had always been _particularly_ strict about that dish growing up. It had to be eaten hot, or not at all. She had declared that to do otherwise was an offense to the ancestors. Though... to be honest, he himself rather agreed with the redhead.

"So... what exactly do we _do_ on this trip, anyway? I mean... it's not like I've never slept outside before. Hell, when I was twelve, I was out on the streets for like... two months after the shithole I was livin' in caved in on itself."

"Sleeping outdoors is only a small part of it. Kai will be demonstrating a number of general survival, tracking, hunting, trapping, and foraging techniques," Tseng replied. He spread a small spoonful of raspberry preserves over a piece of toast and joined the teen at the table.

"Hunting? Tch... please. I've eaten so many cripshays, I got _that_ shit down."

"Thank you for _that_ visual," he replied, pausing mid-bite in distaste.

Cripshays. Those ugly little insectoid scavengers that infested the slums. He'd always found them more than a little unsettling, with their large, protruding, beetle-like horns and their bizarrely squashed, yet undeniably humanesque, faces. Plus... he knew what sorts of things they ate, and it didn't exactly make them appealing as a meal.

"Ya know, they're actually not so bad..." Reno mused, "Taste kinda like a –"

"Please don't tell me," Tseng quickly cut him off. "I'm attempting to enjoy my breakfast and I really have no desire to know what those creatures taste like."

Reno snickered and returned to his own breakfast. "So I guess that means we'll be huntin' somethin' else, then..."

"It largely depends on where Kai is taking us... but there are many things that can be found out on the plains and in the southern forests. I suspect, though, that she'll stick primarily to fishing, as it requires less energy to be expended... a benefit one should always keep in mind when you have few resources and don't know when rescue might be coming." He sighed and shook his head. "And if Kai holds true to form, I'm fairly certain we'll be arriving at our destination with very little or no food."

Reno choked slightly on a slice of pizza, and looked up at him, horrified.

"W-wait... The fuck dya mean we're not takin' any food?"

Tseng couldn't help but chuckle. "Survival means surviving off of what is in front of you. Were you really to find yourself in such a situation, it's unlikely you would have had time to pack a picnic beforehand."

The redhead calmly stood up and walked back over to the fridge, returning with half a roasted chicken from the weekend, and the entire fruit bowl. Tseng laughed outright, then... but refrained from telling him about the small stash of ration packets he'd stowed in his own pack last night. Just in case.

* * *

" _GOOOOOOOOOD MORNING_ , my little Turkling!" Kai shouted enthusiastically when Reno opened the door to her rather persistent knocking a short while later. The redhead stared at her blandly for a moment.

"Kai, it is _way_ too fuckin' early for that shit."

"I concur," Tseng added, approaching the door. "Kindly have a little respect for my neighbors and keep it down."

"Oh, come on... Aren't you two even a _little_ bit excited? We're headed out into the great outdoors! Living off the land! Sleeping under the stars!"

Reno snorted. "Does Nicky's Pizza deliver to the 'great outdoors' by any chance?"

Kai rolled her eyes dramatically and pushed past the redhead and into the apartment. "You're completely spoiled, ya know that? Tseng, you've completely spoiled this poor kid."

"Just because some... if not _most_... people prefer a bed to a sleeping bag and actual food to pine cones and moss doesn't make them spoiled," Tseng shot back as he hefted his pack and swung it onto his shoulders. "Shall we go? I assume you've arranged to have the helicopter drop us off in whatever Leviathan-forsaken location you've decided to take us to..."

The other Turk grinned widely.

"Not on your life, Tseng. We're going chocobo-back. Now hurry up. We have a train to catch to the city departure gate."

"... Oh, _hell_ , no!" Reno replied, dropping his own small pack on the floor at his feet. "I am _not_ gettin' on one of those mutant feather dusters again. Forget it."

He stubbornly folded his arms over his chest and glowered at Kai.

* * *

Kai snickered loudly as the brilliant white chocobo carrying the redhead on its back streaked past her, circled back, and then ran full tilt in the opposite direction. All the while, Reno was shouting increasingly profane epithets at the bird and clinging to the reins with a white knuckled grip.

"Thought you said he's done this before," she said to Tseng, who was riding beside her, shaking his head at the display.

"I never said he was _good_ at it."

The rookie yelped as the chocobo tried to throw him, and wrapped his arms around the creature's neck. Tseng hurried to spur his own mount forward.

"Where the hell are you going?" Kai asked.

"To rescue him, before he kills himself." Just as he said it, the chocobo finally succeeded in dislodging its rider, sending Reno tumbling to the ground. He rolled to a stop several yards away from the bird. He was on his feet again, moments later, storming threateningly up to the chocobo and seizing the reins to yank its head down to eye level with him.

"Listen, you bastard son of a pigeon... We're _not_ playin' this bullshit game anymore. Either quit fuckin' around, or you're gonna be my mid-mornin', pre-lunch snack!" he growled before Tseng could reach him. The chocobo warked indignantly and jerked its head up, pulling the reins from his hand. Then it leaned forward and head-butted him, hard, sending Reno flying again.

Reno landed flat on his back, and Kai and Tseng hurried over to him, quickly dismounting as they reached the fallen Turk.

"Reno?!"

"Hey... you okay, Turkling?"

The redhead didn't answer right away. For a few moments he simply laid motionless on the ground, staring up at the sky.

" _I FUCKING HATE CHOCOBOS!_ " he finally declared, shouting at the top of his lungs. Kai burst out laughing and climbed back aboard her mount.

"Well, you can always walk," she snickered, and took off again at a slow trot. Reno groaned, and shut his eyes.

"Ya know what? I'm just gonna stay right here, laying in the mud for the next three days. Pick me up on your way back," he muttered. Tseng chuckled and pulled him to his feet.

"Stop being so melodramatic. Come on... you can ride with me for awhile."

* * *

They spent the better part of the morning heading south over the plains... then through the swampy area at the foot of the mountain range that divided the eastern continent... and _then_ through the cavernous Mythril Mines, where they were regarded with no great curiosity by the multitude of workers from Kalm. According to Tseng, they were used to seeing travelers pass through, as the upper levels of the mine were a well-used shortcut through the mountains. On the other side, Reno had spotted an odd-looking sturcture that his mentor had informed him was Fort Condor, but the small group had started to head back north again before they drew close enough for him to get a particularly good look at it.

By noon, they'd reached a river, and started following it west, toward a dense forest set against the mountainside.

"... 'Kay, maybe I'm totally turned around at this point... but, aren't we, like... almost to Junon?" the redhead queried as they stopped to let their chocobos drink and rest for a few minutes.

Kai smirked. "Hey... you're not as dense as ya look, kiddo," she replied, and and teasingly ruffled his hair, earning an irritated look from the rookie. She pointed towards the west. "See that little tail on the mountain range, other side of the forest? Junon's right behind it."

"Then why the _fuck_ didn't we just fly to _Junon_ instead of spendin' six goddamn hours goin' the _long_ way?!" he groused.

"What fun would that have been?" Kai asked, grinning, "I'd have missed out on your _amazing_ chocobo-riding skills... and Tseng would have missed out on your constant whining."

Reno eyed her, visibly annoyed.

"Anyone ever tell ya you're a fuckin' sadist, Kai?"

If anything, her grin only widened.

"Oh, honey... You haven't seen _anything_ yet," she laughed, "Alrighty... Mount up! We're almost to our camp site."

Reno sighed and glared at his chocobo for several moments before finally climbing back aboard. He'd ridden double with Tseng most of the way here... but for Ifrit's sake, it was embarrassing not being able to handle it on his own. Hopefully, he could at _least_ make it the last little bit of the journey without his mentor's assistance. Preferably without getting thrown again.

And he hoped that this trip would be the last time in a _long_ time that he had to get _on_ one of those feathered freaks. In fact, if he _never_ had to do it again, he was pretty sure he could die happy. The long ride seemed to have tired the bird out some, because it wasn't nearly as keen to try and shake him now... though it still seemed less than pleased about the whole being ridden thing.

"Hey, when are we gonna eat lunch?" he asked, falling into line between the two senior Turks. Four a.m. had been quite some time ago, and even though he'd snuck a little something along for the rode, his snacks were, by now, long gone. And he was starving.

"Soon as we get our camp set up and catch it..." Kai answered from up ahead of him.

" _Catch_ it?" Reno groaned, and glanced back at his mentor. Tseng gave him a look that rather pointedly said 'I told you so'.

"Damn right, catch it. Hmm... _I'm_ in the mood for trout, personally."

"Tch... Know what I'm in the mood for?" the redhead asked, smirking coldly at his bird. "Chocobo. Bet that shit taste just like chicken..."

The declaration was answered with an angry wark, and the redhead suddenly found himself upended again, tossed by the avian directly into the nearby river. Both senior Turks were laughing as he surfaced, sputtering.

"Reno... perhaps if you didn't intentionally antagonize the creature, it would be a bit more amiable towards you," Tseng chuckled. Reno trudged back up onto the bank, wringing water from his clothes.

"Or maybe it'll fuckin' reconsider bein' such a bastard after I'm done spit-roatin' it!" the redhead growled angrily, storming past the chocobo and down the trail. "Fuck it! I'll walk!"

Kai giggled maniacally as the redhead marched himself off towards the forest and gently spurred her own mount forward, following him.

"Well, _someone's_ getting a little cranky. Did our little Turkling miss his nap?" she snickered, more than loud enough for the redhead to overhear. Reno ignored her.

"Leave him be, Kai. He's spent his entire life in the city. This is all very new to him," he said, shaking his head, "Besides which... I suspect his mood will improve once he gets something to eat. I take it we'll be working for our meals on this trip?"

"Yep. Got a nice little spot picked out near the river. Lots of fish, and maybe some small game if we're feeling adventurous."

The Turk lieutenant sighed softly.

"I was afraid of that..."

* * *

"Ow! Son of a _bitch_!" the redhead shouted as the rock he was using as a makeshift hammer missed the tent stake and came down squarely on his hand instead. "Kai, what the hell's the point of this shit?"

The diminutive Turk rolled her eyes. "Ya want somewhere to sleep, don't you? Trust me... as much as I like sleeping out under the stars, this isn't the time of year to do it. It's gonna get cold tonight, and we might even get some rain."

"Okay, lemme rephrase that," he scowled, "What the hell's the point of _me_ doin' this shit? Believe me... I'm not planning on makin' a hobby of this campin' bullshit."

Tseng chuckled as he set down an armload of firewood near the ground Kai had cleared for their fire.

"The point is to learn _how_ , Reno. In case you don't have a choice in the matter someday. I trust you recall our trip to Gongaga? I certainly wasn't _planning_ on spending the night in the middle of a forest, but circumstances dictated that it was necessary. It never hurts to be prepared."

"... Fine," the rookie muttered and finished driving in the last stake. "But for Ifrit's sake... can we _eat_ yet?"

"Is the tent up?" Kai asked.

"Tch... Yeah..."

"Is the fire built?"

"I'll fucking eat sushi. Come _on_... I'm starvin'. It's a legit medical condition. Ask the Doc!"

"He _is_ technically right about that, you know. Ward put a rather tersely worded note in his file regarding caloric intake... of which she makes a point of reminding me every time he loses so much as an ounce between visits," Tseng interjected with obvious exasperation. He folded his arms over his chest. "Besides which... You dragged us out of bed at four and now it's nearly noon. I'm hungry as well."

"Oh, _alright_. If you're both going to whine about it..." Kai replied, grinning at her temporary subordinate with the knowledge that he had to do whatever she told him to for the time being. "Tseng... Get that fire going. Reno, you and I are gonna do a little fishing."

" _Finally_ ," the redhead sighed and hurried to leave his mentor behind, following Kai off toward the river.

The senior Turk grabbed a few things from her pack, and they wound their way through the dense foliage and popped out on the pebble-strewn bank a short distance away from camp. Kai walked out on a large, flat-topped boulder overlooking the water and settled down cross-legged on top of it.

"First things first," she said, handing him a spool of translucent fishing line, and a folding knife. "Cut us four or five... eh... six foot, or so... lengths from that."

Reno shrugged and did as requested, while Kai pulled out a small package containing hooks of varying sizes.

"Now... You're lucky. I'm not making you _make_ your own hook today. But _if_ you ever had to do it, one of the easiest ways is to find a branch with some nice big thorns. Clip it down to the right size, and instant fish hook," she said, grinning. "But for _this_ trip, we'll just use these."

She handed him one of the sharp little hooks, and picked up a piece of fishing line.

"This is called a palomar knot," she continued, "Double your line over into a loop, and then put the loop through the eye of the hook."

Reno watched as she demonstrated and did his best to follow along.

"Then tie it, loosely, same way you'd start tying a shoe... grab the loop, and bring it down and around the end of the hook. And then pull the other end to tighten."

The redhead pulled, and then yelped as the hook slipped slightly in his grasp, skewering his thumb. Kai snickered.

"And yeah... try not to hook _yourself_ ," she laughed. Reno glared at her, as he tried to work out the least painful way to dislodge the damn thing.

"Ha, ha... real funny." He tugged at it experimentally. "Ow! Dammit!"

"Oh, hold still you little wimp," she laughed, and gripped him firmly by the wrist, holding it steady while she extracted the barb. Free at last, Reno stuck the injured digit in his mouth and kept it there until the coppery taste of blood had subsided. Kai, meanwhile, tied on the remaining hooks and baited them. She got up and moved toward a large branch that was hanging over the water.

"Now what are you doin'?" he asked, vaguely curious.

"Well... We _could_ spend time making a pole... but why do that when we have a convenient branch?" She pulled it in toward them and looped the free end of each line over the branch, tying each one off several inches apart, and them dropped them into the water.

"... So... That's it? We just sit here and hope the fish are stupid enough to get caught?"

The branch suddenly shook slightly, and Kai smirked as she hauled in one of the lines. A large silvery fish wriggled in the other end.

"You were saying?"

"... Thank _fuck_ fish are stupid," the redhead grinned.

* * *

When they returned a short while later, Tseng was carrying another large armload of wood into camp. He had amassed quite a large pile, in fact. Probably enough for most of their trip. Kai frowned, and folded her arms over her crest.

"I thought I told you to get the fire going..."

"I was just about to do so," he replied, ignoring her obvious annoyance as he moved to stack a few of the larger branches in the center of the small fire pit.

"We were _hoping_ to eat lunch sometime before dinner..."

The Turk lieutenant smiled and made a slightly over-flourished gesture toward the pile of wood. Reno's eyes widened as it burst into flames, burning warmly in its little makeshift fireplace.

"How'd you do that?!" the redhead asked. Kai merely rolled her eyes.

"That's cheating."

" _That's_ being prepared," the Wutaiian retorted. He rolled up one sleeve, revealing to his rookie a faintly glowing green sphere snapped into a bronze armlet that encircled his wrist. Kai stormed up to him.

"You're _supposed_ to be learning to do all this _without_ help. I'm confiscating that materia. Hand it over."

"As you wish. It's already served its purpose, anyway," Tseng said as he calmly unfastened the armlet and handed it to her. The younger Turk snatched it from his grasp and tucked it into a pocket.

"You know... if I weren't so hungry, I'd douse that fire and make you start over."

"You only asked me to _build_ the fire, Kai. You didn't dictate how I was to go about doing so. If you really wish to lead, then next time, I suggest being more specific in your instructions," he replied, in an uncharacteristically smug tone of voice. Kai glowered at him, but didn't answer. Instead, she planted herself on a large log near the campfire, and started to prepare the fish for cooking.

Tseng glanced over at Reno and smirked.

"I could cook them for you as well..." the Wutaiian offered. Kai snorted in response.

"The object of this training is to learn how to _survive_ , Tseng. Reno's cooking is practically lethal, and _yours_ isn't much better. The fact that the two of you haven't poisoned one another, yet, living together is a miracle. I'll handle it myself, thanks..."

The redhead snickered loudly. "Guess that means we can just kick back and relax, huh, boss?" he said, grinning at his mentor. Kai glanced up.

" _Ooooh_ , no you don't. You two go get water from the river for us _and_ the chocobos, and then head back down the trail to that patch of wild strawberries we passed on the way in. They'll be good energy... for the five mile _hike_ we're going to take after we eat."

"... _Seriously_?" Reno groaned, his amusement quickly turning to dread. "Haven't we done enough travelin' yet today?"

Tseng snickered and placed an arm around the redhead's shoulders, guiding him off toward the water source before he could complain further.

* * *

Their return to camp several hours later was made in darkness. Reno was exhausted. Kai's 'five mile hike' had stretched on for, what he was fairly certain, had been significantly more than five miles. It _felt_ more like twenty... though that may have had something to do with the fact that about half of it had them heading uphill.

They'd covered navigation... rock climbing... tree climbing... plant identification... _animal_ identification... tracking... and all of it while constantly moving. Reno's feet hurt. His legs hurt. Actually, just about everything hurt, given that he really hadn't had time to recover from spending the _first_ half of the day on the back of a goddamn chocobo. He plopped down on the ground next to the fire and leaned back against one of the logs with a faint groan of relief.

"Hope you were paying attention," Kai said, grinning down at him. "Because first thing tomorrow, we're doing it _all_ over again."

"... Fuckin' sadist," the redhead muttered, as he yanked off his boots and tried to massage some of the ache out of his feet while the fire warmed him up. The air temperature had dropped once the sun had gone down, and it was _very_ apparent at the moment that they were well into fall.

He had to admit, though... it hadn't been _all_ bad. A kid like him didn't see much in terms of plant life down in the slums. There certainly weren't any trees... at least none that hadn't long-since died. He'd known that leaves changed colors this time of year, but he hadn't realized just how many colors there could be in one little forest. Oranges and reds and yellows and browns of all different hues, along with a few stubbornly green trees that seemed to be holding out to the last possible moment to give in to the season. It was... pretty. He couldn't deny that he'd been slightly captivated by it all.

Still, though... he'd be glad to get to bed. The sights may have been interesting, but the day had been a long one. He was hungry and he was tired.

Reno stifled a yawn as Kai ignored his comment and divided up the last of the fish between the three of them. They'd picked up a few other things on their hike as well. Blueberries, for one, which the redhead had happily crammed into his mouth by the handful as soon as Kai had informed him they weren't poisonous, as well as some bright blue flowers, she'd called chicory. He hadn't liked _that_ nearly as much as the berries... it had been a little too bitter for his taste... but she'd informed him that the roots could be used to make something similar to coffee in the morning, so he was reserving judgment for the time being.

"Eat up!" Kai said, cheerfully, handing him his dinner. He grinned faintly and bit into the soft flesh, glad to have something hot to eat. He had a feeling it was only going to get colder as the night wore on. The redhead finished it off long before his fellow Turks, and yawned.

"... Fuck... I'm beat," he sighed, leaning back against the log. Tseng chuckled.

"There's no need to wait for us. Go to bed, if you like."

Reno sat up and stretched slightly, yawning again. "Fuck it... Think that's what I'm gonna do. 'Night..." he replied, dragging himself tiredly to his feet and trudging off towards the tent. He slipped inside, leaving the pair behind and crawled into the warmth of his sleeping bag. It wasn't long before he drifted off.

* * *

A short time after Reno had retreated to their little shelter for the night, Tseng finally allowed a small yawn himself, and Kai laughed softly.

"Oh, please... don't tell me I managed to wear _you_ out, too..."

Tseng snorted, and shook his head. "No... That accomplishment goes to Reno, I think." He looked down at the fire and smiled slightly. "You know... there are few things on this planet that can make a person start to feel their age like having to keep up with a hyperactive seventeen year old."

"Thinking about retirement already, Tseng?" she teased, prodding the campfire with a stick.

"I think I have a _few_ more years left in me. Besides which... if I'm so ready for the old Turks' home, what does that make you? You're only four years younger than _I_ am."

"Four and a _half_. And it makes me four and a half years farther from being an old fart than _you_ are," she snickered. "So... before we gotta put you out to pasture... mind if I ask how the rookie's doing?"

Tseng raised an eyebrow. "In what way?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, alright?"

The Turk leader's eyebrow arched higher in response. Kai rolled her eyes at him.

"I just kinda... feel like _maybe_ you're... ya know... smothering him. Just a little."

"I beg your pardon?" Tseng replied, slightly taken aback. Kai sighed.

"I _knew_ you weren't gonna want to hear that. Look... I just mean that... it seems like you're holding onto him awfully tight." She paused for a moment and seemed to be considering her words. "... He's your rookie, Tseng... He's not your kid. Sometimes I wonder if maybe you forget that."

She cringed slightly and seemed to be bracing herself for the inevitable onslaught. Instead, Tseng merely sighed.

"I know."

Kai looked up at him in surprise, and he smirked.

"I realize that I've become very... attached to him. Perhaps more than I should have allowed. I hadn't realized though that it's progressed to the point that others are beginning to notice."

The diminutive Turk snickered quietly. "Oh, please... Progressed? Tseng, every last one of us has been able to see how much that rookie means to you _practically_ since the day you first brought him in. You can't help it... you're his mentor. Veld's always been the same way with _you_ , in case you've never noticed. I'm just saying... 'cause Shiva knows no on _else_ has the balls to say it to your face... he's not really a kid anymore. He's a Turk. One that _you've_ still got on a nine o'clock curfew. Maybe its time you start letting go a little."

"I plan to," the Turk lieutenant said softly. "I've... already begun, in fact. He'll be moving out on his own in the near future."

* * *

The sound of voices roused a slightly annoyed redhead from sleep and he silently cursed the fact that it took next to nothing to wake him up. He could hear Tseng and Kai outside through the thin walls of the tent, speaking in low voices... _probably_ trying their best _not_ to wake him. He sighed and rolled over, intent on willing himself back to sleep.

"... He'll be moving out on his own in the near future."

Reno's eyes shot open again immediately, and he sat up in the sleeping bag.

"Seriously? You're kickin' the poor kid out?" he heard Kai ask.

"Kai, for Leviathan's sake..." Tseng's voice sighed. Reno hurriedly fought his way out of the sleeping bag and all but threw himself through the tent's doorway.

"You're kickin' me out?" he asked, hurt by the idea. Sure, he'd known for a long time that living with Tseng was never meant to be a _permanent_ arrangement... but... so soon? He knew he could be a pain in the ass... but he hadn't realized Tseng was _that_ sick of him.

Both Turks looked up in surprise as his unexpected reappearance. Tseng recovered slightly more quickly than Kai did.

"Reno. I... hadn't realized you were still awake."

The redhead stomped over toward the fire, ignoring the cold ground on his bare feet, and glared at his mentor.

"When the hell were you plannin' on tellin' _me_ I had to leave?!"

"Reno, I'm not –"

"Tch... Save it. Ya want me gone, fine. I'm fuckin' gone."

Tseng roughly pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "Reno, will you please let me finish a sentence before you –"

The redhead scoffed and stormed off into the darkness of the surrounding woods.

"Reno!" Tseng called after him. He ignored him.

"Tseng... just give him a minute, will ya?" he heard Kai say, "He's not gonna go real far barefoot."

The rookie growled in annoyance and pushed deeper into the forest, until the light from the campfire was hidden by the brush. A cold wind whipped through the trees and he shivered slightly. He wasn't even sure why he was so upset. Even _he_ hadn't been planning on staying with Tseng forever. He wasn't dumb enough to believe for a second that was even an option.

But just... knowing that the son of a bitch was discussing it with everyone _else_ before he even _mentioned_ it to him... it bothered him.

And just where the fuck was he gonna go, anyway? How soon was Tseng expecting him to leave? He wasn't just gonna toss him out before he found someplace else, was he?

The redhead stopped in his tracks and shook his head.

"For fuck's sake... don't be a fuckin' moron..." he muttered to himself. Of _course_ Tseng wasn't just going to chuck him out onto the street. He wasn't some slimy landlord down in the slums who booted you the second you were late with your rent – or the second he found someone willing to pay more for your apartment. Tseng was his mentor... and he'd promised him, from his first day on the plate, that he was going to take care of him. And he doubted there was anything that could have made Tseng, of all people, break his word.

Reno quickly realized that he was getting himself worked up over nothing. Well... maybe not _nothing_ , seeing as he didn't really _want_ to leave Tseng's apartment just yet... but definitely getting far more upset than he _should_ have been. It was just... he'd been left to his own devices to survive so many times in his life already. It was still hard to let himself believe that this wasn't going to turn out the same way sometimes.

He took a slow, calming breath, and forced himself to relax. This wasn't his worst case scenario. It was just... the next step for him. That in mind, he turned and started back the way he'd come from.

Or... at least he _thought_ it was the way he'd come from. Admittedly, he hadn't really been paying that much attention to where he was going. After about five minutes, however, with no camp in sight, he softly cursed under his breath.

"Oh, that's just fuckin' _great_ , Reno... Now you're lost," he muttered. He sighed and reached for his phone... and realized that he'd left it in his jacket. In the tent. "And... you're an idiot."

The wind picked up again, chilling him. Well... if nothing else, he figured he should at least head back to where he'd stopped the first time. Obviously _that_ was closer to camp than he was now. And when he didn't come back, Tseng and Kai would start looking for him. Hell, they probably were already.

Reno hugged his arms to his chest for warmth and started back. Kai was never gonna let him live it down when she found out that he'd gotten himself lost in the Ifrit-forsaken woods during fucking _survival_ training. For that matter... Tseng would probably never let him live it down, either. He snorted a soft, self-deprecating laugh. He'd totally deserve it, too... Running off like that was dumb. Running off with no boots, and no jacket was even dumber.

As he walked, he suddenly realized that nothing was looking familiar. He had to be getting close to where he'd started from by now. With a groan, he stopped short. Unless, of course, he'd gotten himself turned around in the dark and was walking in the wrong direction _again_...

" _Craaaaaap_..." he whined in frustration. He should have fucking stayed put. As soon as he'd realized he didn't know where he was, he should've just sat the fuck down and waited for Tseng and Kai. It'd probably take them _twice_ as long to find him, now...

The redhead sighed and leaned back against a tree. If he started yelling, they'd _probably_ hear him... but dear Shiva, it was gonna be humiliating. But he didn't really have much of a choice. He pushed off the tree trunk and stood up, ready to swallow his pride and call for help... but hesitated when he caught sight of a faint glow some distance away in the trees.

"Oh, thank _Ifrit_..." he breathed. The campfire. Had to be. Apparently he'd just wandered around in a big circle. He grinned and headed straight for it, moments later, emerging from the trees and into...

… someone _else's_ campsite.

The three men sitting around the fire looked up in surprise as the equally shocked redhead staggered out of the brush.

"Who the hell are you, kid? Where'd you come from?"

Reno blinked and backed up a step. They were all Wutaiian, and looked distinctly out of place, particularly so close to a pair of Shinra military bases. Tensions between Shinra and Wutai had been running high for the better part of a year. It hadn't erupted in open violence just yet... but there were more than just murmurs of war amongst the higher-ups in the company at this point.

At least two of them were armed. He could see the glint of gunmetal peering out from beneath their coats in the firelight. There was a map spread out on the ground near the fire, and he had little trouble figuring out that it showed the location of Junon... The military base was circled in blue.

"I asked you a question..." the man said, somewhat threateningly, and his two companions got to their feet.

"I... uh... was campin'. With my... family. I-I got up to take a piss and kinda got lost," he hurriedly replied. Not a _total_ lie. He certainly wasn't about to tell these fuckers he was a Turk out here for survival training. Particularly when he wasn't armed and had no backup. "Thought this must've been _our_ campfire. We didn't know anyone else was out here..."

One of the men laughed. "Just a damn kid..." he said, elbowing his compatriot. Reno relaxed slightly as they seemed to back down... but his suspicions were well past roused. These guys were up to something. He glanced around their camp as subtly as he could.

Wooden crates were stacked near their tent, covered in a tarp... He could just make out a little bit of stenciled lettering on one side that looks suspiciously like the latter end of the word 'Explosives'. That, and the map, with a Shinra military installation circled? Yeah... something was _definitely_ not right here.

"You guys... don't happen to know which direction Junon is, do ya?"

"Why?" their apparent leader gruffly demanded.

"'Cause that's the direction I came from..." he lied. "We were camping just a little ways from the ridge. Near the river. Can you tell me how to get back?"

No way was he about to tell them where Tseng and Kai _really_ were, just in case these assholes got any bright ideas. But if he could find the river, he could follow it back to them, even if he had to go a little out of his way to do it. The sooner he told them about this, the better.

"Sit down 'n warm up, kid. Jin here'll go find your parents for ya..." the man replied, nodding to his friend. Something about his tone of voice didn't exactly inspire relief in the young redhead. The one dubbed 'Jin' got to his feet and headed off into the trees. Reno somewhat hesitantly slid into his vacated seat.

* * *

"I _knew_ I should have gone after him immediately," Tseng grumbled as he and Kai made their way through the underbrush. "Reno?!"

"Reno!" Kai echoed him, shining a flashlight out into the darkness. "Well, _sorry_. I didn't think he was stupid enough to run off barefoot into the forest in the dark!"

"He was _angry_. And obviously not thinking clearly at the time," the Wutaiian Turk replied, through gritted teeth. "And _now_ he's missing. Reno!"

"Oh, would you relax? It's not _that_ cold out tonight, and we haven't seen any evidence of predators. He's a smart kid. He'll be okay."

"For your sake, he'd better be."

"Oh, now it's _my_ fault?" Kai replied, incredulously.

"Yes," Tseng hissed in reply. Because if it wasn't _her_ fault, then it was his, and right now guilt was far too distracting. He'd berate himself later... once he had his rookie back.

"Ugh... You are _unbelievable_ ," Kai muttered as she shoved past him and started down the trail that led to the river. The redhead had been heading roughly in that direction. Hopefully they could pick up his trail without too much trouble. She doubted he was going to any great lengths to cover it, but the moon was little more than a sliver tonight, and their flashlights only did so much.

If he really _was_ lost, and not just somewhere sulking, eventually he'd realize that if he made it to the river he could follow it back to camp. And the kid was smart enough, he'd probably realize that fairly quickly. That is, _if_ he was trying to get back. Teenagers could be unpredictable, and from what she knew of his childhood, Reno was no stranger to sleeping out in the cold. The little shit _might_ just decide to hunker down somewhere until morning just to make them worry.

Kai glanced back at Tseng, who had fallen some ways behind.

"Keep close, will ya? I don't need _two_ Turks going missing tonight." She stopped short at the sight of a faint foot-shaped outline in a soft patch of earth and grinned. "Gotcha... Hey, Tseng! He definitely came this way."

The pair hurried along the path, following the signs of his passage as best they could in the dark. It wasn't long before they heard the loud rustling ahead of them of someone making their way through the underbrush.

* * *

The longer he sat, the more wary of the strangers the redhead became. Their 'friend', Jin, had been gone while by then, and the apparent leader was watching him intently. By now, he was absolutely certain these guys were up to something... and that that _something_ involved the Shinra base at Junon. Which meant that he _really_ needed to find a way to get the hell out of there and find Tseng and Kai.

Preferably without getting shot in the process.

"Sooo... You guys do this a lot?" he queried.

"Sure, kid... Sure. All the time," the more talkative of the remaining two replied, with a somewhat disquieting grin. The other man snickered softly, and pulled out a knife to sharpen it. Reno glanced toward the trees.

Maybe he should just risk making a run for it. He had a feeling these fuckers didn't plan to leave any witnesses. Hell, probably the only reason they hadn't already tried to off him was because they were waiting to make sure they got his 'family', too. Reno tensed, readying himself to sprint for it. If he was lucky, he could make it into the shadows before they could draw and open fire. If he could just get out of sight long enough to shake the inevitable pursuit, he could disappear into the forest.

Without warning, several gunshots echoed among the trees, and the man across from him looked up, grinning coldly.

"Sounds like Jin found your parents..."

The rookie heard the soft click of a gun being cocked, and slowly shifted his gaze to his left. The second stranger was now openly aiming at him.

"Get up," he ordered. Reno scowled and slowly got to his feet.

"Take the brat out away from camp, will ya? Don't want his blood attracting anything tonight," their leader said. The redhead sighed softly, and looked over at his would-be captor.

"Tch... This fuckin' trip just keeps gettin' better and better. What a pain in the ass."

Before either man could sort out what he was up to, the rookie dropped low to the ground and swept the man's legs out from under him, sending him sprawling. He aimed a sharp jab at his gut, and another at his throat, leaving the man alternatingly coughing and gasping on the forest floor, and then wrenched the weapon from his grasp, turning it on his partner.

"Drop it, asshole. I'm in a lousy mood tonight," he growled as the remaining stranger drew his own gun. The sound of someone forcing their way through the foliage behind him garnered a smirk from the man.

"Forget about someone?" he snickered. Reno grinned right back. He was betting that sound was his _own_ teammates... not Jin heading back. A deadly-looking blade sailed out of the shadows and embedded itself in the man's arm. He shrieked in pain and dropped the gun.

"Nope," the redhead replied, smugly, as two distinct figures emerged from the trees. Kai had the bastard pinned on the ground seconds later.

"Are you hurt?" Tseng asked, and Reno shook his head.

"Nah. You?"

"We're fine. We met one of your new friends a short distance from here. He was kind enough to direct us to his camp," the Turk lieutenant replied. He smiled coldly. "With... a little persuasion, that is."

"Are you two gonna spend all night chatting or are you going to give me a hand with these idiots?" Kai groused as she forced her prisoner to his feet and marched him over to the campfire.

* * *

Some time later – after Junon had been contacted and the three captives had been remanded to the custody of the Shinra army – Reno found himself back at camp, reclined against a log, sleepily staring into the flames. Tseng took a seat on his backrest, and rested a hand on the teen's shoulder.

"I _should_ formally write you up for doing something that _foolish_..." he said, crossly. He glanced back toward their tent, where Kai had already turned in for the night. "Fortunately for you... I'm not _technically_ in command at the moment. And I'm much too glad to have you back safely to be especially angry with you for your lack of judgment."

"... Yeah. Sorry for pullin' that on ya," Reno answered without looking away from the fire. "I guess hearin' you say you didn't want me livin' with you anymore just kinda... freaked me out."

Tseng snorted softly.

"I did _not_ say that I didn't want you living with me," he countered, "And had you not run off like a petulant child, I would have explained precisely what I have in mind for you."

Reno cringed slightly at the obvious disapproval in his mentor's tone. Tseng noticed, and let his hand drift gently over the back of his rookie's head.

"I'm not 'throwing you out', Reno. And you will _always_ be welcome in my home... but I can't keep you there forever. You need more space and more freedom than living in my guest room can provide, and it's long past time you had it."

"So... How long do I get to stay?" he asked, hesitantly. A part of him wondered if he'd be moving out as soon as they returned to Midgar.

"You can relax for awhile yet. The place I've chosen won't have a vacancy until after the first of the year," Tseng chuckled. The redhead finally _did_ look up at him, curious.

"W-wait... You mean you already got me set up somewhere else?"

He wasn't sure how he felt about that. On one hand, it meant that he wouldn't have to worry about finding a place on his own. But it also meant that he now had a specific deadline. His time as Tseng's roommate was officially counting down.

"Don't sound so concerned... I'm quite certain you'll approve. Particularly when I tell you who your new neighbor will be."

"The fuck's _that_ s'posed to mean?" he asked. Tseng laughed quietly.

"I _thought_ you might be a bit... hesitant... about moving out. That's why I've opted to place you in the same building Rude lives in."

Reno sat up, and twisted around to face his mentor.

"Rude? I'm movin' in with Rude?" he sputtered, a grin spreading across his face. Tseng sighed and shook his head.

"The fact that I received much the same reaction from your partner in crime _should_ probably worry me... but, yes. Your new apartment will be upstairs from his," Tseng snickered.

Some of the tension in the redhead's body eased, and he leaned back against the log again.

"I'm sorry..." he sighed. "I shoulda known you weren't just gonna fuck me over."

"And I should probably have discussed this with you _before_ we left... but I was concerned that you'd be preoccupied with it for the duration of your training. As I keep telling you, I have no intention of abandoning you, Reno."

"I know. Just... After awhile ya kinda just get used to no one wantin' you. It's hard to let it go."

"Please try," Tseng replied, softly.

Reno smiled slightly at the dancing flames. "I am."

~end chapter 34~


	35. Dance Lessons

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 35: Dance Lessons**

 **by Desha**

"One, two, three... One, two, thr– Reno, are you even paying attention?"

The rookie shuffled awkwardly, trying to get back into step. He succeeded only in trodding on his dance partner's foot. Again. Rude grunted loudly and glared at him.

"Sorry..." the redhead muttered for what had to have been at least the twentieth time.

"... Can we take a break? Before _he_ breaks something?" Rude asked, pleadingly.

Tseng sighed and switched off the music. "Alright. I suppose a brief rest won't hurt."

The two rookies broke apart and Rude limped off to one side of the room, taking a seat and pulling off a shoe to massage the abused appendage. Reno shook his head and made his way over to Tseng instead.

"Boss... Can't someone _else_ take this assignment? I already told ya... I can't fuckin' do this shit. Rude knows what he's doin'. Send him!"

"I'm afraid I can't. The president requested you personally."

Reno blinked, surprised. "Why?" he asked, his tone bewildered. He was just a rookie. And he certainly hadn't done anything in particular that would have brought him to the attention of the president. Hell, he'd only even met the guy once... and that interaction certainly wouldn't have left much of an impression, given that he'd spent the majority of the assignment with Rufus rather than his father.

"He didn't say... Though given the assignment, I would suspect it's because you're young and attractive and... noticeable. You stand out in a crowd, as does your date. Should the press take an interest in the young lady, they're not as likely to make the connection between her and President Shinra with you standing next to her."

"... Uh... He knows I'm only seventeen, right?"

"His current mistress is only _eighteen,_ " his mentor responded.

"Yeah... Okay, thanks for _that_ image." Not that it was any of his business what people got up to in the bedroom. But, hell... Shinra's own _kid_ was only a couple of years older than the chick the old bastard was fucking. That... was a little creepy in Reno's expert opinion. "Hang on a second... I thought the guy was doin' that new executive he promoted... ya know... Scarlet."

Rude snorted softly.

"He _is_. New girl's his side action. Tres says Scarlet doesn't know about her yet."

"Which is _another_ reason why he can't be seen with her at the party, apparently," Tseng replied, shaking his head. "Alright... That's enough company gossip. Back to practicing. Rude? If you would?"

Reno distinctly heard his fellow rookie groan. He really couldn't blame him for being less than enthusiastic about this. They'd been at it since lunch time. Tseng seemed bound and determined that his protege master the waltz before the end of the workday... or at least he had been when they'd started four hours ago. The rookie could see the frustration building.

"Perhaps if _you_ lead for awhile..." the senior Turk said to Rude, as he started the song over again. At this rate, Reno mused, he was going to be hearing that music in his dreams tonight. Or his nightmares. Whichever he ended up having after _this_ disaster. He really didn't know why this was so fucking difficult. He had no problems following Tseng's example in combat training, and he'd tended to do exceptionally well in other training that required agility and coordination. One would think dancing would come naturally to him. But something about trying to move in time with a rhythm other than his own natural one threw him. Every time.

"..." Rude remained silent, but moved into position, grasping Reno's right hand with his, while the other settled on his upper back. The redhead sighed in resignation and let his own free hand rest on his partner's shoulder, already dreading the attempt.

"And... One, two, three..." Tseng began, as Rude took a step forward.

He tried... he really did. But unfortunately, he started out immediately on the wrong foot, which inevitably resulted in the now-familiar panicked shuffle to correct the mistake. Reno cringed empathetically as his foot came down hard on Rude's again. Tseng roughly pinched the bridge of his nose, and murmured something the redhead didn't quite catch... though he was fairly certain it had been in Wutaiian, and if he'd had to venture a guess he'd have bet it was something along the lines of a plea for patience.

 _Rude's_ patience, meanwhile, seemed to be wearing thin... though to his credit, he continued on for several more minutes, trying to guide the younger man into the proper rhythm. Right up until one of his fellow rookie's missteps caught him by surprise and sent him stumbling forward himself. Reno staggered back, trying to restore both men's balance, but it was too late. The pair crashed to the floor, in a tangle of limbs.

"Oh, for Leviathan's _sake_..." Tseng sighed, as he picked his protege up bodily before offering a hand to Rude and pulling him to his feet as well. "I think you may actually be getting _worse_."

"Have a heart, boss... I'm gonna end up cripplin' Rude at this rate. Assumin' he doesn't just kill me in self defense first..."

The Wutaiian glanced at his watch, and cast the pair a defeated look. "Perhaps I _am_ pushing you too hard. I expect you're _both_ getting tired by now. It's nearly the end of the day. You're dismissed. Rude... you may leave a bit early if you wish."

"Thank Shiva," Rude said under his breath.

"We'll pick this up again first thing in the morning," he continued, before turning on his heel and exiting the training room. The two rookie Turks looked at one another.

"Feel like callin' in sick tomorrow, pal?"

"... Definitely think I'm coming down with something," Rude agreed.

"I heard that," Tseng's voice called back to them. "Don't even think about it."

The only answers he received were twin groans. When he was gone, the pair headed for the locker room to change back into their uniforms.

"Hey... uh... I really _am_ sorry. I wasn't doin' it on purpose, I swear."

"Hmph... At least you don't weigh much. I hate to think what my feet would feel like right now if it'd been Tseng stomping on 'em for the last four hours," his friend chuckled.

"Ha, ha." Reno stripped off his sweatshirt and tossed it into his locker. "Hey... I keep meanin' to ask. You hear anything new about those three guys I ran into during survival training?"

Rude shook his head. "Just that Remy's in charge of the interrogation and she's going to be in Junon for a few more days, at least. If Tres has heard anything else, he hasn't told _me_."

The redhead shrugged. The three men had been whisked away pretty quickly once forces from Junon had arrived to pick them up. And since one had been unconscious, another had still been having trouble breathing, and the third had decided to clam right the fuck up once he was in handcuffs, the Turks hadn't gotten much of anything out of them while they were waiting.

What they'd found when they searched the campsite, however, had been a little chilling. The crates near the tent had, indeed, been full of explosives. Powerful ones. They'd also found diving gear. Tseng had ventured a guess that they were planning on targeting either the underwater reactor at the base, or the support pillars for the base itself. To what end, they still didn't know... or if anyone _did_ , they hadn't bothered to share that information with the rookies on the team.

Veld was certainly taking it seriously, though. By the time the training group had returned to Midgar, Remy and Luca had already been dispatched to Junon. They'd been gone for three days already, and weren't expected back until the beginning of next week.

"So what do _you_ think's goin' on?" Reno asked. He had his own ideas, but was curious to hear Rude's thoughts on the matter.

"Tres thinks the Wutaiian government sent 'em," he replied, "Shinra has been leaning on the Wutaiian head of state to let them build a reactor in the sacred mountains for years now and Godo won't budge. Tres figures they were there to send a message to get Shinra to cut it out."

Reno nodded. "Could be a possibility," he agreed. "Personally, though... I think the fuckers were just hired mercs. They went down _way_ to easy to be any kinda professionals. And _everyone_ knows Shinra Company and Wutai are pissed at each other. Bet there's plenty of assholes out there who'd stand to gain somethin' if they two of 'em _really_ started goin' at it." He paused for a moment and glanced up at his friend. "You... think there's really gonna be an all out war? Is shit really gettin' _that_ bad?"

"Don't know... Maybe."

"Guess time'll tell. You doin' anything tonight?" the redhead asked.

"..."

Reno rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Oh, not _again_..." Margaret. Rude had been out with her damn near every night for the past two weeks. "Fuck, man... I like gettin' some ass as much as the next guy, but take a break once in awhile, will ya?" he snickered.

"... That's not _all_ we do..." Rude replied, defensively. His cheeks flushed, and he hurriedly finished changing.

"I'm startin' to think you like spendin' time with _her_ more than _me_ ," the redhead teased, "What do I gotta do to get some attention here? Strip for ya?"

Rude rolled his eyes and pulled on his jacket. Reno grinned evilly as he hopped up onto the bench that ran between the rows of lockers.

"I _really_ don't want to see this..." Rude deadpanned, as soon as he realized what his friend was up to. Reno, however, was already getting into it, slowly moving his hips to his own internal rhythm, and grabbing onto the support rod that ran from the ceiling to the floor. He smirked and wrapped a leg around it, twirling around once before pausing to snicker at his friend's rapidly increasing discomfort.

The bald Turk snorted. "Figures... you can't waltz, but you can pole dance like a pro."

"And just how would _you_ know how a pro dances?" the redhead smirked, as he gripped the support and arched over backwards until he was eye to eye with his friend. "You been hittin' up the strip joints without me?"

"Hey, rookie... ya still in... here... ?" Tres' voice slowly trailed off as he rounded the corner, and stopped short at the sight of the half-naked redhead perched seductively on the bench. Both of the rookies froze in surprise. "Yeah. Okay... I'm not even gonna ask. Rude, when you're done with... whatever the hell _this_ is... I got a quick errand I need ya to run. It's on your way home."

Rude's face reddened noticeably, as Tres quickly turned tail and departed. Moments later, Reno was laughing so hard he had to sit down. Rude smacked him roughly on the back of the head... which did little to stem the flow of mirth from the younger man.

"Thanks a lot, Reno..." he muttered, and hurried after his mentor.

* * *

"Remy is convinced of it," Veld said, a dark note in his voice. "And she's one of our best interrogators. If she were anything less than certain, she would keep going."

Tseng frowned. The Turk leader was right... but somehow, that thought wasn't especially comforting at the moment... because what Remy had discovered had rather dire implications for Shinra Company. The three men they'd unexpectedly encountered during their recent survival training had taken some time to break... but when they finally _had_ , the information they provided was disturbing.

According to Remy, their intention had been to bomb the massive support pillar that held a large part of Junon aloft over the little town below. The village would have been eradicated... nevermind the loss of Shinra personnel and equipment up above. That particular part of the base housed a busy repair and maintenance bay, along with support personnel barracks. Hundreds of people would have been killed or injured.

But perhaps more disturbing was the would-be bombers' employers. They hadn't _explicitly_ claimed that the Wutaiian government had sent them. In fact, they'd gone to great lengths to deny it, even under Remy's experienced interrogation methods, claiming that they'd been hired privately by an individual or individuals who went to great lengths to conceal their identity. But one of them _had_ let it slip that their leader was once a member of Lord Godo's personal guard. It was unlikely, in Tseng's opinion, that the man _wasn't_ still taking orders from the Wutaiian head of state... even unofficially.

Plausible deniability. They _adamantly_ claimed they didn't work for Wutai, and Shinra couldn't prove that they did... even though that was almost certainly the case. If not for Godo directly, then for one of his ministers.

He didn't relish Veld's position now. Obviously, the board would have to be informed. Heidegger had been chomping at the bit for months to taken military action against Wutai. Planchett... the head of Urban Development, seemed equally as enthusiastic, as new reactors meant a new revenue stream, and a larger budget for his department. Palmer, the head of the space program, probably couldn't care less... but he was a textbook yes-man, and would go along with anything the President thought was a good idea. Scarlet... well, he hadn't yet had time to get a good handle on _her_... but he suspected that, being new in the position, she wouldn't want to rock the boat too much.

Which meant that If President Shinra thought that it was time for a show of power, the Shinra army would almost certainly be dispatched to Wutai in the near future. Perhaps not a direct attack... but there were hundreds of islands off the Wutaiian coast. Establishing a base of operations certainly wouldn't be out of the question. And if that happened, it was only a matter of time.

Tseng had no overwhelming loyalty to Godo or even to his homeland in general... but he didn't want to see Wutai fall, either, nor did he want his family, most of whom still lived in or near the village he'd grown up in, to be placed in harm's way. And quite frankly, though it might take some time, _that_ was what would eventually happen. He had been hoping for a peaceful resolution to the dispute, but that was looking less and less likely.

"When will you tell the board?" he asked at last.

"They're meeting this evening," Veld replied, "I'm heading upstairs as soon as we're finished here." He paused a moment, and he dropped some of his authoritative stance. "Tseng... I want you to be careful. We may well end up going to war with your homeland. As far as I'm concerned, your loyalty is above reproach... and not a single _other_ Turk would think to question it, either. But not everyone knows you as well as we do. The fact is, you're Wutaiian, and to many people, that will make you suspect... particularly given your position in the company. Watch yourself."

"Yes, sir," Tseng nodded, grimly. The thought had, of course, occurred to him long before now. But hearing it put into words somehow made it far more real than he would have liked. Veld nodded and turned to leave his subordinate's office... only to be nearly bulldozed by the rookie who came flying through the open door at just that moment.

"Heh... Sorry, sir," Reno said with a slightly lopsided grin. Veld glanced back over his shoulder at his lieutenant.

"Your rookie seems to be eager to get home," he said with a faint chuckle, before brushing past the redhead and walking towards the elevators. Tseng raised an eyebrow in his general direction, and Reno grinned sheepishly.

"... Rude might be just the _tiniest_ bit annoyed with me at the moment," he admitted, "Kinda thinkin' I should make myself scarce before he comes up with a way to get me back."

Tseng snorted softly. "I somehow doubt a hasty retreat will save you. I've noticed that he tends to hold a grudge. What did you do?"

"Uh... nothin', really..." the redhead replied, shrugging before adding very hastily, " _Treskindacaughtmedoin'astripteaseforhiminthelockerroom_..."

"... Forget I asked."

"It was a _joke_!"

"I _said_ forget I asked," the Turk lieutenant chuckled. "In any case, you're right. We should go. The weather is supposed to turn rather nasty tonight, and I for one would like to be safely at home when it does."

The rookie beamed and was only too happy to follow his mentor towards the elevators. As they descended to the parking deck, he glanced up.

"So... uh... Do I _really_ have to keep doin' this dancin' shit tomorrow?" he asked. Tseng only smiled.

* * *

" _OW_!" Reno glared at his dance partner and shoved him away. "Come on, man... enough already! I said I was sorry."

Rude smirked and reached for him again, pulling the redhead back into the now-familiar routine. Step... step... step... _stomp_. He chuckled as his friend yelped again.

" _Alright_! I get it! I crossed a line! I won't do it again, 'kay?"

"Promise?"

Reno scowled faintly, but grudgingly nodded. "I won't do it again," he repeated. And then grinned widely, " _This_ week."

Rude blinked and then laughed, shaking his head. "Alright... I'll quit trying to cripple you," he snickered, and offered him his hand again. Reno sighed and resumed the lesson. He _was_ , admittedly, improving... or at least he'd learned to avoid mangling his partner's feet every three seconds – though that may have had more to do with the fact that Rude had swapped his usual shoes for steel-toed boots this morning.

"Are you two quite finished?" Tseng asked, regarding the pair with stubbornly masked amusement. "As entertaining as this _is_ ,the party is in a week, and quite frankly I don't want to have to explain to President Shinra that the Turks were unable to accommodate his request."

"Yeah, okay... we're done. Right pal?" his rookie replied, his face taking on a serious expression. It lasted all of five seconds, before the grin returned. Tseng crossed his arms over his chest.

"Take this seriously, or I'll pair you up with Kai."

The grin quickly fell and Reno groaned. He didn't know for sure what _that_ would be like... but if it was anything like survival training or gauntlet training... or just about any other training he'd done with Kai... the woman was sure to go overboard. He'd be lucky if he'd be able to _move_ by the end of it.

"Geez, alright already. I'll quit screwin' around. Ya don't have to threaten me..."

The lesson, however, was interrupted yet again, as Shay poked his head into the training room. He smirked slightly at the pair of rookies, before turning his attention on the Turk lieutenant.

"Sir? Veld asked me to come get you. Remy and Luca are back." 

"So soon?" Tseng replied, an eyebrow rising in curiosity. "Has something else happened?"

"Sorry. I'm just the messenger."

Tseng nodded. "You two keep at it. If I'm not back before then, you may break for lunch in thirty minutes."

"Yes, sir," the two rookies chorused. Once Tseng and Shay had disappeared into the hallway, Reno glanced up at Rude, slightly concerned.

"Think they found out somethin' big? Those two weren't s'posed to be back 'til Monday..." he asked as they glided across the floor in time to the music. Rude shrugged and spun his dance partner.

"Don't know. Maybe they just got all they thought they _could_ out of them and decided not to waste their time beating a dead horse."

The redhead nodded, somewhat distractedly and Rude cocked his head to one side.

"Something wrong?"

"Nah... not really. Just can't help thinkin'. What if Wutai really _does_ decide to start a war. Or Shinra, for that matter. Would... _we_ be fightin', too?"

Rude frowned thoughtfully. "I... guess we'd probably have to," he said at last. "Probably not with the army or anything like that. But... there's a lot of things the Turks are better suited to than the military. If they need us, we'll be called in."

"That's kinda what I figured..." the redhead said, softly.

"You scared?" Rude asked as they continued across the dance floor. Reno never missed a step.

"Kinda," he replied, "I mean... Not of fightin' 'n shit. That doesn't worry me. I'm just kinda scared for... everyone else. People fuckin' _die_ in wars. I-it hasn't even been a year yet since..."

"... Since Aaron," Rude finished for him when it became clear that the younger Turk couldn't quite force the words out.

"I don't wanna lose any _more_ Turks," Reno continued. "This is the first time in my life I ever felt like I belonged somewhere. Other than Lira, you guys are... about as close to family as I got." He swallowed sharply, and looked away, no longer able to meet his friend's gaze. Rude was silent for a moment. He knew exactly what Reno meant. He had his father back in Rocket Town, but to be honest, they hadn't been close in years. Not since his mother had died. The Turks were like a second family to _him_ , too. And he knew that was true for all of them. It had even been true for Aaron, who'd had a bigger family than all the rest of them combined. He suddenly smiled widely.

"Hmph... You dance a lot better when you're busy worrying about something else."

"H-huh?" the redhead stammered, looking up at the unexpected non sequitur. Rude snorted a quiet laugh.

"You didn't step on my feet once during that whole conversation."

Reno managed a small laugh himself, and shook his head. "Here I am pourin' my heart out, and all you care about are these fuckin' dance lessons," he teased. Rude sniggered and and grabbed the smaller Turk, easily putting him in a headlock. Reno squirmed ineffectively in his grasp.

"Hey!"

"Come on... No way Tseng's coming back before our thirty minutes is up. Let's go grab some lunch."

"Fine with me... but you're not really gonna drag me to the fuckin' cafeteria like _this_ are ya?" he queried, his voice slightly muffled by his present position. Rude didn't answer the question.

"Come to think of it... I've always _wanted_ a little brother..." he replied, escorting the redhead towards the door, the other rookie's head still tucked firmly under his arm.

"Seriously, Rude... Let the fuck go of me!" Reno protested, though his own voice was tinged with laughter. He groaned when his friend refused to let up. "Tch... ya know... I'm startin' to think older brothers kinda _suck_."

* * *

The rain had started sometime after lunch. Reno was staring out at the glum-looking view of the city from the Turks' lounge. Rude strolled over to him and handed him a cup of coffee.

"Late fall in Midgar," he said, shaking his head. "It's depressing."

Reno shrugged. "Ah, fall's not so bad. Kinda damp, but at least it's not freezin' cold yet. Winter though... now _that_ sucks. 'Specially when your building's piece of shit furnace goes out on ya for a couple weeks."

Rude was silent for a moment as realization set in.

"... This is the first time you haven't been down in the slums this time of year, isn't it?"

"Yeah... Why?"

The other rookie smiled slightly. For some reason it had never really occurred to him until now, but... the slums really wouldn't ever have _weather_ , per se. About the only difference in the seasons came in the way of temperature changes, and the occasional flood from the Plate's drainage system. A lot of the things that he took for granted, his younger friend had simple never experienced.

"I liked fall better back in Rocket Town. Trees all changed color... the nights got cool. And we didn't get all this damn rain, because the mountains blocked a lot of it. Midgar, though... just weeks of gray skies, and then it starts raining until it gets cold enough to snow."

"I'm not a fan, either," a voice behind them stated, and both rookies jumped, startled. Tseng smirked as he approached the pair, and continued as though he hadn't noticed. "Wutai would still be quite warm right now... though to be fair, it doesn't get nearly as cold there as Midgar does at _any_ point during the year."

"A least we have the holidays to look forward to," Rude offered.

Tseng chuckled softly. "If you look forward to such things. To be honest, between the weather, the crowds any time you wish to go anywhere, and the ridiculous number of extremely tacky decorations that pop up around the office, I think I could survive without them."

"You don't like Christmas?" the redhead queried, somewhat wide eyed.

"It's not widely celebrated in Wutai, so my personal experiences are limited to my time in Midgar... I'm not overly fond of the blatant commercialism that seems to be associated with it."

"... Oh," Reno said, almost sadly.

"Sir? Remy has the video of the interrogation ready for you," Shay interrupted, poking his head into the lounge.

"I'll be right there," the Turk lieutenant nodded, and the younger Turk hurriedly vanished from the doorway. Tseng turned to Rude. "How much progress has he made?"

The bald rookie laughed softly. "Well... I can still _walk_ , so I guess that's an improvement over yesterday."

"I see," he chuckled, "Keep at it, then. I'll check in on you later."

As their superior departed, Rude turned to glance back at his friend, intent on hauling him back to their training room, but the somewhat pensive – and slightly depressed – expression he now wore gave him pause.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Reno tossed back the rest of his coffee.

"Nothin'... Guess I'm just a little disappointed that Tseng's not really into the holidays. Down in the slums, I always looked forward to 'em. It was about the only time of year kids like me didn't get treated like we were invisible. Even _after_ I left that Shiva-forsaken youth home, I could usually count ongettin' some decent food 'n some new clothes 'n shit from _someone_ who was feelin' generous." He set his mug aside and sighed. "Thought it must be even better up here."

Rude rolled his eyes slightly, and prodded him towards the door. "Just because Tseng isn't a big holiday person, doesn't mean the rest of us aren't. Quit acting like he told you you're not going to have a Christmas. Besides... it's still over a month away, anyway. Now, come on... You still have to learn to dance."

The redhead groaned loudly. "How the _fuck_ did I get roped into this shit, anyway?"

"Easy. You're too pretty for your own good," Rude snickered. Reno flipped him off, and headed out the door. His friend followed, still chuckling to himself.

* * *

Sato was snickering loudly as he peered over Tres' shoulder, watching the security cameras intently. The monitors were presently set to display one of the smaller training rooms on thirty-three.

"Would yeh look at 'em go," he laughed. Tres was sniggering at the sight, too.

"Think those two missed their calling. Shoulda joined the fuckin' Midgar ballet, not the Turks," he replied.

"Move yer arse over, yeh bloody nitwit. I wanna see, too, yeh know!" Saya cut in, elbowing her cousin off to one side so she could get a better look. "Oh... Now that's just adorable."

"Yer recordin' this, aren't yeh, Tres?" Sato piped up.

"'Course I am. This is golden blackmail fodder."

Saya swatted her colleague on the back of the head.

"No blackmailin' the rookies."

"Says who?"

"Says me, yeh nosy bastard," she replied with a grin. "And I'm pretty sure Tseng would agree if he heard yeh talkin' like that."

The door to the tiny security room opened – or rather attempted to open... It smacked into the back of Sato's foot – and Kai wriggled her way inside.

"What the hell are you assholes all doing in here?" she asked. "We're in the middle of a potential international crisis, and you're hiding out in a closet? You _do_ know these rooms are made for like... two people at a time, right?"

"We're spyin' on the wee rookies..." Sato replied, "Tseng's got 'em dancin' with one another."

"Oh. Well, in that case... move the fuck over. I wanna see." She pushed her way to the front, unabashedly climbing into Tres' lap to get a decent view of the screens, and snickered.

"Aww... Turklings dancing. We should take 'em on tour..."

"Take who on tour?" new voice prodded, and Tres managed to glance over his shoulder in time to see Shay working his way into the security station as well.

"What the hell, Sato? You invite the whole team or somethin'?" he demanded, glaring at the Mideelian Turk. Sato merely shrugged and turned his attention back to the show.

"Hey! What's going on in there?" a muffled voice shouted from outside, and the door opened yet again. This time, however, the room was stuffed to capacity, and whomever was attempting to gain entry only managed to open it a crack before Shay stumbled backwards and slammed it shut again. "Tres?!"

"Tch... We're full up! Come back later!" Tres yelled back. The doorknob rattled and a moment later, Luca shouldered the door open enough to get a good look inside.

"What in the nine hells... ?" Remy's voice from beyond the other Turk muttered. "... What a bunch of idiots." Her footsteps quickly faded down the hallway. Luca, meanwhile, remained outside, trying... and apparently failing... to join the party.

"Oh, for Ifrit's sake..." Tres muttered, annoyed now. "That's it. This is gettin' ridiculous. There isn't enough room for every goddamn Turk in the building in here. Someone's gonna have to leave. Shay... You're closest to the door. Get the fuck out."

"Oh, oh... Look!" Kai suddenly exclaimed, cackling, "Rude fucking _dipped_ him!"

Saya giggled softly and shifted position, vying for a better angle.

"Yeh know... Reno's not bad on his feet," she chuckled.

"Rude ain't exactly terrible, either," Tres concurred. Kai suddenly leaned forward, driving her knee into his crotch, drawing a sharp yelp from the other Turk. "Goddammit, woman! Watch what you're doin'!"

" _ALL OF YOU!_ " a familiar voice suddenly boomed from out in the hall, causing all of the Turks to jump in surprise, "Get out of there and get back to work!"

The demand was met with a large amount of grumbling, but slowly, the Turks shuffled their way past one another, slinking out into the hallway one by one. Tseng stood near the door to the security room, arms crossed over his cross and a decidedly irritated expression on his face. Remy was just behind him, smirking smugly at her comrades as they exited.

"Tch... Lousy snitch," Tres muttered as he strolled past her.

"Lazy slacker," she shot back.

"Ya know, someone _really_ needs to pull that stick outta your ass, Remy."

"Hmph... It's _called_ being professional. I'd say you ought to try it sometime, Tres, but it's probably a bit beyond you."

"That's enough..." Tseng quickly cut in before things could escalate. "Everyone back to work. Now."

The gathering quickly began to disperse, and the Turk lieutenant watched solemnly as they others went back to their assignments. Once they were gone, he double checked that no one had lingered nearby, and then silently slipped into the security station himself. He sat down at the console, chuckling softly as he watched the team's rookies on the screen. They seemed to be far more relaxed when they didn't realize anyone was watching them. If was the perfect opportunity to get a better idea of Reno's progress on this odd little assignment.

And besides... there was nothing wrong with a little entertainment now and then...

~end chapter 35~


	36. First Snow

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 36: First Snow**

 **by Desha**

"Reno."

"Mmmph..."

"Reno."

"Go'way..."

Tseng shook his head in silent laughter.

" _Reno_ ," he tried once again.

"It's fuckin' Saturday. Leave me alone..." the lump under the blankets replied, petulantly. Tseng sighed softly and smiled.

"Normally, I would do just that, as I really have no say in how you spend your weekends... at least not when you aren't being punished for something for a change. However..." He snickered and gripped the blanket and yanked, obliterating the warm little nest Reno had created for himself and exposing the shirtless teen to the cooler air of his bedroom. The redhead yelped, wrapping his arms around himself as though he'd suddenly been tossed into a cold shower. The rookie glared up at him.

"If you don't get up, you're going to miss it," the Wutaiian continued, unperturbed by the young man's obvious ire.

"Whatever the hell I'm gonna miss, it can't possibly be better than bein' warm. Give that back!"

"If you slept in something a bit more appropriate to the season, you wouldn't have to cocoon yourself like that..." he pointed out, ignoring the demand. "I'm not certain you've noticed, but it's essentially winter at this point." Though, the Turks' second-in-command noted, the rookie _had_ finally given in and worn a pair of sweat pants to bed last night, at least. Apparently even Reno's preference for sleeping nude had its limits.

"I noticed," the teen said, dryly. "And now I'm goin' back into hibernation."

He pointedly rolled over, facing away from his mentor, and dragged one of his pillows over his head. Tseng resisted the urge to laugh. Few people took the concept of not being a morning person as far as Reno did on the weekends.

"There's breakfast," he ventured.

Tseng saw him tense slightly. If there was anything that might motivate the redhead into getting up early on a Saturday... if one could consider nine thirty-five in the morning particularly early... it was food. The redhead hesitantly peered out from beneath the pillow.

"Tch... Sleep in or eat _your_ cooking..." he mused out loud. He glanced up at his mentor with a smug expression. "Ya know... that's actually kind of a tough decision. I mean... on one hand, I'm starvin' and food is food. On the other... what you make just barely qualifies. Goin' back to sleep might still be the better option here..."

"I didn't cook. I bought you donuts when I went out for groceries this morning."

Reno froze and the Turk lieutenant grinned faintly. Tseng had him now.

"Fuck... For real? There's donuts? Like... _actual_ donuts. None of that bagel bullshit tryin' to pass itself _off_ as donuts... Right? Real, actual donuts full of more sugar than a person should ever eat in one sitting. _That_ kinda donuts?"

"Yes, _that_ kind of donuts," Tseng patiently responded.

The rookie groaned and sat up in bed, resigned to his fate. "Hang on... You _hate_ sugar. What's the occasion?" he asked, eying the senior Turk suspiciously.

"I don't hate sugar... I simply dislike so much of it so early in the day. And if you'd get up, you would _see_ what the occasion is."

"Fine..." he muttered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and dragging himself to his feet. "There. I'm up... happy now?"

"Ecstatic," Tseng replied with a soft chuckle.

"And you better not've been fuckin' with me about there bein' donuts."

"I assure you, I would never," the Wutaiian Turk lightly teased. Reno grabbed a t-shirt from the floor, pulling it over his head as he followed him into the living room and through to the kitchen, and grinned as he spotted the box of promised pastries on the counter. As he was neared the large picture window at the front of the apartment, though, movement outside caught his attention from the corner of his eye, pulling his gaze around. He stopped short, staring.

"... What the fuck?"

" _That_ is why I woke you."

Reno walked toward the window, eyes wide as he watched the the huge snowflakes falling gently to the ground. A few inches had already piled up outside, and it didn't seem to be in any hurry to stop.

"Is that _snow_?" the teenager breathed, looking around to Tseng for confirmation. "I've never actually seen it before..."

He smiled. "I _thought_ it might interest you..."

Reno grinned and headed for the door.

"Wait a minute... Where are you going?!" Tseng called after him, concerned... though the teen's reaction _probably_ should have been easily anticipated.

"Outside!" the redhead replied, excitedly, breakfast all but forgotten. He threw the door wide and rushed out, apparently oblivious to the feeling of the icy pavement on his bare feet.

"For Leviathan's sake... at least get _dressed_ appropriately first!" Tseng shouted, but by then, his rookie had already left the apartment and let himself fall backwards into the nearest drift of snow. He rolled his eyes slightly at the sound of the Reno's laughter and went to find him a coat before he froze.

He returned moments later carrying boots, gloves, and a scarf as well, only to find the teenager giggling somewhat madly inside the beginnings of some sort of snow fortress. Tseng couldn't help but laugh in amusement.

"Reno... come in, eat, and get dressed, please," he said, holding out the coat. "You may play in the snow as much as you like, but I do _not_ want you returning to work sick next week."

The rookie heaved an annoyed sigh and grudgingly walked back into the apartment. "Do I _have_ to?"

"There are _still_ donuts..." he teasingly reminded him. Reno blinked once and then grinned, darting back to the kitchen. Tseng snorted quietly and followed. By the time he caught up to his ward, the redhead had already downed one of the icing-coated rings, and was starting on a second. "There's _really_ no need to rush. The snow isn't going anywhere for awhile. In fact, the weather report says we're in for quite a storm this afternoon. Hence why I went shopping so early. On the off chance we end up snowed in for a day or two, I'd prefer not to starve."

Reno glanced up from his assault on the bakery box, a slightly confused expression on his face.

"... That can happen?" he queried. The Wutaiian Turk poured some hot water into a mug and set it aside to allow his tea to steep.

"It's relatively rare... but upper Midgar _does_ occasionally wind up somewhat buried in the winter, yes. And even when it doesn't, the roads can be a bit treacherous until the plows have made the rounds. Traveling during a snowstorm is generally ill-advised." He placed two slices of bread in the toaster and turned it on. "Besides which... I dislike going out in extreme cold if I don't have to."

" _Extreme_ cold? Please..." he replied as snickered and took another bite. "It's a little frosty out but it's not _that_ bad."

Tseng sighed and shook his head. A moment later his toast popped up, a perfect golden brown, and he retrieved it from the appliance.

" _Please_ , don't speak with you mouth full. It's very unappetizing."

"So... what happens on Monday if we _do_ get so much snow we can't leave?" the redhead asked, ignoring the request as he wolfed down another donut.

"It depends on our workload. If we're needed, and that need is urgent... we go in, regardless of the weather. If not, Veld may well simply declare it a snow day and we remain on-call at home in case of emergency."

Reno looked up at him, grinning widely. "So you're tellin' me that if it snows enough, we get a free day off?"

Tseng gave a quiet laugh and picked up his tea and toast, carrying it over the the table, and took a seat across from the rookie.

"I wouldn't start making plans for having Monday off just yet. The roads would have to be _especially_ dangerous... virtually impassible, in fact... for that to happen. The last time we had a snowfall heavy enough to warrant it was nearly four years ago."

"Tch... There's always hope, boss," Reno said, teasingly. "Can I go out, now?"

"You may get _dressed_ to go out now," the Wutaiian Turk chuckled. "And then yes... you may. Take your PHS with you."

Reno grinned and downed one more of the pastries before hurrying back to his room to change.

* * *

The park behind Tseng's apartment was full of kids, Reno realized as he ventured out into the frosty air. Sure, there were _usually_ kids around – it was a park after all – but today, it looked like every boy and girl in the neighborhood had descended on the area. He snickered as he watched a couple of girls chasing one another, occasionally pausing long enough to scoop up a handful of the white stuff to hurl at one another.

The transformation was incredible. Where once there was a lush, green space with cobbled walkways and a winding perimeter path, there was now a sparkling blanket of white that covered every surface... from the tree tops to the ground. A small hill on the far side of the park was especially crowded, as kids took turns sending themselves careening down the short incline over and over again. He vaguely wondered if one of them would let him borrow their sled for a ride or two. It looked like fun. He spent several minutes debating what he should do first. He really had no idea where to start. Eventually, though, he decided that the hill was as good a place as any and headed towards it.

The rookie made it approximately seven steps in that general direction when something wet and cold slammed into the side of his head. Reno yelped in surprise... and then in discomfort as some of the snow slipped down into the collar of his coat, chilling the sensitive skin at the back of his neck. He whipped around, looking for his assailant, but saw no one.

When the second snowball came flying, however, he was a bit more prepared for it. Reno dove for cover behind a bench, peering out in the direction the attack had come from. He spotted a brief movement as someone darted behind the snow-laden branches of a large pine tree, but didn't get a good look at them.

As he waited for them to show themselves again, two more snowballs pegged him from behind... one hitting him squarely between the shoulder blades, while the second caught him in the head again, taking his knit cap with it. The redhead growled and retreated a second time, snatching the hat as he went. This time, he found himself crouched behind a trash can, desperately trying to keep an eye on both points of attack.

Which was why the _next_ snowball caught him completely off guard again. Once more, the assault came from behind, and this time, it was accompanied by a slightly deranged-sounding laugh. One that Reno very quickly recognized.

"Sato?! If that's you, I'm gonna kick your ass, you fuckwit!" he shouted in the general direction it had come from.

"Aye, yeh can try there, Rookie! Yeh can _try_ ," a voice answered, its owner hidden by a low line of shrubs. Another snowball was launched at him and he easily dodged it this time. Unfortunately, doing so took him directly into the line of fire as two more suddenly came at him from elsewhere. This first one missed by mere inches... but the second smacked wetly into his face.

Who the hell _else_ was out there?

He took cover against the trunk of the tree where he'd seen the shadowy figure vanish a minute ago. If Sato was here, then Saya probably was, too... but there had to be at least one more. Those last two shots had come from completely opposite directions. Kai, maybe? Or Shay? Or... was it Rude? He could _definitely_ see his friend teaming up with the twins for something like this...

Whoever it was didn't matter. What mattered was the fact that, at the moment, he was basically surrounded. He needed to find a better position.

Another snowball spattered across the tree trunk just above his head.

Quickly. He needed to find a better position _quickly_. The redhead gathered a little snow and hurriedly made up some ammunition of his own. Stealthy – but not stealthy enough – footsteps crunched nearby in the snow, and Reno grinned to himself as he shot out of his hiding place. He found his target easily enough.

Sato tried to dodge, but he was too close to move in time. Reno easily pummeled him with three handfuls of snow before taking off at a sprint towards a large statue nearby, laughing as he ran. A snowball sailed past him... a last ditch effort, given that it missed him by a mile... and the rookie quickly took shelter at the base of the statue.

"Come out 'n fight like a Turk, Rookie," Sato's voice goaded him.

"Tch... That's exactly what I'm _doin'_!" he shot back, smirking. He was pretty sure he heard the senior Turk laugh at that proclamation.

"Saya! Flank the little bugger!" he shouted. Footsteps suddenly echoed over the frozen landscape as someone – Saya, he assumed – attempted to circle around his left side. "We gotchyeh now, Reno..."

Reno snorted derisively and crawled beneath the statue's hollow base, creeping out on the other side just as the footsteps reached his former location.

"What the... Where'd he go?" Saya asked, obviously confused for a moment. Reno took the opportunity to slip out and scoop up more snow before rounding the statue again. He found her investigating the tracks he'd left. Right about the time she realized what he'd done, he'd let loose with a flurry of snow balls

"Yeh tricky little sneak!" Saya sputtered, laughing as she wiped melting snow from her face. "Rude, he's headin' yer way!"

Reno skidded to a stop as he friend suddenly stepped out from behind a tree. He smirked, and held up a snowball.

"Traitor..." the redhead accused. Rude snickered and fired, but Reno was faster, diving to the ground and rolling. He quickly packed a return shot and flung it at his fellow rookie, nailing him in the shoulder, but Rude was ready for it. He didn't even bother trying to avoid it, and instead hefted another round, and hit Reno in the chest.

Another snowball caught him in the back of the neck, and he suddenly realized that Saya had caught up to him. Reno scurried to get out of the line of fire, but Sato, too, had taken the opportunity to close in, and blocked of his retreat. With a resigned sigh, the redhead slowly raised his hands in surrender.

"Ya know... three on one isn't exactly a fair fight..."

" _Four_ on one, actually," a new voice replied. The declaration was followed by a yet another snowball smacking into the side of his head, and Reno had just enough time to catch site of Tseng, smirking unabashedly at him, before the others closed ranks and pummeled him mercilessly with snow.

The redhead dropped to the ground, doing his best to shield himself, but it did him little good. It was coming at him from every direction.

"Alright, hold your fire," Tseng chuckled, and it soon abated. Reno peered up cautiously, and slowly got to his feet.

" _You_?" Reno asked, incredulously, " _You_ were behind all this?"

Tseng smiled slightly. "I seldom get the opportunity. When I ran into Sato and Saya while I was out shopping this morning, I decided it was too good to waste. Besides... I still owed you for that little prank you pulled on Halloween."

Reno snickered. "Alright, fine... ya got me. You guys happy now?" The rookie sighed and shook his head, glancing over at Rude. "Wait a minute... how come _I'm_ the only one gettin' paid back for that?!"

"Who says yeh _are_?" Sato replied, and before Rude realized what they intended, all three senior Turks resumed their attack. Against _him_. The bald rookie yelped and soon found himself covered head to toe, as the redhead joined in, laughing maniacally.

"Enough! I think that's quite sufficient," Tseng said a few minutes later, and the others grudgingly halted their assault on the surprised rookie. Reno shivered slightly in the cold, but was grinning widely as he helped his friend back to his feet. "I think it's about time we went inside and warmed up a bit."

Saya snickered, and dusted some of the snow off of Reno's shoulders. "Aye... poor things are startin' ta look a wee bit like Turkcicles."

* * *

Reno sat contentedly on the couch in Tseng's living room, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a mug of hot chocolate, courtesy of Rude, in his hands. Saya sat nearby, and Rude was nursing his own drink in the armchair next to him.

Tseng and Sato returned from the kitchen, joining the small group, and Sato made a point of pouring a generous dose of... something... from a small flask into his mug.

"Anyone else?" he asked grinning widely. Saya clucked her tongue in disapproval, but said nothing.

"Thank you, but I'll pass," Tseng answered, taking a sip, "While I _am_ partial to scotch, I prefer mine not be made in a bathtub."

"Suit yerself," the Mideelian Turk replied, with a shrug.

"You can make it in a toilet for all _I_ care..." the redhead grinned, holding his own mug out. Sato chuckled and added some to his as well. Rude nodded as well, and was gifted the same.

"Don't give him any _new_ ideas," Saya muttered. "Bad enough I have ta put up with the damned still he's got _now_... Bloody idiot'll probably blow us both ta kingdom come one 'o these days."

"Aye... but at least we'll be drunk!" Sato grinned. Saya rolled her eyes, and turned her attention back on the rookies instead.

"Would either of yeh like a new roommate? I'm more than willin' ta part with him..."

* * *

The twins took their leave shortly thereafter, but Rude lingered to spend the day with his friend. By mid-afternoon, the snow was coming down so heavily that Tseng insisted he not even think about braving the the trek back to his own place.

Reno was glad for it. Rude had been more than a little preoccupied with his new girlfriend lately, and the redhead had been feeling somewhat shoved aside in recent days. It wasn't that he disliked Margaret – though she certainly didn't seem to care much for _him_ – he just missed spending time with Rude without feeling like he was tagging along on someone else's date.

Rude had offered to prepare dinner as a thank you for the impromptu overnight lodging. Neither Reno nor Tseng had been in any hurry to argue with the idea. And now, both rookie Turks were stretched out on opposite ends of the couch, watching a movie and enjoying the quiet solitude of a winter's night. The Turk lieutenant had turned in a short while ago.

"What're ya doin' tomorrow?" the redhead asked, yawning as the credits started to roll. Rude shrugged.

"Guess it depends on how frozen Midgar is. Why?"

"I was thinkin' about goin' down to see Lira." He paused for a moment, considering. "Assumin' the trains are runnin'... Do the trains shut down when there's too much snow?"

"Not as long as they can keep the exposed track outside of the tunnels clear."

"Wanna come with, then? I'm sure Lira'd like seein' you again... Been awhile."

"..."

"What?" he queried, curious at the hesitation.

"... I... don't really think _Margaret_ would like that," he answered, somewhat lamely.

"Tch... I didn't invite _Margaret,_ " Reno replied, a bit more snappishly that he'd intended. "I invited _you_."

"... I meant I don't think she'd like it if she found _out_."

The redhead rolled his eyes and sat up. "Found out _what_ , exactly? It's not like I'm askin' ya to head down to Wall Market for an orgy or some shit. Personally, I'm not real big on group sex anyway, to be honest. Too easy to wind up with one too many dicks aimin' for the same target. Or for a target you don't _want_ 'em aimin' for, if you catch my drift. Ya know... unless it's like... with triplets, or somethin'." He grinned widely. "I would _definitely_ be okay with fucking triplets."

Rude snorted softly in laughter. "Again... Not what I meant. And _way_ too much information, by the way."

Reno smirked and settled back. "No such thing."

"Trust me... there is."

"So seriously... what's the problem? I know Lira can be a little... ya know... grabby. But all ya gotta do is ask her to knock it off 'n she will. She just likes to flirt is all. Not like she's gonna shove ya onto the bed and take what she wants from ya," he snickered, and then grinned lewdly, "... That costs extra."

"... It's not that," Rude replied, "Lira's nice. I like her. But she's a... you know."

"A rentgirl," the redhead filled in, eyes narrowing. "So? What the hell's wrong with that? I mean, when you get right down to it, what's the _real_ difference between spreadin' your legs and, say, waitin' tables? Aside from the fact that the tips are a hell of a lot better for spreadin'. Those girls gotta make a livin', too... 'n then all these stuck up assholes do nothin' but look down on 'em 'n treat 'em like shit just for tryin' to stay alive."

The redhead turned his face away as he realized that his eyes had become somewhat suspiciously moist over the course of the short rant. It pissed him off the way people like Lira got treated. Just because they sold their bodies didn't make them bad people.

"... I'm just saying that it's not somewhere a guy with a girlfriend should be hanging out. It... doesn't look good."

Reno scoffed loudly. "No, what you're sayin' is you're worried that, if she finds out, she'll think you went down there to fuck around on her. Ya ever think that maybe if she really trusts you she wouldn't give a shit?"

Rude sighed and shook his head. "You're reading way too much into this. I just think it would get... weird... if I started making a habit of hanging out with girls like Lira."

"Ya know, just for the record... if it wasn't for 'girls like Lira', I wouldn't be here. 'Cause my mom was a rentgirl, too, remember?" Reno angrily pushed himself to his feet and stormed off to his bedroom, leaving Rude somewhat speechless on the couch. "See ya in the mornin'," he added before shutting the door firmly behind himself.

~end chapter 36~


	37. Winter is Coming

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 37: Winter is Coming**

 **by Desha**

The snow stuck around for most of the week. Then it largely melted off... and then it snowed again, blanketing the city in white once more. This time, though, it looked to be staying for the long haul. Winter was officially here, and there was no going back.

Tseng shuddered just looking out the window. Where he'd grown up, snow was unheard of, save for in the mountainous regions... and even then, only near the peaks. The majority of Wutai was borderline tropical most of the year. The worst they ever got in the lowlands in the winter were days upon days of chilly rain.

Winter was one of the few things Tseng had never managed to grow accustomed to in Midgar. The drastic change from fall, when, for the most part, once could make do with light jacket until fairly late in the year, always seemed to hit him abnormally hard. He suspected that his first cold of the year wasn't far off.

It never failed. No matter how well he took care of himself, he inevitably ended up spending a week or more sniffling and sneezing at his desk shortly following the first snow. He wasn't particularly looking forward to it... and he hoped that Reno wasn't as prone to such weather-related illnesses as _he_ tended to be. It made him miserable and cranky, and he wasn't quite sure how he'd deal with having to care for both himself _and_ someone who was just as miserable and cranky as he was.

He could already feel the fatigue seeping in.

He sighed in resignation and refilled his mug with more tea. His mother had always considered it a cure-all. Any time he'd _ever_ been ill as a child, she plied him with it until he felt as though he might burst. Honestly, he had no idea whether or not it actually _helped_... but it certainly couldn't hurt. As a result, he'd almost always nearly doubled his rate of consumption when the weather grew colder, lest he suffer even more than usual for lack of the liquid's alleged healing properties.

" _Coffeeeeeee_..." a sleepy voice groaned from the direction of the hallway, and Tseng chuckled quietly as he turned to greet his... _mostly_ awake... rookie.

"Good morning to you, as well," he teased. The redhead shot him a halfhearted glare and dragged himself into the kitchen, where a fresh pot already awaited him. Tseng had finally given in and purchased a coffemaker. The rate at which the redhead went through it had made it cheaper than continuing to buy instant coffee in the long run... as well as more efficient in the mornings, as he could simply set it to brew while he prepared his _own_ breakfast, so that it would be ready once Reno finally dragged himself out of bed. The caffeine usually perked the teen right up, and tended to result in him being more likely to be ready to leave on time.

Reno poured himself a cup and stirred in his usual ridiculous amount of sugar before gulping it down and repeating the process. It wasn't until the third cup that he finally seemed to finish waking up.

"Mornin'..." he said at last, with a wide yawn.

"You seem tired," Tseng replied, smirking slightly. Reno rolled his eyes.

"Tch... _You'd_ be tired, too, if you'd been stuck on a stakeout with Remy 'til two in the fuckin' mornin'. Thought those assholes were _never_ gonna turn up."

"It went well, then?"

Reno had been assigned to the senior Turk for his very first stakeout. Really, Tseng would have preferred to have gone with him himself, but other duties had prevented him from doing so last night. The redhead shrugged.

"I guess. I mean... they eventually showed up. We nabbed 'em. End of story. Not real difficult... just boring as all fuck," he replied, shaking his head. "Don't get me wrong, I love Remy, but she's not real big on conversation when she's workin'. Think I mighta started talkin' to _myself_ at one point outta sheer desperation."

Tseng snorted softly in laughter. He he was well acquainted with the young woman's personality. Remy wasn't always the friendliest of Turks... not because she disliked her colleagues, but simply because she tended to be extraordinarily focused on the task at hand, and deeply annoyed by anything that broke that focus.

"Well... you'll be happy to know that we _should_ have a relatively easy day ahead of us. Escort duty in the morning, and... as something of a treat for you... Veld has informed me that I've been putting off your flight training for far too long. Apparently self-preservation and personal terror are not valid reasons to delay preparing you for your pilot's certification."

The rookie choked on the sip he'd just taken.

"I finally get to fly the copter?!" he cried, excitedly.

"No... you get to practice in Soldier's flight simulator. Actual instruction will start once things have thawed a bit. Icy weather can result in all sorts of complications that a novice shouldn't be expected to handle."

"Long as I finally get to get started..." the redhead said, grinning. "So how long's this escort shit gonna take?"

"Most of the morning, I suspect. Rufus is Christmas shopping for his father, and he can be rather... picky."

Reno groaned loudly. "... _Rufus_? I gotta spend the whole fuckin' morning with _that_ dick?"

Tseng laughed and finished off his tea.

"You can't avoid him indefinitely, Reno. And don't think I haven't realized that that's precisely what you've been doing. He is the vice president of the company, and you _will_ have to learn to work with him."

"Uggggh... But he's such an _asshole_."

"If the two of you would give each other a chance, I'm quite certain you would find that you actually have a lot in common. But regardless of your personal opinion of him, he is your superior _and_ mine. This petty grudge you have against him cannot continue... at least not while you're on duty."

"Yeah, yeah..." Reno sighed. "Fine. I guess I can put up with the brat without stranglin' him for a _few_ hours."

"That's all I ask. For now," Tseng chuckled.

* * *

"I gotta go," Rude said softly. Warm arms encircled him, and Margaret tenderly nuzzled his chest.

"See you tonight?" she asked, and the rookie flashed her an apologetic grin.

"Sorry... I promised to help Reno with something. Tomorrow night?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. " _Him_ again. Seriously, Rude, I don't know what you see in that idiot." She cuddled up to him and pressed a gentle kiss against his throat. "All he ever does is cause you trouble."

"... He's my best friend. And he's no worse than _Abigail_ ," he teased. He snickered softly. "In fact, he's pretty much the guy version of _your_ best friend."

"Except that Abby's never gotten _me_ arrested," she laughed. " _Please_ ,Rude? You see him all day at work. You can hang out with him another time. I really want to see you tonight. My parents are in town to visit for a couple of days. I... was _kind of_ hoping you might come out to dinner with us."

Rude blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected _that_.

"... You... want me to meet your parents?"

Margaret smiled and let her head rest on his chest. "Mmhmm... and they're heading off to Kalm to see my sister tomorrow morning, and then home to Nibelheim. So it really needs to be tonight."

"... I guess Reno wouldn't mind _too_ much if I helped him out some other time..." Rude replied, rolling over and pinning her. She giggled as he kissed her.

* * *

The morning briefing seemed to drag on for ages. As Reno soon found out, _all_ of the members of the executive board were entitled to personal escorts any time they wanted them... and according to Saya, it wasn't unusual for escort requests to triple over the holidays. Not so much because there was any sense of increased danger... but rather because a few of the executives had discovered that shopping with a couple of intimidating Turks standing at their back often netted them shorter waits in line and easier wins in arguments with other shoppers over items that were in short supply. Heidegger, apparently, was one of the worst offenders. In fact, the man had no fewer than five separate requests in at the moment, which would keep an escort team tied up for the remainder of the week and into next, including weekend duty.

Luca and Shay were stuck with him for most of those requests. Having to babysit Rufus for the morning was suddenly looking a lot less unappealing to the redhead. He hid a yawn, and tried to pay attention to Veld, who was presently handing out assignments to those of his Turks that _hadn't_ been roped into escort duty yet. Apparently, he didn't hide it quite well enough.

"Am I boring you, Reno?" the Turk leader asked. The redhead quickly sat up and shook his head.

"No sir... Remy just kept me up all night," he replied, and smirked at the senior Turk sitting beside him. "You wouldn't _believe_ how demanding she can be when she's got ya in the back seat of a car."

A round of sniggers quickly erupted from the other Turks seated at the conference table, and and even Veld laughed quietly. Remy, meanwhile, was glaring daggers at the rookie.

"I really should have known better than to ask," the Turk leader chuckled. "As I was saying... Tres. I need you and Rude working with the twins today on that purported leak from the biologics department. If someone in the company is really talking to the press about the Soldier program, I want it quashed immediately. Have a... _chat_... with the reporter as well."

"Yes, sir," Tres replied.

"Alright... you all have your assignments. Dismissed."

There was a loud shuffling of chairs as the other Turks stood and made their way to the door. Remy, however, remained right where she was, still angrily eying the redhead.

"If you think you're going to get away with embarrassing me like that, you've got another thing coming to you, _Rookie_ ," she declared. Reno snickered and got up, intent on following Tseng out into the hallway.

"Ah, lighten up Remy. It was just a joke. No one thought I was bein' serious about that shit."

"Hmph."

He flashed her a wide grin and ducked out the door, finding his mentor waiting for him.

"I hope you're not planning on coming to me to save you when she enacts her revenge," he said, smiling, "Come on... Rufus is expecting us in ten minutes."

"Yeah, 'kay... lemme just go grab my coat," Reno replied, and hurried off to his office. Rude had beaten him there, and was already gathering his own supplies for the day. "Hey... you lookin' forward to tonight?"

The bald Turk turned and awkwardly cleared his throat. "... About that. Can we do it another time?"

"Why? Somethin' come up?"

"... Well..."

The redhead rolled his eyes. "No... Don't tell me. Margaret wants ya to do somethin' with _her_ tonight. Come _on_ , man. I asked ya to help me with this like a week and a half ago. How fuckin' far in advance do I gotta book time with you these days?"

"... Sorry. It's just... it's kind of important. And we've got over a month and a half before you move out. You don't need to start getting stuff right this _second_."

"Yeah... but I wanna have at least _some_ idea of what I want so I'm not runnin' all over Midgar like a maniac tryin' to make my new apartment livable. 'Sides... if they got somethin' I like, I wanna put it on layaway 'n start payin' on it _now_ , so I'm not completely broke within a week of movin' outta Tseng's place."

Though he'd been more than a little nervous about it at first, Reno had warmed to the idea of having his own apartment surprisingly quickly. In recent weeks, he'd actually found himself looking _forward_ to it, in fact. So much so that he was eager to start looking for items to furnish said apartment with. Rude was supposed to help him out.

"We'll go this weekend. Okay?" Rude offered, and the redhead sighed heavily in disappointment.

"Yeah... alright. Fine. Catch ya later, then."

"Move it, Rude! We got a tight schedule to keep!" Tres called from out in the hall. Rude gave his friend a quick wave and hurried to report to his mentor. Reno grabbed his coat from the hook by the door and hesitated a moment longer.

He was starting to wonder just how serious Rude really _was_ about this girl. Lately, about ninety percent of his off-duty time seemed to revolve around her, and the redhead wasn't the least bit ashamed to admit that he was getting a little jealous of the fact. He was glad Rude seemed so happy with her... but for fuck's sake, now the guy wasn't just spending all his time with Margaret... he was ditching plans they'd made together well in advance.

He didn't like to think it, but Reno was beginning to worry that Rude just... liked her better. And really, how was he supposed to compete with a _girlfriend_ , anyway? It wouldn't the first time he'd been dumped by a friend in favor of a chick over the years... but it would definitely be the first time he'd been dumped by one he'd grown as close to as Rude. It stung. In fact, it stung even worse than when Rude had so callously turned down his invitation to visit Lira because of what his girlfriend might think of him hanging out with a prostitute. _That_ ,at least, he'd apologized for – profusely – the following morning... and had even ended up joining him, in the end. This, though, felt different. It cut much deeper than a few poorly chosen words.

He shook his head and pulled on his coat. He'd have to worry about that sort of thing later. Right now, he had escort duty. With Rufus.

* * *

Tseng sneezed – again – and uttered a faint groan behind a handkerchief. He'd _known_ this was going to happen. He'd been hoping that he was wrong when he felt it coming on almost as soon as he'd woken up that morning... but as the day wore on, he found himself growing more and more weary. And then the sneezing had started.

"Barely three weeks into the snowy season and you're _already_ sick?" a somewhat bored-looking Rufus snickered in response.

"Three weeks may well be a new record for me," the Turk lieutenant replied, in a put-out tone of voice. "And the others _wonder_ why I so dislike this time of year."

"Hmph... well, do _try_ to keep your germs to yourself. I'm going to Icicle Inn this weekend and I refuse to cancel my plans over a Shiva-forsaken cold."

"I will endeavor to avoid contaminating y-you–" He sneezed again, more violently this time. "... sir."

"Uh... you _sure_ you're up for this, Boss?" Reno asked somewhat cautiously, turning to glance back at the pair seated behind him in the company limousine. He'd been relegated to the front, next to Rufus' driver, but the partition that would normally separate the two sections had been left down.

"It's only a cold. I'll manage... as I must do _every_ year," Tseng sighed. The car pulled up in front of a large department store in Sector 4, and the driver hurried to hop out and open the door for his passengers... leaving the redhead to fend for himself. Reno grumbled softly at the slight – and he didn't miss the smug look on Rufus' face as he did so – and stepped out onto the street, rounding the car to join Tseng and the vice president.

They made their way inside, and Reno couldn't help but be impressed by the high-end store. He'd been to plenty of the businesses in the sector... but nothing like this. He had a feeling that most of what they sold here was well out of his budget. Rufus paused briefly, inspecting a small display of designer wallets, before continuing on farther into the store. It didn't take Reno long to realize that he was making his way over to the jewelry counter.

"Hmm..." the blonde man murmured, peering into one of the display cases filled with gold and diamond cufflinks, tie clips, money clips and the like. "I _had_ been considering a watch... but Father already has so many."

Reno suppressed a groan and hung back slightly, content to simply stand guard while Rufus perused the store's wares. To be honest, he never really got the appeal of shit like that. Most of it was pretty gaudy, in _his_ opinion. The only reason to own a diamond-encrusted gold tie clip was to be able to _say_ you owned a fucking diamond-encrusted gold tie clip. A cheap one did exactly the same thing.

He shrugged. Whatever... What Rufus got his dad for Christmas was none of _his_ business.

Nearly two hours later, however, the redhead was just about ready to pick out the damn thing _for_ him. Rufus had inspected dozens of items and found them all lacking. Worse, the entire proceeding was punctuated at intervals by Tseng's sneezing, and the senior Turk was looking decidedly more tired than he had earlier that morning.

He hoped Tseng was right, and it was just a cold. It seemed to be hitting him awfully hard, though... and it had come, more or less, out of nowhere. The man had been perfectly fine just last night.

At last, Rufus shook his head.

"These simply won't do. Come... Let's try elsewhere," he declared.

It went on in much the same vein for six more stores. At the seventh, Rufus hesitated, and Tseng seemed to shake himself from the slight stupor he'd fallen into during the car ride.

"Sir..." he said, somewhat quietly, as Rufus was stepping out of the car. "Are you sure you –"

"Stay with the car, Tseng. You're _clearly_ not feeling well," Rufus said, shortly, cutting him off. The Turk leader opened his mouth to protest, but Rufus shot him an annoyed look and snapped his fingers at the redhead. "Hurry up, Slum Rat. We've wasted enough time on this errand. Surely there must be _something_ my father will like here. And that was an _order_ , Tseng. Stay."

Reno muttered something unflattering under his breath, but hurried to respond to the summons. Though... he couldn't be _too_ irritated with the young executive. Tseng waslooking less than stellar at the moment, and he was glad the brat wasn't going to drag him around yet another store.

"Reno..." Tseng said quietly, before he could climb out. "Please keep a close eye on Rufus here. Bring him back immediately if anything seems... amiss."

"... Boss?" Reno queried, slightly confused by the odd request.

" _Now_ , Slum Rat..." Rufus insisted, and the redhead rolled his eyes.

"I'm not gonna kill him. I'm _not_ gonna kill him," he sighed to himself, and climbed out to join his current assignment without waiting for an answer. Reno silently followed the vice president inside, through a set of revolving doors, and couldn't stop the low whistle that escaped his lips at the sight that greeted him. If the previous stores had been out of his budget... _this_ one he couldn't have afforded if he'd sold his soul. Rufus smirked at him, very smugly amused by his reaction.

"A bit above you usual standard, Slum Rat?" he asked, snottily. "Of course, I suppose when one spends most of one's life digging through dumpsters and sleeping in filth... just about anything more civilized would be well above standard."

Reno ignored the comment and simply followed the older boy deeper into the store, towards the jewelry counters near the back. He still didn't quite understand what made Rufus seem to hate him so much... though he _had_ come to the conclusion that it wasn't merely to do with his life before the Turks. He'd seen Rufus interact with Tres on several occasions and there was none of the animosity... none of the name calling. If anything, Rufus seemed to have a certain amount of respect for Tres, however tenuous. He got the distinct impression that the whole 'slum rat' bit was just an attempt to get under Reno's skin... though the _why_ still eluded him.

He saw Rufus' gaze wander towards the registers as they passed them by, and for a moment, the man looked almost... nervous. He pointedly turned away from them and continued his trek to the jewelry counter. Reno frowned slightly. Was that what Tseng had meant by 'amiss'? He shook the thought from his head and dutifully stood guard while Rufus looked over a batch of mythril watches.

Some twenty minutes later he finally made a decision, opting for one of the most expensive models, and ordering the clerk to wrap it for him.

 _'Thank fuck,'_ Reno thought to himself. This assignment was nearly over. He trailed behind the vice president as they were shown to the registers to check out, biting back a yawn. It _was_ nice to have an easy assignment after having been up half the night watching an empty warehouse from the back seat of Remy's car... but still. This was incredibly boring _and_ he had to put up with the brat.

He watched Rufus out of the corner of his eye as he paid for his purchase and they waited for the gift to be wrapped... and all the while, the executive seemed to become more and more anxious and fidgety. When the clerk stepped away for a moment to retrieve more ribbon from the back, the redhead took the opportunity to get some revenge for the the trip thus far.

"What's up with _you?_ " he asked, and grinned, clapping the older boy on the back hard enough to knock him forward a couple feet. Rufus jumped in sudden fright. He spun and glared at the Turk.

"Do. Not. Touch me," he growled through gritted teeth. Reno actually backed up a step, so intense was Rufus' anger.

"Whoa... Easy, sir. It was just a joke." He held up his hands, placating and backed off, wondering what the _hell_ that was all about. For his part, Rufus seemed to realize that his response was more than a little out of the norm and quickly schooled his expression. He turned away from the Turk, and calmly straightened his tie... though it did nothing to detract from the slightly pale hue that had come over his features.

"So... You okay, sir?" Reno cautiously ventured.

"Perfectly fine," the executive responded, haughtily.

"... If you say so," he said, though it was more than apparent that the Turk wasn't buying it. Rufus remained stubbornly silent until the clerk returned with his wrapped purchase. He thanked the man, and took his leave, his escort hurrying to keep pace with his rapid exit.

"I suppose you expect an explanation," Rufus spat as they neared the doors.

"Uh... wouldn't _mind_ one. But I'm not _expectin'_ anything, sir."

"Good. Because I have no wish to discuss it. Particularly with a slum rat like you."

They stepped through the doors and made the short walk to the waiting limo, whereupon Reno turned to get into the front seat. Rufus, it seemed, had other plans, all but shoving him into the back ahead of him and climbing in behind.

"Back to office, Emil," he commanded the driver. Reno blinked in slight confusion as he settled himself into the plush seats. Rufus calmly reached over and pressed the button to close the partition, giving them some privacy.

"Sir?" Tseng queried.

"I'm fine," Rufus snapped.

"Rufus..." the senior Turk tried again. The executive didn't answer this time, merely folded his arms over his chest and sank back into the seat. "I _would_ have come with you... ill or not. There was no need do that on your own."

"Tch... and what exactly am I?" Reno muttered, slightly miffed at the dismissal of his presence. Tseng shot him a look that plainly told him to be quiet and rested a hand on the Shinra heir's shoulder. Rufus snorted softly.

"Go on, then. I'm sure you're planning on filling him in on the intricate details of my anxieties at some point, aren't you? You seem to tell the little urchin _everything_ anyway."

Tseng didn't seem bothered in the least by Rufus' cold tone. _Reno,_ though, blinked as something finally clicked into place for him... and he wondered how he'd missed it before. Rufus didn't like him... because Tseng _did_. It was much the way he himself felt about Margaret, but taken to the extreme. Rufus was jealous that the redhead suddenly commanded more of Tseng's attention than _he_ did. He didn't have long to ponder his new realization, however.

"Rufus hasn't been in that store for... _several_... years now. Nor, for that matter, have I..." He smiled slightly, "Not that I have much call to shop in this part of the sector, regardless."

"... 'kay..." Reno replied, an eyebrow rising in curiosity. The limo merged into traffic and started back towards the city center. Tseng shook his head slightly.

"You're already aware that Rufus was nearly kidnapped as a child. That store is where it happened. And... where he lost his mother."

The executive seemed to shrink down in the seat slightly, as if bracing himself for something. It didn't take Reno long to figure out what. He was expecting mockery for his weakness. Or maybe just cold indifference. The redhead wasn't inclined toward either. He ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back, out of his eyes and slowly exhaled.

"... Your braver than me, sir," he said at last. "I _still_ haven't been back to where my mom died. And I don't ever plan on goin'."

Rufus glanced up at him in surprise, but didn't comment. He simply cleared his throat awkwardly and refocused his attention on the window.

"Ah... we're nearly there," he commented, as they neared the entrance to the Shinra Building's parking deck.

It was only once the vice president was escorted safely inside, and the two Turks had stepped aboard the elevator to return to headquarters, that Tseng finally spoke again.

"Thank you."

"For what?" the redhead asked, curiously raising an eyebrow. Tseng chuckled quietly, only to be interrupted by a loud sneeze.

"For saying what you said. Rufus has always been a very proud young man... He despises showing any sort of weakness. Sometimes to his detriment. I think hearing that you don't view his reaction as such... made it easier for him." The Turk lieutenant was suddenly assailed by a coughing fit, that left him leaning against the wall of the elevator.

"Uh... Boss? Maaaaaybe you better take a break. You're not lookin' so great. Or _soundin'_ so great."

"I'm perfectly fine. I have no intention of being brought to my knees by a Leviathan-forsaken _cold_. Now... we're due at Soldier headquarters in an hour for your flight sim training. Why don't you go and get some lunch before we start?"

"Have it your way..." Reno replied with a shrug, "But don't blame me when you're on the floor coughin' up a lung 'cause ya didn't take my advice."

"Duly noted," Tseng said, with a faint chuckled. "You are officially absolved of any and all responsibility for my general health."

* * *

Reno was a little surprised to find that he was the only Turk in the cafeteria... though, given all the escort requests, maybe he shouldn't have been. Schedules were bound to be all over the place for awhile. He shrugged and got in line, hurrying to procure a portion of whatever was on offer today.

He grimaced slightly at the options. Sad-looking broiled chicken, which he knew from experience tasted positively vile... tuna casserole, that he'd repeatedly been warned against ever attempting to ingest by nearly everyone on the team... and some sort of murky vegetable-beef soup. He finally picked the soup, along with some mashed potatoes, a couple of bread rolls, and a large slice of blueberry pie. Dessert, at least, the cafeteria staff had a hard time fucking up. He carried his plate over to an empty table and sat down, spearing a bite of the pie first.

"Yer supposed ta eat yer dessert _after_ yeh've finished the rest of yer meal," a familiar voice chastised from behind him. Reno turned and spotted Dr. Ward making her way over to him.

"Why?" he asked, smirking.

"So yeh have room for the more _nutritious_ food. Filling up on sugar just isn't healthy."

"Tch... Give me a break, Doc. If there ever comes a time I can't finish what's in front of me, you better be around... 'cause there'd be somethin' _seriously_ wrong with me."

Ward laughed, and gave her patient a soft pat on the shoulder.

"Yeh _do_ have a point there, I suppose." She looked him over appraisingly for a moment or two before finally nodding in approval. "Well... yeh seem ta be filling out a bit, at least. _Finally_. I'd still like ta see yeh put on a bit more weight, though."

Reno rolled his eyes dramatically. "Five seconds ago you were complainin' about me starting with dessert, and now you're complainin' about me bein' too skinny. Make up your mind, Doc."

"I just want yeh _healthy_ ," she chuckled. "I see enough of yer lot with all the injuries yeh seem ta sustain. I don't like seein' any of yeh sick ta boot."

Reno snickered quietly. "Well... then you're not gonna wanna run into Tseng any time soon..."

"Oh? And just why not?" the aging doctor asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Guy's been pale as fuck and sneezin' his head off half the mornin'. I told him to take a break, but he just said 'no Leviathan-forsaken cold is gonna kick _my_ ass'. Or... ya know... somethin' along those lines."

" _Did_ he, now... ?" Ward responded with a deep frown, folding her arms across her chest. "Hmph. Seems I've one more patient ta see before I take my lunch break..." She turned to take her leave, only to pause and glance back at the redhead. "And what have I told _yeh_ about watching yer language?"

"... Sorry," Reno sheepishly answered.

* * *

Reno stepped out of the elevator about ten minutes later. He'd cut his lunch short, eager to get started on learning to fly the helicopter, and hoped that Tseng hadn't wandered off on him. He was just turning the corner towards his mentor's office, when out of nowhere, a pair of hands grabbed him and dragged him bodily into one of the other offices.

"Yeh dinnae want ta go down there just yet..." Sato said, gravely, gripping him firmly by his right arm.

"Aye... Yer in a wee bit 'o trouble, sweetie..." Saya echoed with a slight giggle, her hands holding him by the left arm just as tightly.

"W-what?" Reno asked, looking back and forth between the pair in alarm. "What'd I do?!"

Sato suddenly broke out in a wide grin. "Yeh snitched on Tseng's what yeh did," he snickered. "Ward's in his office right now, tellin' him off right proper fer workin' sick."

"Don't get us wrong... the man's a bloody workaholic 'n frankly, he looks like he _needs_ ta be in bed at the moment... but dear Odin is he ever gonna be pissed at yeh when the good doctor's through with 'im," Saya added.

The redhead groaned, and sagged in their grasp. He never should've opened his damn mouth... or at the very _least_ he should have been smart enough to tell Ward not to mention names when she went up to see his mentor.

"One of you wanna do me a favor and kill me? If I let Tseng do it, I'm pretty sure I'll suffer... 'Least you guys might show me some mercy and make it quick."

"Saya?" a voice called from the hallway. A moment later, the stern-looking figure of Veld appeared in the doorway. "Have you seen – ah... Reno. There you are." The Turk leader smirked slightly and stepped into the office. "Tseng has just been relieved of duty for the day by order of the medical staff. I'm sending him home to rest. You're with Remy for the remainder of the afternoon."

" _Just_ the afternoon, sir?" the redhead replied, and Veld chuckled.

"I'm sure he won't be feeling quite so murderous by the time you're done for the day... though you could always sleep here, if you're _that_ worried about what might befall you at home. Remy is in her office."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Reno instinctively braced himself as the view through the cockpit's windshield spun crazily and the sound of the craft's warning alarms blared painfully in his ears. A moment later, a deceptively friendly female voice informed him that the simulation was complete and the view in front of him shifted to display his rating.

"That was terrible," Remy stated. "Let's reset and try it again."

"Ya know... I'm startin' to think you're enjoying watchin' me fail."

It was the twelfth time he'd crashed... and it had easily been the most spectacular crash of the bunch. Somehow, he'd drifted into a strong crosswind and been blown backwards before he could compensate. The tail rotor had struck the communications antenna, which had sheered off half the back of the helicopter and sent him spiraling, out of control, over a thousand feet to the ground. He'd torpedoed into Number Four Substation B, and – the computer informed him – annihilated three square blocks of the shopping district with the resulting explosion... an estimated death toll of five hundred and forty.

Remy smirked and pressed the reset button.

"Again," she repeated, "We have time for one more attempt. And this time, try not to kill anyone."

"Yeah, yeah," Reno muttered, turning back to the controls. The takeoff went smoothly. He was actually getting pretty _good_ at that part. And this time, when the crosswind hit him, he was ready for it, and steered hard to the left to avoid the antenna. "Ha! How's that?"

His moment of triumph was short-lived. The engine failure alarm shrieked out a warning, and a moment later, the controls went dead.

"The fuck?!" he shouted, no idea what he'd done wrong this time. The aircraft dropped like a stone, slamming into the roof of the Shinra Building, teetering on the edge for a a few seconds until, with the painful squeal of metal on concrete, it plummeted over the side, tumbling as it went. The view through the windshield almost made him nauseous.

"Simulation complete," the digital voice intoned, and the screen flashed up a failure message, along with a estimated death toll of thirty-five.

"Okay... I give. How'd I fuck up _that_ time?"

Remy leaned back in the copilot's seat. "You didn't," she replied.

"... The hell ya mean, 'I didn't'? Obviously I fucked _something_ up. If that had been real, I'd be splattered across half of Sector 0."

"Hmph. Sometimes things aren't pilot error. Sometimes the equipment just... fails," she replied, and he was almost certain the woman smirked at him briefly before quickly schooling her expression. Reno's eyes widened.

"You did that on purpose!"

"Yes. I did."

"Why?!" he demanded, glaring at her.

"Because it's a good lesson for you to learn," Remy replied. And then she definitely _did_ smirk at him. "And because you embarrassed me at the morning briefing."

"... You've been screwin' with me the whole time we've been in here, haven't you?"

"I _may_ have set the difficulty level significantly higher than what you're presently capable of, yes," Remy said, with knowing smile, "I now consider us even. Don't make a joke at my expense again."

"Tch... and I thought _Tseng_ had no sense of humor," Reno groaned as he freed himself from the simulator's harness. The senior Turk followed him out, and escorted him to the elevators. Remy snickered as they stepped aboard.

"From what I hear... you'd better _hope_ he does. The last time Tseng took time off for an illness, I believe _I_ was still a rookie."

The redhead groaned again and pressed the button for Fifty-eight, wondering if maybe he really _should_ consider sleeping at the office tonight.

* * *

Reno rounded the corner and made his way up to the front door of Tseng's apartment around six p.m... considerably later than he usually got home after work, but he'd lingered for a short while, talking to the twins once Remy had finished with him before hopping the train to Sector 1, and then had made a small detour to his mentor's favorite restaurant to pick up some dinner for the two of them.

He let himself in as silently as he could. The television was on, the volume turned down low, and the redhead easily spotted the senior Turk, sleeping sounding on the couch.

Reno hurried to kick his boots off, and hung up his coat, before carrying the bag of take-out into the living room and setting it on the coffee table. Tseng gave a wheezy-sounding cough and rolled over slightly in his sleep, pulling the blanket he was wrapped in tighter. The redhead frowned slightly, reaching out a hand and laying the backs of his fingers across the other Turk's forehead. It was noticeably warm. Tseng stirred, and a moment later, his eyes fluttered open, straining to focus on the figure beside him. He sat up with a groan.

"What time is it?" he asked, and Reno couldn't help but notice how scratchy his voice sounded.

"Eh... 'round six," he replied. "You eat yet? I stopped at Wu Long's on the way home."

The Wutaiian chuckled quietly, which quickly dissolved into more coughing.

"There was no need for a peace offering. Ward would have found out eventually, even had you _not_ mentioned it to her. The damned woman has an irritating habit of checking in on me after the weather turns."

Reno grinned. "Guess I'm not the _only_ one she likes to torture."

"Hardly. You are only her most _recent_ acquisition," Tseng replied, smiling faintly. He shook his head. "I'm officially sidelined until my fever is gone... which likely means I will be staying in bed tomorrow."

"Good. 'Cause ya look like death warmed over." At his mentor's glare, the redhead merely smirked and started unpacking their dinner. "What? If _I_ looked like that, you'd probably make me stay in bed the entire fuckin' _week_."

"Perhaps," he acknowledged. "Was Veld able to find someone to oversee your training after I left?"

"Yeah. Stuck me in there with Remy. She decided to take her revenge for this mornin' by crankin' up the difficulty level to Impossible without tellin' me."

Tseng laughed. "Did you manage to learn anything?"

"Tch... how to crash?"

"I would have preferred she teach you how _not_ to do that," he replied, dryly. "I'm sorry. I know you were looking forward to that training."

"Another time. We got all winter, right?" Reno said, shrugging. He opened up one of the containers and passed it over to Tseng.

"We do," Tseng agreed, and then chuckled, "Assuming you refrain from annoying Remy any further..."

~end chapter 37~


	38. Counting Down the Days

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 38: Counting Down the Days**

 **by Desha**

"Can yeh believe it? Three weeks..." Saya laughed with a sense of delight as she spun in her desk chair, and folded her hands behind her head.

" _Two_ weeks, cousin mine..." Sato snickered, " _I'm_ countin' down ta the last day 'o work... not the holiday. Bit ta the left, eh, Reno?"

"And a wee bit higher," his cousin added.

The rookie grunted softly as he stretched, forcing himself onto his toes on top of the already somewhat unstable platform he was perched on.

"Good?" he queried, through gritted teeth, as his arm extended to its limit.

"Almost there..." Sato chuckled as he got up from his seat and stealthily strolled over to the redhead. Saya raised an eyebrow in curiosity but her cousin quickly shushed her. The Mideelian Turk reached out and, without warning, tickled the awkwardly positioned rookie without mercy. Reno shrieked and reflexively attempted to pull away, resulting in a downward plummet.

"Reno!" Saya cried in alarm, but the other Turk had already moved into position to catch the falling rookie. He cackled loudly as Reno landed in his arms. The female Turk glared at her relative and stood up, storming over to him just as he was setting the slightly disoriented teenager back on his feet. Her palm connected roughly with the back of his head. "Just what in Odin's name are yeh tryin' ta do, yeh stupid idiot!"

"Ow! Ah, back off, woman. It was just a wee joke..."

"Because a broken neck is so _bloody_ amusin'..." Saya snorted derisively and turned her attention on Reno. "Are yeh alright?"

"Yeah, fine," he replied, before glowering at her cousin. "Tch... you can put up your _own_ fuckin' decorations if you're gonna pull _that_ shit on me, Sato."

"What happened ta yer Christmas spirit?" he snickered in response.

"What happened ta _yer_ sanity?" Saya countered. She wrapped an arm around the rookie and led him off towards the hallway. "Come on, Reno... Let's go and see what sorts 'o sweeties have turned up in the lounge taday while _this_ moronic nuisance fixes that garland."

Reno grinned and happily followed her into the hall. Luca gave the pair a friendly wave has he slipped by them, heading for the elevators.

The holidays were fast approaching... as Saya had mentioned, Christmas itself was a mere three weeks away, and Reno had recently learned that the Company basically shut down for the entire week, save for a skeleton crew of required personnel. The Turks generally weren't included in that description... though two of them _would_ be working security at the executive Christmas party a few days before. Remy and Kai had drawn the short stick on that one.

The pair of Turks stepped into the lounge, only to be greeted by the sounds of Christmas music playing from a small stereo someone had brought in and the smell of warm sugar, cinnamon, and chocolate. Rude and Shay were tackling the task of decorating the little pine tree that had been erected in the center of the room earlier that morning.

"So... is it _always_ like this around here this time of year?" Reno asked as he and Saya inspected the table full of cookies and candies at the back of the room.

While still clearly in business mode, over the past week or so, the Shinra Building had taken on a decidedly festive air. Nearly all of the various departments had spontaneously sprouted a plethora of seasonal decorations, homemade treats had begun appearing in breakrooms, and the music seemed to follow you from floor to floor. Just about everyone was in a better than average mood, and there was an undercurrent of excitement that seemed to permeate the entire organization.

"Aye... usually," Saya replied, grinning. "Nothin' like the holidays ta put everyone in a good mood, eh?"

"Does Veld have a head count for the party yet?" Shay suddenly asked, looking up from the task at hand. Reno cocked his head to one side, confused.

"What party?" he asked. The other three Turks in the room all froze, their present objectives forgotten for the moment, and stared at him blankly.

"... The _Christmas_ party," Rude replied.

"Yeah, you know... For all the Turks that aren't leaving town for the holidays," Shay added.

"Don't yeh go tellin' me that Tseng hasn't said anythin' to yeh..."

Reno silently shook his head, and Saya scoffed.

"That _Tseng_ ," she sighed, irritated.

"What about him?" the aforementioned Turk queried from the doorway. Saya rounded on him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Just when were yeh plannin' on tellin' yer protege about the party, hmm? Poor thing dinnae have a clue."

Tseng sighed softly. "I _have_ had other things to concern myself with this week. Just because _your_ workload has subsided a bit doesn't mean _mine_ has. I certainly would have mentioned it eventually."

"Hmph... the day _of_ most likely." She turned and hugged the redhead to her chest. "It's his first Christmas with us, Tseng. Give him the chance ta look forward ta it, will yeh?"

"You act as though I've threatened to cancel the holiday outright. For Leviathan's sake... it's still three weeks away, and we still have _two_ weeks of business as usual before then. And... _why_ are you hugging him like that?"

Reno snickered softly from his position inside Saya's embrace. His cheek was resting quite comfortably against the senior Turk's chest, pillowed on her ample bosom. Fingers tenderly carded his hair.

"Hey, I'm not complainin' boss..."

"Don't yeh get too comfortable there, yeh pervy little thing..." she laughed. He suddenly found himself released from her hold on him. She shook her head. "Yer lucky yer as adorable as yeh are, or that idiot cousin of mine wouldn't be the _only_ one 'round here gettin' cracked upside the head."

"As it seems I've been remiss..." Tseng interrupted before anything further could be said on the subject, "There is a party on Christmas Eve for any Turk not otherwise engaged. Veld has hosting duties this year. I assume you will want to attend?"

Reno grinned widely. "Hell, yeah..."

He'd sort of just resigned himself to the idea that he'd be hanging out at home, with Tseng... assuming his mentor wasn't planing on running off to see his _own_ family. Or maybe Viridia over in Junon. Reno was heading down to visit Lira on Christmas Day, but beyond that he really had nowhere else to be.

"You guys goin', too?"

Shay shook his head. " _Titan_ , no. My mother would absolutely _murder_ me... or at least disinherit me... if I ever dared skip Christmas Eve dinner at my parents' estate. My entire family will be there. Or else. Though I may drop in for a few minutes just to say hello to everyone on my way across town."

"... And I think I'm gonna go home and see my dad this year," Rude added, "Haven't been back in awhile, and I don't feel right leaving him to celebrate on his own."

"Well, _I'll_ be there," Saya said, enthusiastically, "And so will Sato... unfortunately. What about _yeh_ , Tseng? Are yeh puttin' in an appearance or are yeh goin' ta be all Scrooge-like again 'n stay home like last year?"

" _Last_ year, I ended up with a compound fracture of my right leg and four broken ribs, three days before Christmas. I was hardly in any condition – or mood – for a party. Assuming I can avoid repeating that fate again this year, yes... I plan to be there."

"Well, then... that's four right there," Saya chuckled. "Any idea on the others?"

"Tres said he's going," Rude replied.

"Luca's not. He's heading up to visit his grandad at Icicle Inn," said Shay. "Don't know about Kai and Remy."

"Remy's not really my type," Kai cut in as she strolled through the door and went straight for the treats at the back of the lounge. "I have a thing for blonds. Besides... I don't think she's into girls."

Reno laughed and snatched the first cookie she picked up out of her hand, stuffing it into his mouth before the diminutive senior Turk could grab it back.

"Dear Odin, Kai... Sometimes yer as bad as Reno. Get yer mind outta the gutter. We're talkin' about the party and who's goin' ta it."

Annoyed, Kai swatted the Reno away from her general vicinity and grinned as she hoarded several treats into a napkin. "Oh... Well, in that case, yeah. I'll be there."

She added a small slice of fruit cake to the pile and swiftly made her escape, dodging past the redhead's hands once more. She stuck her tongue out at him as he missed in his attempt to relieve her of her booty and then grinned, vanishing into the hallway.

"Tch... Sure, Kai... Take all the _good_ stuff, why don't ya?!" Reno jokingly called after her.

" _Will do!_ " her voice retorted from out in the hall, and Rude snickered quietly at his friend as he hung another ornament on the tree.

* * *

Tseng woke on Saturday morning to the sound of a loud clatter followed by swearing. The sound seemed to be coming from the kitchen. He groaned faintly and glanced over at the clock... and then blinked in shock as he realized it was barely six in the morning. He hurried to clamber out of bed, slightly concerned as he rushed out to the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and the redhead yelped in surprise, dropping the egg he'd been about to crack onto the floor.

"Seriously?!" he answered, wide-eyed at his mentor's sudden arrival. "Bad enough you fuckin' sneak up on me at work all the time, now ya gotta do it at home, too? Why the fuck are you up so early, anyway?"

"I could ask you the same question. When I heard you out here, I could only assume that some sort of emergency was in progress, given that I quite literally haven't seen you get up _this_ early of your own accord... ever."

Reno rolled his eyes. "For once in my life I got cash to buy presents with. So me 'n Rude are goin' Christmas shoppin'. We're hopin' to beat the crowds. Rude said Sector Four's packed by ten a.m. and I don't really wanna spend my _whole_ day elbowin' assholes outta my way."

Tseng shook his head, and yawned faintly, eying the raw egg now coating the kitchen floor in front of the stove. It was far too early.

"Just... clean up the mess before you leave," he said, tiredly, "I'm going back to sleep for a few more hours." With that, he trudged off, back to bed, the rookie snickering softly in the other room. Truth be told, he had some shopping of his own to take care of... but he'd had a late night, and the prospect of doing absolutely nothing on a Saturday morning was far too enticing, even for the Turk lieutenant, to resist just now. He'd worry about Christmas gifts tomorrow. Sunday was typically less hectic over in the shopping district, anyway.

He wasn't about to tell _Reno_ that, however. One of the gifts he still needed to procure was for him, and he didn't want to risk the redhead wanting to join him on his quest and thus ruin the surprise. Particularly since he still wasn't entirely sure what to get him.

He'd already seen to the necessities well before cold weather had set in, ensuring that his protege was thoroughly outfitted with warm clothes, new boots, and – though he has his doubts as to whether or not they would ever actually see any use – cozy pajamas.

Tseng crawled under the covers and settled himself into the recently-vacated warmth, letting his eyes drift shut. He tended to take quite a lot of teasing over the blatant practicality of his usual gifts... though they always seemed to be appreciated no matter how practical they were. But... this was Reno's first Christmas as a Turk. He was beginning to think that, perhaps, he should venture a bit outside his comfort zone and find him something less utilitarian.

Which, almost certainly, would prolong the agony of holiday shopping tomorrow... because he had absolutely _no_ idea what to look for. The redhead hadn't so much as _hinted_ at what he might like. At least not to _him_. He was halfway to seriously considering swallowing his pride and consulting Rude. The other rookie probably knew Reno better than almost anyone by now. Even his mentor.

The thought of a small vacation had entered his mind... after all, Reno had been thrilled by their birthday trip to the Gold Saucer. He'd also missed out on Costa del Sol – and _Tseng_ certainly wouldn't have minded a few days on the beach himself. But to pull that off, he'd have to give him his gift early to ensure they had plenty of time to enjoy said vacation. It would mean a great deal of travel time, as, while Veld had been little more than slightly annoyed when he'd learned of their overnight stay at the amusement park, he very much doubted commandeering the helicopter for several _days_ would go over quite so well. And _that_ would mean missing out on the Christmas Party mid-week, which he knew the teenager was looking forward to

He supposed they could venture to Icicle Inn for a few days, instead. The boat ride from Kalm wasn't an especially long one. But dear Leviathan, he _really_ didn't want to visit a _glacier_ in the middle of winter. Midgar was cold _enough_.

He groaned and pulled the blankets tighter. Sleep now... worry later.

* * *

"Tch... ya know those are like... identical, right?" the redhead sighed, watching his friend as he glanced indecisively between two powder-blue sweaters. Rude turned his gaze on Reno.

"... They are not. This one is slightly more teal than blue."

Reno snorted a soft laugh. "Blue is fuckin' blue, man," he snickered.

"I just want Margaret to like it."

"Rude... I'm sayin' this as a friend, 'kay? She's not gonna give a shit if one is more 'teal' than the other. Which, by the way, it's not, 'cause they're the exact same sweater. Stop drivin' yourself nuts." He grabbed the one in Rude's left hand. "Here. Get her this one. She'll love it."

"... Maybe I should think about it some more."

Reno groaned and facepalmed.

"It. Is. A. Sweater. Sweat. Er. They've got half a dozen of them hangin' up, and probably a whole pallet in the back, all from the same factory. This isn't a difficult decision."

"Just... give me a few more minutes," Rude replied, turning his attention back to the dilemma at hand. Reno laughed quietly to himself and shrugged, wandering a few feet away to another rack of clothes. Something bright green caught his eye and he pulled it off the bar.

"Hey... Rude? Whaddya think of this?" he asked, holding up an emerald green fleece top, embroidered with an intricate teardrop pattern. The bald Turk looked up again and smirked.

"... I think that green is _definitely_ not your color and should be avoided at all costs unless you actually _want_ to look like you oughta be hanging on a Christmas tree," he chuckled.

"For _Lira_ , asshole."

Rude grinned and walked over to him.

"She... actually looks _really_ good in red," he replied, retrieving the garment's crimson twin from the rack.

"Hmm..." the teen pondered for a moment, looking from one to the other. "Ya know... you're right? She _does_ look smokin' hot in red." He grinned and put the green one back. "Well... I'm done."

Rude blinked. "What do you mean you're 'done'?"

"Lira's the last person I had to find somethin' for."

"W-what? How?" the other rookie stammered, shocked. Reno rolled his eyes.

"Easy... while you've been spendin' the whole mornin' lookin' for one person, I was lookin' for everyone on my list. I even got _yours_ while you were busy tryin' to decide if you wanted to get her a necklace or a bracelet and then ended up not gettin' either one. I still think you shoulda gone with the necklace, by the way. Chicks love jewelry. Where the hell dya think all those bags in your truck came from? Santa Claus?"

"You're seriously _done_..." Rude said in disbelief.

"Yep. So pick a sweater and let's take a break and get some lunch."

"It's ten thirty," the other rookie snickered.

"Okay... _brunch_ , then. I'm really not that picky about what you call it."

Rude sighed quietly. "I... kind of don't want to ruin my appetite for lunch," he replied, returning one of the sweaters to the rack. And then frowning deeply and returning the other as well. Reno cocked his head to one side, curiously.

"Like it matters when we eat?" he asked.

"..."

Reno folded his arms over his chest and fixed his friend with an annoyed look.

"Oh, hell fuckin' no. You're ditchin' me again, aren't you... ? Rude, man, we were s'posed to make a day of this. Seriously... when's the last time we hung out for more than a couple hours outside of work?"

"I know... and I told her we had plans, but Margaret really wanted to meet for lunch and go to the park. She's covering her friend's weekend shift tomorrow and today's the only chance I'll have to see her."

Reno narrowed his eyes slightly as the more paranoid part of his personality wondered if Margaret had insisted on meeting up _because_ Rude had told her about their plans... He couldn't help but feel like he was intentionally being shouldered out. At last he shook his head. Margaret was a lot of things, but he didn't _really_ think she was that manipulative.

"Fine. Whatever..." he replied, and turned to take his gift for Lira up to the registers. Rude trailed him.

"... We can do something tomorrow..." he offered. And for a moment, Reno was tempted.

"Sorry... Can't. Lira asked me to help her with some surprise for the other girls at the Honeybee tomorrow. Gonna be down below most of the day."

It wasn't a _total_ lie. Lira really _had_ asked for his help... but it wasn't likely to take more than an hour or two. He could easily meet up with his friend afterwards. But a part of him wanted to take some tiny bit of revenge on Rude for blowing him off the way he had. It was pointless... it was petty... but it made him feel slightly better. For the moment.

* * *

A short time later, Reno dragged himself back into Tseng's apartment, setting his purchases off to one side as he stripped himself of his coat and boots.

"Giving up on shopping already?" Tseng asked when he spotted him. Reno scowled slightly.

"Tch... No. Rude just decided he'd rather spend time with his girlfriend instead of _me_ ," he muttered petulantly, crossing the room and plopping himself down on the couch.

"... Ah." Tseng walked over to him and joined him. "It's been awhile, but... I'm well acquainted with what _that_ feels like. If it's any consolation, I doubt very much he _intended_ to hurt you."

The redhead gave a non-committal grunt. Tseng let a hand graze his protege's shoulder.

"It won't last forever. New relationships almost always result in a sort of tunnel vision for a time. Eventually, though, he'll remember that she's not the _only_ person who matters to him. You just have to be patient."

"I guess," the teenager sighed.

"A word of advice, though," Tseng continued, "And, unfortunately, I'm speaking from experience. Don't do anything as foolish as making demands of him. Ultimatums are the surest way to ruin a friendship."

Reno raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Experience, huh? So you're seriously sayin' that _you_ lost a friend over some girl... ?"

Tseng chuckled softly.

"... I was quite young. Younger than _you_ are, come to think of it. And admittedly rather stupid."

The redhead snorted quietly in laughter. "Oh, so you _weren't_ just born perfect..."

"I have yet to attain perfection," the Turk lieutenant replied, laughing, "Just ask Veld. But I _do_ learn from my mistakes... and would very much like to prevent _you_ from making the same one I did." He stood up, offering the redhead a hand. "Put your shopping away, and then we'll go and get some lunch. I was planning on surprising you later, but since you've returned earlier than expected, you can join me on the errand I have to run this afternoon."

"Surprisin' me with what?" Reno asked. Tseng only smiled.

"You'll see."

* * *

Reno poked at one of the glittering balls that hung cheerfully on the branches of an artificial evergreen tree and grinned. The multicolored lights that surrounded it glinted off its smooth surface, dancing in the reflection as it swayed at his touch.

"Okay... So what is it exactly that we're shopping for?" the redhead asked.

"I don't generally put up a tree of my own, save for the one occasion I hosted the Christmas party myself... which was probably six years ago now," the Wutaiian Turk replied as they made their way down the aisle. "As such, I'm lacking in decorations."

"And we need decorations because..."

Tseng laughed, and paused for a moment. "Because though _my_ culture doesn't typically celebrate the holiday, _you_ do. I thought you might like a tree of your own. Which Tres has kinda offered to procure for us later today, so I suggest we find something festive to decorate it with."

"Really?" the redhead grinned, attention quickly drawn to the the jewel-like baubles and ornaments that surrounded him. He poked another one, faceted glass this time, which sent a series of shimmering sparkles flashing against the the backdrop of the display. Tseng smirked and handed him a small box of similar ornaments from a nearby shelf. Reno's grin widened.

"Ya know... I haven't actually done this since I was like... five," Reno admitted as they continued browsing... and occasionally picking something up from a shelf or a display, "If ya couldn't wear it, eat it, drink it, or smoke it, it wasn't really somethin' I could afford to splurge on. Lira had a real little one a couple years ago, but... there wasn't much to decorate. It was more of a branch than a tree. Not even sure where she got it."

Tseng paused momentarily, and glanced back at him. Then he shook his head and continued on.

"Before you joined us, I'm not sure I ever truly realized the extent to which those of us who live on the Plate tend to take things for granted."

The redhead shrugged, following his mentor.

"It's not _all_ bad," he replied. "I mean... don't get me wrong, I'm glad to be out, and I never wanna have to go back. But... it wasn't just years of endless misery. I had Lira. Had a place to live. And I had work, so I had food. Usually. Ya learn to quit thinkin' too hard on what you don't have and appreciate what you _do_ have... cause it could always be worse."

Tseng looked back over his shoulder and smiled faintly.

"Hearing you say that almost makes me feel guilty over my own childhood."

Reno grinned and reached for chocobo-shaped ornament. It was wearing a tiny Santa's hat and a red and white striped scarf. At Tseng's questioning look, he shrugged again.

"Lira," he said simply, and the senior Turk chuckled. "So... what _was_ it like growin' up in Wutai, anyway?"

"Warm," Tseng teasingly replied. The rookie rolled his eyes, and Tseng smiled. "I was... very happy as a child. My elder brothers tended to keep me out of trouble, for the most part, and I did the same for my younger siblings. I've always been very close to them. My younger sister, Mayu, in particular."

They made their way up to the registers, their collection of decorations having grown surprisingly large, and got in line.

"... So how come you're not goin' to see _them_ for Christmas?" Reno ventured.

"Because, as I mentioned, Christmas is not widely celebrated in Wutai. They all have their own lives and their own homes now... not all of which are even _in_ Wutai. Visiting them all this time of year would require a great deal of travel. I do, however, always try to make it home for the cherry blossom festival in the spring. It's Mayu's favorite festival, and I don't hear the end of it for months on end if I miss it. It's even _worse_ when she gets my mother to join her in berating me for my absence."

Reno snickered. "Aren't you a little old to still get yelled at by your mom?"

"Hmph... You have _clearly_ never met a Wutaiian mother," he said, with a quiet laugh. "Perhaps I should introduce you... if you're interested in paying a visit to my home sometime, that is."

"That'd be awesome!" the redhead replied, grinning widely.

They checked out, and soon were piling their new décor into the trunk of Tseng's car and heading for home. As they pulled into the parking lot at the apartment complex, a familiar face was there to greet them. Tres was leaning back against a large dark blue SUV with a trailer attached to it, piled high with greenery. He glanced up, unhurried, and flicked the ash from his cigarette onto the ground, but didn't otherwise move until the Turk lieutenant and his rookie were on their way over.

"Hey. You're in luck. Saya and Sato had to postpone, so you guys get first pick. Well... _second_ pick. Felicia got first."

"Felicia?" Reno queried. "Like... Veld's kid? That Felicia?"

"Yep." He smirked slightly. "Cute kid... Too cute. She's got most of us wrapped around her little finger. You meet her yet?" Reno shook his head. "Well... you will. She's gonna be at the party, I'm sure. Anyway... pick a tree!"

Minutes later, they were bidding goodbye to their fellow Turk and maneuvering a large pine tree through the front door.

~end chapter 38~


	39. Home for the Holidays

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 39: Home for the Holidays**

 **by Desha**

The scent of pine was heavy in the air, and Reno yawned slightly as he gazed upwards, smiling faintly at the soft, colorful lights reflecting off the multitudes of shiny surfaces.

"Stay there much longer, and I'm afraid I may be forced to wrap you..." Tseng's voice gently teased him. The redhead snickered and slid out from under the tree and sat cross-legged on the floor, grinning up at the senior Turk.

"Just hangin' out 'til dinner gets here." He lightly flicked a tiny silver bell that hung from one of the lower branches. "Hey... thanks for this."

"It was no trouble," Tseng chuckled, "And even if it had been, there would be no need to thank me. You're part of my family, now, Reno."

They'd spent the afternoon decorating, and the result was almost elegantly festive. Maybe not the direction the redhead would have gone had he been left to his own devices, but he had to admit... he liked it. And he _had_ snuck his little chocobo ornament in when Tseng hadn't been looking, deciding that it needed a safe place to stay until he took it down to Lira. If his mentor had noticed, he hadn't said anything.

"But speaking of wrapping," Tseng continued, "How far did you get with your Christmas shopping, anyway?"

"Oh, I finished _that_. Already knew what I was gettin' people. I just had to find everything."

The elder Turk raised an eyebrow in surprise and laughed. "I wish _I_ were so decisive when it comes to choosing gifts... I will _probably_ still be shopping mere days before the holiday."

"Heh... Yeah, you 'n Rude both. The guy couldn't pick out _anything_ ," he snickered in reply. There was a loud knock at the front door, and the redhead's grin widened. "Sweet! Pizza's here!"

He scrambled to his feet and all but ran for the door, wrenching it open, eager for the promised food... the smile on his face quickly fell as he realized that no pizza was forthcoming.

"Oh... It's just you..." he sighed, and stepped back to let Remy slip through the door. The senior Turk snorted softly.

"For Shiva's sake... You're not still angry with me over the flight simulator, are you?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"No... he's simply disappointed you didn't arrive bearing pizza," Tseng sniggered.

"Hmph... Typical." She shook her head and turned her attention to the Turk lieutenant instead, reaching into a large messenger bag that hung from one shoulder. "I'm just on my way to meet a friend for dinner... but since I was heading in this direction anyway, I thought I'd drop this off. It's finalized version of the President's holiday itinerary. The family is staying in town, but Rufus wants to go to the Christmas festival in Kalm."

"And I suppose I've been requested as security," Tseng chuckled.

"Naturally, sir."

"Understood. Thank you, Remy. Go on and see your friend. I won't keep you..."

Remy nodded, and took her leave, disappearing into the lightly falling snow beyond the door.

"I think I'll have you join me," he said, closing it behind her and turning to the redhead. "The festival can be quite entertaining. You'll enjoy it, I'm sure." He smirked and cut off his rookie's protest. "Even if you _do_ have to put up with Rufus."

"Fine..." Reno groaned, "But that little shit better not get any bright ideas about throwin' me in a lake or poisonin' my food again."

* * *

The next couple of weeks passed with such an agonizing slowness that, by the final Friday, Reno was beginning to find it unbearable. Sato drifted past him, a mug of hot chocolate in hand, and the rookie glanced up at the clock on the wall of the lounge... and groaned.

"What's up?" Saya asked, turning away from the window.

"Ugh... I swear, every fuckin' time I look to see what time it is, that fuckin' clock hasn't moved more than thirty seconds," the redhead groused. "And sometimes, I think the damn thing's actually runnin' backwards."

The Mideelian Turk turned her gaze on the clock as well, and then consulted her watch. She gave an annoyed snort and smacked her cousin in the shoulder.

"Goddammit, Sato... Yeh really are an arsehole. Quit messin' with him." The other senior Turk snickered and then burst out laughing as Saya crossed the room, and reset the clock to the proper time with a roll of her eyes.

"Ah, now, come on... _That_ was funny. The wee thing was half convinced taday was never gonna end! I've been turnin' it back for nigh on two hours now, and he ne'er even noticed..."

The redhead glared at him and tossed aside the report he'd been skimming through. "You get some kinda perverse pleasure outta makin' me look like an idiot, don't you..."

Sato grinned and strolled over to the rookie, gently ruffling his hair. "I only tease yeh 'cause I like yeh, yeh know..." he laughed and then calmly drifted past him, and out into the hallway to see what other trouble he could cause.

"You're cousin's a jackass," Reno added, turning his attention on Saya. She giggled softly and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"Aye... That he is," she laughed. "Just be glad yer friends. It'd be far worse if he _dinnae_ like yeh."

The door to the lounge opened, admitting a large pile of folders that seemed to have sprouted legs and wandered out of the archives. It staggered over toward the table the redhead had taken up residence at and planted itself on top with a quiet thud.

"Hmph... Tseng said you'd need these, so... Merry Christmas, I guess," Rude said, peering out from behind the files. Reno groaned again, much louder than before.

"How the _fuck_ am I s'posed to get through all _that_ in a _day_?!"

With the tensions still running high between Shinra and Wutai, Tseng had set him a research task... tracking down as much information as he could find on past Company dealings in the Turk lieutenant's homeland in an effort to make a list of potential informants that could be tapped should the worst happen and war break out. There was... a _lot_ to go through.

Rude smirked. "He also said I could help if I had some spare time."

"Oh, thank Ifrit..." the redhead breathed in minor relief. He looked over at Saya, who quickly flashed him a grin and headed briskly towards the door before he could voice a request for further assistance.

"Not on yer life..." she chuckled, leaving the pair of rookies to their own devices.

Reno sighed and reached for the next file. "Guess it's just you 'n me, pal..."

The other rookie snickered and grabbed a small stack of folders for himself, settling in to start reading.

"So is there any point in me askin' if you're free tonight?" Reno asked a short while later, not looking up from the papers in front of him. Rude shifted somewhat uncomfortably, and opened his mouth to answer, but his fellow rookie quickly cut him off. "Tch... Yeah, that's what I figured."

"... Why don't we hang out this weekend? Margaret is heading off to Nibelhiem first thing tomorrow, and I'm not leaving for Rocket Town until Sunday morning, so we'll at least have Saturday to ourselves to do... whatever," he replied.

"Love to," the redhead replied with a snort of irritation, "But unfortunately, _I'm_ stuck draggin' Rufus' pain in my ass backside around Kalm all weekend with Tseng. Three days and two glorious nights with the Company's most annoying exec. We won't be back 'til sometime Monday evening."

"... Oh."

Reno glared balefully at the reports and tossed the one he was currently reading into the discard pile. He hesitated a moment, Tseng's cautions about pushing his friend on this subject echoing in the back of his mind, before finally saying what he'd been thinking for weeks now.

"Look... I _get_ that you like her. And I _definitely_ get that gettin' some on the regular is fuckin' awesome. But you got _other_ friends, too, ya know."

Rude's face reddened slightly and he shot the redhead a dirty look.

"It's not just about... _that_ ," he replied, defensively. "Margaret understands me."

"Tch... and I don't?"

Rude narrowed his eyes and set the reports he'd been leafing through aside before abruptly standing up.

"Maybe not as well as you think you do," he said, crossly, and stormed out of the lounge, leaving the younger rookie in something of a state of shock. He wordlessly brushed past Tseng on his way out. Reno groaned for a third time and let himself fall forward, his forehead impacting the table in front of him with a thud that was dulled by the multitude of reports spread out across its surface.

"Dare I ask?" the Turk lieutenant queried, an eyebrow rising in trepidation.

"... Ya know that thing you told me _not_ to do...?"

Tseng roughly pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled slowly. "You didn't..."

"Well... no. I didn't go as far as tellin' him it was her or me," the redhead admitted. "I just... The subject came up and I got frustrated, and... I probably coulda phrased shit better."

Tseng took a seat across from his rookie, and picked up one of the files. "Then I would strongly suggest apologizing for your poor phrasing. Preferably _before_ Rude leaves town and you don't see him for nearly a week."

"... Yeah."

"In the meantime... Have you made any progress on your assignment?" he asked.

"Tch... Do four papercuts and a headache count as progress?"

* * *

He found him a while later in training hall – after pleading with Tseng for a break from the monotony of research – pummeling a heavy bag strung from the ceiling. Reno steeled himself for the inevitable.

"... Uh... hey," he ventured. The rhythmic thump of each punch hitting the bag remained constant, but the other rookie grunted loudly in greeting. "So... you're not like... pretendin' that's my face, are ya?"

Rude finally paused in his assault on the equipment and turned to face the redhead.

"... Not anymore," he answered. Reno snorted a soft laugh.

"I'm sorry for bein' a dick."

The bald Turk cracked a faint smile. "I forgive you for being a dick. Hold the bag for me."

Reno slipped around to the other side and took hold of the canvas, steadying it for his friend. A solid hit knocked him back a couple of steps before he managed to brace himself better.

"Fuck, Rude... what'd that poor thing ever do to _you_?" he snickered. Two more punches landed in quick succession, but he was ready for the impact this time. "Listen... Like I said, I get that you like Margaret, and I'm _tryin'_ not to be a jealous piece of shit about it. I really am. I just... kinda miss spendin' time with you."

"We still hang out," Rude huffed as he landed a right cross on the bag.

"Tch... yeah. Sure we do. 'Cept when you cancel on me. Or just plain ditch me right in the middle of somethin'."

"... I don't do that..."

"Yeah? 'Kay... when's the last time we did somethin' together outside of work?"

"We went Christmas shopping just last week," Rude pointed out.

"And?" the redhead prompted, "Remind me... how'd _that_ end?"

"..."

"Exactly. And that bein' said, I'm gonna shut up now, before I say somethin' that makes me sound like an even bigger asshole that I already do." He waited for the next punch to come but it never did. He peered out from around the bag, to find his friend simply standing there, a slightly odd expression on his face. "Anyway... Tseng only gave me a ten minute reprieve. I gotta get back to paperwork hell so... I'll see ya later."

"... Later," Rude called after him as Reno headed for the doors. He made his way down the hall to the elevators, far less worried now that his friend was no longer angry with him.

* * *

"Hey... Rookie. You gonna eat that shit, or you just gonna stab it to death?" Tres chuckled as he set his plate down next to Rude's an hour later in the Shinra Building cafeteria.

"... Just making sure it's actually dead. Pretty sure I saw it move a minute ago."

The senior Turk snorted in amusement and started sawing vigorously at his steak. "Point taken. What's up? You look like somethin's on your mind."

Rude shrugged, and his mentor rolled his eyes.

"Tch... Don't give me that shit. _Somethin's_ buggin' ya."

The rookie poked one more time at the baked salmon on his plate before finally taking a bite... and grimacing at the bland, and inexplicably oily, flavor.

"Tres, do you think I've been... acting different since I started seeing Margaret?"

Tres laughed so hard he very nearly choked on the bite he'd just taken. "That's a joke... right?" he finally managed. "Fuck, Rude... for the last, what... four months?... any time you're not actively on assignment, you're walkin' around lookin' like a goddamn lovesick puppy who misses his mistress. Tch... Actin' different. It's _almost_ nauseating."

Rude glared at him, and Tres merely shrugged. "Hey, _you're_ the one who asked. Not my fault if ya don't like my answer." He speared another bite and chewed thoughtfully for a moment or two before continuing. "You're _almost_ as bad as the sad sacks I had to deal with now and then back when I was workin' for Corneo. Every once in awhile, some guy'd get a little too attached to one of the girls at the Bee and I'd get stuck havin' to run 'em off. Got a little pussy and suddenly they think they're in _love_ with whichever rentgirl they're payin' to fuck. But 'least _you_ got sense enough not to get involved with the whores. You're just as fuckin' obsessed, though."

"I'm _not_ obsessed with Margaret," Rude muttered, blushing, "I just... really like her. She's... kind of my first real girlfriend."

Tres groaned aloud. "Well, that fuckin' explains it. Lemme guess. First fuck, too." He smirked as the rookie's blush deepened, and added, "And yeah... sorry, not sorry, but you _are_ obsessed. Anyway... why the sudden self-reflection?"

"... Something Reno said."

"This about that little fight you two had in the lounge this morning?" Tres asked, and when Rude looked up in surprise, he snorted derisively. " _'Course_ I fuckin' know about that. If there's gossip to be heard, you know damn well I hear it."

Rude shook his head. "No... it was later, after he came looking for me. To apologize."

"And?"

"He pointed out how much I've been ditching him lately."

"Have you? Been ditchin' him, I mean?"

Rude ducked his head slightly, dropping his gaze. "... Yeah. Kinda more than I realized."

"Hmph... Well, I can see why that'd bother you."

The rookie shook his head. "That's not what bothered me," he replied, and at Tres' incredulous expression, sighed, "I mean... It _bothered_ me. But it's not what _really_ bothered me."

"So... what then?"

"I think I've been... kind of a jerk to him lately. And now that I really think about it, I can't exactly blame him for being a little mad about it." Rude sighed heavily. "He said he was trying not to be jealous. And then he cut himself off, and said he didn't want to sound like an even bigger asshole than he already did. I sort of got the feeling that he's blaming himself for _me_ being the jerk here. I just don't get _why_."

"Ooooh... Gotcha. Maybe I can shed some light on that for ya." Tres leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. "Now don't go gettin' all pissed off at me for sayin' this... but I seem to recall back when they first promoted you, you tellin' me that you didn't really have anything goin' for ya back home. That's bullshit, 'n you know it. I didn't call you on it at the time, even though I probably shoulda... 'cause you got no fuckin' _idea_ what it's _really_ like to live like that. Shit's a lot different when ya _actually_ grow up with nothin' and got nothin' goin' for ya," he commented. "When that's your life and you get ahold of somethin' good, you do whatever you gotta do to keep it. Extends to people, too."

"..."

Tres sat up, shaking his head before fixing the rookie with a serious look.

"Just remember. That kid really _does_ come from nothin'. No family. Not a whole hell of a lot of friends. No one to look up to. Nothin'. Not 'til Tseng hauled him topside, anyway. In case you haven't noticed, you kinda fit all of the above categories for him. He's gonna do whatever it takes to hold onto that. Even shoulderin' the blame for _you_ bein' a dick to him 'cause of a girl."

Rude's shoulders drooped slightly, and he remained silent, staring at his half-eaten lunch. He hadn't _meant_ to treat Reno so poorly. It had just sort of... happened. He frowned and shoved the plate aside, his sudden lack of appetite having nothing to do with the Shinra cafeteria's so-called salmon.

"Ah, knock it off," Tres muttered. "Quit wallowin' in guilt of your own making. And quit stringin' the kid along. If you wanna spend your free time hookin' up with that girlfriend of yours, then have the balls to tell him upfront instead of cancelin' on him at the last minute. That's a total dick move."

"..."

"I'd think about your priorities, too, while you're at it," the senior Turk added, "Hot ass comes 'n goes. Kid like Reno, though? You treat him right, he'll be loyal to ya for life."

* * *

Rude was still largely lost in thought later that evening as he made his way out to his truck. He'd stayed late to help Tres with an interrogation that had taken far longer than either Turk had assumed it would. By the time he reached the parking deck, it had mostly emptied out. A loud engine revved in the cold, echoing off concrete walls, and the rookie spotted Kai straddling her motorcycle. She paused in pulling on her helmet and grinned at him.

"'Night, my little Turkling! Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all that other holiday crap... See ya in week!" she called over to him.

"Same to you," he replied, smiling warmly and giving her a wave. She returned the gesture, and peeled out, tires squealing on the icy streets. He'd never understand how she could stand riding that damn thing in weather like this. Or how she did so without killing herself.

He glanced farther down the row of parking spaces. Tseng's car was missing, which meant that he and Reno had already gone home for the day. In fact, the _only_ vehicles belonging to various members of the Turks that still remained were his own pickup truck, and Tres' SUV. Apparently they were the last to leave tonight.

He unlocked the door, and paused, spotting something on the driver's seat, and frowned slightly, looking around suspiciously. He was certain he'd locked it when he'd arrived that morning. A closer inspection revealed a festively – albeit somewhat haphazardly – wrapped gift, festooned with silver and red ribbon. A part of him wondered if he ought to be taking bomb precautions. After all... Sato's pranks _had_ been increasing in frequency as the holiday drew nearer. He tentatively prodded the box, and when it didn't immediately explode in his face, he cautiously picked it up. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief as he spotted the the handwriting on the tag. It was completely illegible... Obviously Reno's.

Rude gave a quiet snort of laughter at his own paranoia and climbed into the truck, setting the gift on the passenger seat and starting the engine. While he waited for the heater to kick in, he reached over and picked up the little box again. He'd been planning on giving Reno _his_ gift that afternoon, but things had gotten a little busy after lunch. But he wasn't worried... he could always send it along with Tres to the Christmas party.

With a grin, he tugged at the ribbon. Usually, he waited until Christmas morning... it was family tradition after all... but he was far too curious to see what the redhead had picked out for him. Knowing Reno's sense of humor, he half-expected a sex toy and a note advising him to try using it on his girlfriend tonight.

Which was, perhaps, why the glint of sliver in the dim light of the parking deck took him by surprise. His grin widened as he ran a finger along the smooth ebony inlays on the handle of the folding knife, and then gave it a sharp flick, releasing the polished blade from within. He'd been admiring it for weeks... but just hadn't been able to justify the expense to himself yet. The blade was high-quality, solid mythril and it _didn't_ come cheap. Though he had no idea how Reno'd found out he wanted one... let alone _this_ one in particular. He carefully folded the blade back into the handle, and turned it over. His name was engraved along one edge.

His PHS rang, and Rude hurriedly tucked the knife into his pocket before glancing at the caller ID and answering it.

"Hey Margaret," he said, smiling. "Sorry... Should've called. I had to work late."

* * *

Reno raised an eyebrow as he poked at – what Tseng claimed to be at any rate – the porkchop on his plate.

"Boss... I gotta tell ya. I _think_ your cooking may actually be gettin' worse as time goes on." He picked it up by the bone and tapped it against his plate with a loud clink, "Either that, or someone sold ya a brick instead of a porkchop."

"Stop complaining and eat your brick," Tseng chuckled and spooned a large helping of steamed carrots and peas onto the redhead's plate, then shook his head. "... I... _may_... have gotten a bit distracted preparing the vegetables and forgotten to set the timer."

Reno snorted in amusement and bit a chunk off of one end of the meat. "Yeah... I'd say ya got 'a bit distracted'," he laughed. "Think I mighta just chipped a tooth on that."

"I hardly think it's _that_ bad," he replied, picking up his fork and knife and intent upon slicing into his own portion. After several failed attempts – and one unabashedly snickering rookie – he finally conceded defeat with a laugh. "Alright, fine. It _is_ that bad."

Reno, meanwhile, was gnawing on the meat with determination. Tseng shook his head.

"It's inedible. There's really no need to continue. Please, stop before you really _do_ chip a tooth."

"Eh... I've had worse," he said as he finally managed to tear off another bite. But he did obligingly set the remainder down and nudged it over toward the edge of his plate, turning his attention, instead, upon the vegetables.

A knock at the front door interrupted whatever Tseng might have been going to say.

"I got it," Reno hurriedly said, getting to his feet.

"It really _must_ be terrible, if you're willingly abandoning your plate to answer the door," the Wutaiian Turk called after him. Reno laughed and made his way through the living room, pulling open the door and shuddering as an icy wind blasted him from outside.

"Hey."

The redhead blinked in surprise. "Rude... hey, what's up? Thought you had a date tonight..."

The other rookie stepped inside and Reno quickly shut the door behind him, blocking out the cold winter air.

"... I... canceled it," he replied, awkwardly. "You were right. I've been ignoring you lately." He held out a large covered dish, and dropped his voice slightly. "And... I also remembered that Friday is Tseng's night to cook, so..."

His friend was quick to peel back the foil cover, and grinned at the sight that greeted him.

"Oh, thank Ifrit... actual food. Boss! Rude brought us actual _food_! That you can like... actually _eat_ without needin' dental work later!"

"Very funny," the Turk lieutenant replied, chuckling softly. "I hope you're planning on joining us."

"... If it isn't any trouble, sir."

Rude took his shoes off and hung up his coat before trailing the redhead back into the kitchen.

"None at all. Frankly, I'm rather grateful for the reprieve from my own cooking."

The rookie arched a questioning eyebrow at the charred blocks sitting on the plates on the table.

"... I can see why, sir..." he commented. Reno was already unpacking the contents of the dish onto clean plates, sampling as he did so. Rude smirked and nudged him out of the way. "That's for all of us, not just you."

"Rude... Seriously. Look at this, and then look at what I _was_ eatin'..." the redhead replied, with a teasing grin.

In no time, the three of them had piled food onto their plates, and Tseng's alleged 'porkchops' had been banished to the trash can. Reno was soon happily starting in on his second helping of chicken parmesan.

"So you two are really spending the entire weekend escorting Rufus around Kalm?" Rude asked.

"Yes. He's quite fond of the various festivals the town holds. It's rare that he _doesn't_ attend a major one. I enjoy many of them, myself, to be honest... and I like to see Rufus get out of the city once in awhile. He's not typically recognized by the general public outside of Midgar just yet and he's far more... relaxed... when he's not concerned about appearances."

The redhead snorted quietly. "I'll believe Rufus is capable of pullin' that stick outta his ass when I see it."

"And I like to see _Reno_ get out of the city once in awhile, as well," the Turk lieutenant added. "It's good for him."

Rude sniggered and pointedly ignored the other rookie who was rolling his eyes next to him.

"Like you got any problem gettin' _me_ to go somewhere... I still got a whole fuckin' planet to see. Seriously, boss... you just wait 'til I get my pilot's certification. You won't be able to keep me in Midgar 'til I see it _all_."

Tseng chuckled and simply shook his head.

"Speaking of which..." Rude grinned and reached into his jacket pocket, drawing out a small box wrapped in snowflake printed paper. "You gave me _mine_ early, so... I figured I'd return the favor."

Reno paused in his assault on the side dishes and took the present from his friend, grinning widely.

"Can I open it now?"

" _Tradition_ says that you have to wait until Christmas morning," Rude replied, and then laughed at the look of abject horror that came over the redhead's face. Tseng quickly joined him. Reno glared at the pair of them.

"Ya know... they way you're fuckin' with me right now, I'm glad you at least bought me dinner first..." he muttered, which only made Rude laugh harder while Reno tore into the paper. He quickly sobered as his friend lifted the lid.

"It's a Rocket Town tradition when someone starts learning to fly," he explained. Reno pulled the pair of goggles from their bed of tissue paper and smiled.

"Cool..." he breathed, slipping them on.

"He'll want to spend every spare second in the flight simulator, now..." Tseng sighed softly. The redhead pushed the goggles up to his forehead and smirked.

"Not _every_ spare second."

~end chapter 39~


	40. The Festival

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 40: The Festival**

 **by Desha**

"Mmmmmuuuuuummmghph..."

Tseng resisted the urge to laugh and instead prodded the pile of blankets a second time.

"I'm quite certain 'mmmuuumghph' is not a word," he said, suppressing a yawn himself. It was ungodly early, even by _his_ standards. He couldn't fault the rookie for being less than wide awake. "Get up. We have to prepare the helicopter... and de-ice it, if necessary... before we can pick up Rufus."

Reno groaned and sat up in bed, not bothering to push aside the covers. "Is the sun even up yet? 'Cause it feels like the sun's not up yet."

The senior Turk rolled his eyes and yanked the blanket away, revealing a sleepy-looking redhead, blinking up at him in the far-too-bright light of his room's ceiling lamp.

"It will be, soon enough. Get up, have some breakfast, and get dressed."

"Yeah, yeah..." the teenager managed through a yawn. Tseng nodded and left the room. When he was gone, Reno laid back down, pulling a pillow over his head to block out the light.

"Get _up_ , Reno..." his mentor's voice called from somewhere near the kitchen.

"Ugggh..." he grunted and shoved the pillow off to one side, finally forcing himself out of bed. He staggered blindly down the hall and into the kitchen, planting himself at the table and propping his head up on one hand. He shut his eyes again and remained motionless. "'Kay... I'm up. Feed me."

The Turk lieutenant shook his head and set a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal in front of him, and then smirked slightly. He picked up the spoon and scooped up a mouthful of the warm cereal, gently prodding at his ward's lips.

"Mmph! Hey! The fuck, man!?" Reno stammered, suddenly very much awake.

"You _did_ ask me to 'feed you'," Tseng snickered.

"Oh, ha, fuckin', ha," the redhead replied, snatching the utensil and cramming the bite into his mouth before downing half the coffee in one go. "Ya know, your jokes are almost as bad as your cooking. And your coffee needs more sugar."

The Wutaiian Turk was still chuckling as he slid the sugar bowl over to him and then turned his attention to his own breakfast.

"Have I ever mentioned what charming and wonderful company you are first thing in the morning?" he teased. "I don't know how I'll ever cope with the loneliness once you've moved out."

"Heh... yeah, sucks to be you."

In truth, Reno was still feeling a little nervous about that prospect. Oh... he was definitely looking forward to the freedom he'd be gaining, but a part of him was _really_ going to miss... this. Even on days like today, when Tseng woke him at an hour no sane person had any right being awake... especially on a weekend. His new place would be empty and ready for him just days after they returned to work after the holidays. He'd be moving into it the following weekend, and his days under Tseng's roof would be over. It was... bittersweet.

Tseng, oblivious to the younger Turk's internal monolog, refilled his coffee for him.

"Hey... I get to take the coffee maker with me, though... right? I'm not gonna have to like... fight you for custody of her, am I...?" he asked with a joking grin.

" _Her_?" Tseng replied, arching an eyebrow. Reno's grin widened.

"Hell, yeah, _her_. My beautiful, amazing Javalina... goddess of caffeine... savior of sanity..."

The Turk lieutenant snorted. "This seems a rather unhealthy relationship..."

"You just don't understand our love."

"... Reno, you've apparently named a kitchen appliance. Frankly, I think that may be grounds for a mandatory psych eval," Tseng said in mock seriousness.

* * *

At promptly six thirty a.m., a helicopter emblazoned with the Shinra Company logo set down on a small, private helipad outside of a large residence near the center of Sector 3. Reno peered out at the imposing manor and cast Tseng a slightly incredulous look.

"So _that's_ where Rufus actually _lives_?" he queried.

"As well as his father, and several domestic servants, yes."

Reno shock his head. "Fuck, man... The hell do two people and the hired help need with that much house?"

The Turk lieutenant chuckled quietly. "I would agree it's a rather... excessive... display of wealth," he replied, as he shut down the engine. "But then, I'm not among Midgar's elite. I only work for them. Let's go and retrieve the vice president, shall we?"

The pair climbed out of the helicopter and started the short trek to the residence.

"So I guess that means you didn't live in somethin' like this growin' up, huh?" the redhead teased.

"It certainly wasn't comparable to the Shinra manor... but my family's estate in Wutai isn't exactly tiny, either. We're quite a long way from being nobility or anything along those lines, but my father was _his_ father's only son, and neither of my grandfather's brothers had surviving children... so Father inherited land from all three of them when they died. It provides a reasonably significant income."

Reno arched an eyebrow. "So's that mean you get it eventually?"

Tseng laughed and shook his head. "Well... some of it will be left to me someday, I expect. But I _do_ have five brothers and a sister, as well. Why do you ask?"

The redhead shrugged and mounted the steps that lead to the heavy wooden doorway. "Just a weird concept for me, I s'pose. My mom pretty much died with next to nothin'... and what little there was, I didn't get to take with me when they chucked me the in fuckin' orphanage." He paused, hanging his head slightly. "... I don't even have a photo of her anymore. Some asshole kid stole the only one I ever had and tossed it in the fire a week after I got there 'cause he thought it was funny seein' the littler kids cry."

Tseng reached out and let his hand rest on the back of the rookie's neck, squeezing gently for a moment. Reno glanced up and managed a weak smile, before his mentor rang the bell to announce their arrival. It opened almost immediately, revealing the younger Shinra.

"Don't tell me you're bringing the slum rat along, _again_..." the blonde boy said, with obvious distaste. "Doesn't it have anything _better_ to do than intrude upon _my_ entertainment?"

"Tch... Who pissed in _your_ coffee this mornin'?" Reno shot back.

"That's enough. _Both_ of you," Tseng said, in a warning tone. "If you're ready, sir?"

Rufus snorted softly and shoved a bag into the redhead's arms. "Make yourself useful for once," he scoffed and headed straight for the waiting helicopter.

"Oh, _yeah_... He's _so_ much less of a dick when he's not 'worried 'bout appearances'..." Reno muttered once the executive was out of earshot. He hefted the strap over one shoulder and followed.

"Three days with two teenagers, neither of whom are morning people..." Tseng sighed to himself, watching them go. "What in Leviathan's name was I thinking?"

* * *

The streets were icy, and tiny clouds formed in the air each time Reno exhaled... but the wind that had been unpleasant back in the city was calm here, and the sun was shining brightly in the sky as he and Tseng escorted their charge down the little village's main road. They'd made a brief detour to check into the little inn they'd be staying at, and were now touring Kalm as it's residents began to get the festival underway.

The redhead inhaled deeply as they passed a bakery, the scent of fresh bread, cookies, and cakes filling the air and making his mouth water. More than anything, he wanted to stop and sample the tasty treats... but he was on the clock, and Rufus seemed to have another destination in mind.

Around the corner, he could hear music, and very quickly discovered where it was coming from. A small bandstand had been erected, and a quartet was cheerfully playing holiday songs under the shelter of an evergreen-bedecked canopy. Nearby, an old man was sitting in an open shop, making blown glass ornaments as half a dozen young children and their parents watched in fascination. Rufus paused to watch as well.

"Different than what you're used to, I take it," Tseng said, coming to rest at the redhead's side, a wary eye still dutifully kept on the vice president.

"Heh... That's puttin' it _mildly_ ," he agreed. "I mean... we celebrate down in Two, sure, but... doesn't get _this_ fancy."

"It will be a very _full_ few days," the Wutaiian Turk commented, smiling. "There are a great many demonstrations and performances scheduled... as well as the tree lighting this evening, the parade tomorrow afternoon, and fireworks tomorrow night. And of course the various contests."

"Contests?" Reno asked, his interest suddenly piqued. "What kinds of contests?"

Tseng chuckled quietly. "Among other things... Snowman building for the younger children... snow fort construction for the older children and adults. There is typically a town-wide snowball fight at some point, as well, and the residents of the town are participating in decorating and baking competitions." He paused momentarily and turned his gaze briefly on his ward. "And... I believe I heard something about a pie eating contest around lunch time today."

The redhead looked up, eyes wide. "... A... a what kinda contest?"

"Pie eating."

"Like... they just put pie in front of you. And you eat it. _All_ of it. By yourself."

"That would be the general idea, yes," he replied, with a soft snort of laughter. The redhead made a slightly desperate-sounding whine, as the realization that he was here to work, not to have fun, hit him full on.

Tseng glanced over at him laughed, before resuming his watch over Rufus. "You may participate, if you wish. Rufus only requires _one_ bodyguard," he said, and then added with a smirk, "... and for the record, you're not _officially_ here."

"Wait, what?" The redhead blinked in confusion.

" _I_ am assigned as Rufus' security detail. You are not. To be honest, I brought you so that you could enjoy yourself a bit. Veld is aware that you accompanied us, but that you're technically off-duty. _Not_ that I will tolerate any unprofessional behavior on account. You're still a representative of Shinra Company, after all."

The grin that spread over the rookie Turk's face was enough to make his cheeks ache. "So... does that mean I can go check out the bakery we passed a few minutes ago instead of standin' around waitin' on Rufus?"

The Turk lieutenant silently raised an eyebrow.

"If you wish to risk your chances at winning that contest, I suppose you may..."

The redhead's grin only widened. "Please... You really think anyone around here's gonna out-eat _me_?"

"Alright..." Tseng replied, shaking his head with a laugh. "Stay out of trouble."

"I will!" he called back, as he disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

Rufus found himself uncharacteristically sporting a wide smile as he watched the artisan remove the finished ornament from the pipe, before passing it off to an assistant to place inside a large annealing oven. He glanced back over his shoulder, and spotted Tseng not far off, watching over him, and turned to make his way back.

The Christmas festival in Kalm was his favorite of all the celebrations held in the sleepy little hamlet, and he always came with Tseng... always, at least, since his mother had died. He'd tried, at first, to convince his father to bring him. He father, however, had simply forwarded the request to Veld, who, in turn, had handed him over to Tseng.

In the end, though... he'd found he didn't mind. Tseng had saved his life when he and his mother were attacked... very nearly at the cost of his own... and that was, frankly, far more than his father would have done had he been with them that day. More than that, though, the Wutaiian was surprisingly friendly towards him, and had never treated him as though he were a silly child or an inconvenience. He never spoke down to him, or dismissed his concerns, or made him feel foolish for not understanding something.

And, though he wouldn't under any circumstances admit it, Rufus... to a point, at any rate... even appreciated that the man didn't _always_ let him have his way. Not even when threatened. Tseng wasn't some sycophant sucking up to him in the hopes of advancing his career. He was an employee, of course... but Rufus had long considered him a friend as well. One that he had placed a great deal of trust in over the years.

And for a time, he had believed himself to be of the utmost importance to the Turk, as well. Up until the slum rat came along, that is. He frowned slightly as he noticed the redhead was inexplicably missing as he made his way over to the Turk lieutenant.

"Where has that idiot run off to now?" he asked. Tseng chuckled lightly.

"The bakery. And after that, I'm sure, whichever food vendor happens to attract him next."

Rufus snorted derisively. "Have you taken to making of habit of letting your subordinates slack off on duty?"

"Reno isn't _on_ duty," Tseng replied, escorting his charge along the wide street. "I simply wanted him to experience the festival. He's never been, and as a Turk, it's essential that he become acquainted with customs beyond what he grew up with."

"Hmph... More like you wished to spoil the obnoxious little creature."

"Is that really so terrible of me?" Tseng asked, with a faint smile.

"Yes!" Rufus shot back, petulantly. "This is _my_ trip. Not his. You are _supposed_ to be paying attention to _me_ , not _him_."

Tseng sighed and took a seat on a nearby bench, gesturing for him to do the same. Rufus reluctantly joined him a moment later.

"I think it is long past time you and I had a little discussion about Reno."

"I agree," the young executive said, folding his arms stubbornly over his chest. "That imbecile is beneath you, Tseng. I don't know _why_ you keep him around... unless it's for entertainment purposes. He's _certainly_ not worthy of being a _Turk_."

"Oh?" Tseng replied. "And just what brings you to that conclusion?"

Rufus glared in response.

"I hardly even know where to begin. He's uneducated, unkempt, uncivilized, and wholly unappealing. Not to mention irritating, idiotic, incompetent, and... and... _infuriating_!"

The senior Turk quickly smothered a laugh. "While I applaud that rather impressive display of alliteration... you hardly know him. In fact, beyond your brief prank war, you've spent very little time in his company at all."

"It was more than long _enough_ ," Rufus replied, stubbornly. Tseng gave a quiet sigh.

"May I speak frankly, sir?"

"Hmph... When ever do you _not_?" the younger man snorted.

"Jealousy does not become you, Rufus," Tseng stated, plainly. His charge choked on whatever response he'd been planning to make, and stared at the Turk incredulously.

"I beg your _pardon_? How dare you?!" he growled, scowling deeply. "I _hardly_ think I have anything to be... _jealous_... of where that worthless little stray you dug up in the slums is concerned. He came from nothing, and for that matter, he still _is_ nothing. If I demanded it, Father would dismiss him in a heartbeat and toss him right back into the cesspool you found him in."

"... Yes, he probably would. _If_ you demanded it. Would you really go that far to prove your own superiority over a boy who has had none of the advantages in life that you have?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Rufus muttered contemptuously. "He's nothing more than a lowly employee... entirely expendable."

"That 'lowly employee' would willingly risk his own life for yours... even though you've given him very little incentive to want to do so," Tseng replied, frowning deeply. "Any of the Turks would, and whether you wish to acknowledge it or not, Reno _is_ a Turk. _My_ Turk, in fact. Reno is not just a rookie. He's my _first_ rookie... though I'm well aware that you have no reason to understand what that means."

"And just what _does_ it mean?" Rufus asked glancing up at the Turk lieutenant with something akin to curiosity in his eyes.

"It means that I'm one step closer to being worthy of taking over for Veld one day. I suppose you could call him a test of sorts... One I don't intend to fail." Tseng smiled slightly. "Thus I would appreciate it if you did _not_ demand his immediate dismissal. I've put a great deal of effort into him. Starting over at this stage would be... difficult."

"Is that all he is to you?" Rufus queried, a note of uncertainty in his voice.

"No," Tseng replied. "He's also my friend. A new one... not a replacement for an old one. You would do well to remember that."

"Who you count as a 'friend' doesn't matter to me," Rufus scoffed... though not very convincingly, even to his own ears. "Particularly when they're as replaceable as _you_ are."

Tseng's expression suddenly mirrored the executive's scowl, and Rufus very quickly came to regret his words. He hadn't meant them. He wasn't even entirely sure why he'd said them...

"Perhaps it's time you heard some harsh truths," the Turk lieutenant replied in a clipped tone. "I know you well enough to take little offense at many of the things you say to me. Not everyone in the company has that insight, however, so I do not say this lightly. You are _not_ well-liked, Rufus... and eventually that's going to become a problem for you if you persist in this immature, entitled, elitist behavior."

Rufus felt as though someone had yanked the rug out from beneath his feet. _No one_ , aside, perhaps, his own father, spoke to him like that. Certainly not someone on the company payroll. And... never Tseng. The Wutaiian had always been staunchly reliable, both as a bodyguard and as a sympathetic ear. It seemed those days were past. And it hurt.

The younger man stood up, stiffly, in the cold air, glaring at the Turk.

"Immature, am I? We'll just see how 'immature' I can be, then. You're fired," he stated angrily, and stormed off, leaving Tseng behind and disappearing into the crowd.

* * *

Reno glanced up from the pair of icing-slathered sticky buns he was currently double-fisting as he made his way down a side street just in time to see a familiar blonde head dart past the the upcoming intersection. What he _didn't_ see... a sudden realization that made him decidedly concerned... was an even more familiar figure following the Shinra heir. The redhead sighed, and crammed the remains of his snack into his mouth, and hurried off after him.

He wasn't quite sure how Rufus had managed to escape Tseng's supervision – or, for that matter, why he'd done so to begin with – but he couldn't just let the company's second-highest ranking executive wander around on his own. Even if he _was_ off duty.

Wherever Rufus was going, he was in a hurry. It took Reno several seconds to spot his quarry once he'd rounded the corner and stepped out onto the main road. He sighted him almost a hundred yards away, heading for the small lake at the edge of the town, away from most of the festivities.

"The fuck's that asshole up to now?" he muttered as he quickly followed. Rufus paused at the lake's edge, and sat down on a large rock, gazing out across the frozen surface. It didn't take long for the rookie to close the distance between them. The blonde boy looked up, glaring angrily at his approach.

"What do _you_ want?" he spat. Reno stopped mere feet from the executive, and folded his arms over his chest.

"Tch... _You're_ the one runnin' around out here without the boss. What'd you do? Ditch him?"

"I fired him," Rufus retorted, and then smirked coldly. "In fact... _you're_ fired, as well. Now leave me alone."

Reno felt a chill run down his spine as he wondered if the little fucker was serious. Technically speaking, he wasn't exactly sure _what_ it took to fire a Turk. But Rufus _was_ the vice president of the company. It stood to reason that he could probably do it if he really wanted to. The son of a bitch was spoiled rotten, after all. He doubted daddy would ever tell him he couldn't, and President Shinra was the only person who outranked him.

"The fuck do you mean you 'fired' Tseng?" he demanded.

"Exactly what it _sounds_ like, you simpleton. He services are no longer required, and neither are _yours_."

Reno was, by then, openly glaring at the older teen. "You're a spoiled little shit, ya know that?"

Rufus' eyes narrowed. "Watch your tone, slum rat..."

The redhead snorted derisively. "Why the hell should I? You just fuckin' fired me, remember? I don't work for you anymore." He took a slightly threatening step toward him, and smirked when Rufus scrambled to off the rock and backed away. "Ya know... I was _almost_ startin' to believe Tseng when he kept insistin' that you're _not_ a complete asshat. Every once in awhile, you'd do somethin' that makes me think your shit personality's mostly an act and you just don't wanna let anyone get too close to you... and then you pull some bullshit like this. Man... I've wanted to say this for a long time. Fuck you, Rufus."

Rufus's eyes narrowed, and had it been just about anyone else, Reno might have been expecting what happened next. But the Shinra heir seldom seemed to lift a finger to do anything himself... which was why, when his fist came flying, squarely aimed at Reno's face, the redhead was caught off-guard enough to let it connect.

Reno staggered back a few steps and blinked in surprise. It hadn't been an especially _powerful_ punch. Rude had clobbered him _way_ harder than that a few times during training. But the anger behind it left him slightly speechless for a moment.

It quickly passed. The rookie growled and tackled the other teen, taking him to the ground, and sending them both of them skidding several feet across the icy lake. They wrestled briefly for control, Reno having little difficulty overpowering the untrained aristocrat and eventually pinning him facedown against the ice.

"You think you're _so_ fuckin' great," the redhead hissed close to his ear. "Just 'cause you got money 'n power 'n people to do shit for ya. Take that outta the equation, and all you're gonna walk away with is an ass-kickin'." He let up on his grip, giving Rufus the chance to wriggle free, and got to his feet. "I could beat the livin' crap outta you if I wanted, right now, and no one'd stop me."

Rufus staggered upright as well, glowering at the former-Turk.

"Tch... Ya know what? You're not even worth the effort. Anyone who'd fuck over a friend like you did to Tseng is about as low as ya get," Reno spat, and turned away, walking out farther across the lake. With an angry shout, Rufus managed to surprise him for the second time that day. Reno felt the teen's body collide with his, sending him sprawling onto the glassy sheet of ice. He hit painfully on the hard surface, knocking the wind from his lungs for a moment. By the time he recovered, Rufus was making a valiant attempt at putting him in a choke hold... though it was more than clear that he didn't have the faintest idea what he was doing.

The redhead shoved him off, and scurried to regain his footing again... only to freeze a moment later as their fight was interrupted by a loud crack from beneath them. Rufus froze, too, his eyes going wide.

" _Ooookay._.. That's not _good_ sound."

"You have a _gift_ for stating the obvious," Rufus replied, though the noticeable tremor in his voice all but shredded the false bravado.

"... Uh... How 'bout we call a truce 'til we're, ya know... not standin' over icy death."

"Agreed."

Rufus slowly stood and took a cautious step towards him, in an effort to make it back to shore before the ice gave way. It creaked and groaned disquietingly beneath him. Another loud crack, and Rufus stilled. He looked down at the spiderweb of cracks that had suddenly formed at his feet and then back up at the redhead, fear more than apparent in his eyes.

"Look, just... take it real slow..." Reno said, holding a hand out to him. Rufus swallowed harshly and reached for him as he took another tentative step forward. As he let the ice take his weight, it cracked again, and this time, his foot went through.

"Shit!" Reno seized him by the arm and pulled. It wasn't exactly the most graceful throw, particularly with no real momentum to use, but it was enough to get the other teen clear. Rufus landed with a loud _oof_ a few feet behind him. Unfortunately, just as the executive made contact with the more solid ice, the ice beneath Reno gave way entirely.

* * *

Tseng watched the 'fight' from a short distance away, hidden in the shadow of a small stand of trees near the lake's edge. Tempted as he was to break things up... sometimes young men like Rufus simply needed to learn a lesson the hard way. He doubted Reno would let things go too far... and if he did, _then_ Tseng would step in.

He shook his head slightly at the somewhat pathetic display. He'd, for several years now, been suggesting that Rufus undergo at least _some_ very basic defensive training with the Turks, but his father had always shot the idea down, insisting that it was _their_ job to protect his son. Tseng was rather more of the opinion that Rufus should learn to protect himself... just in case, one day, there _were_ no Turks around to come to his rescue in time.

He sighed softly when Reno easily forced him off of his back. Rufus really didn't know the first thing about fighting. The redhead _probably_ could have put him on the ground his very first day as a Turk if he'd had to. He cocked his head to one side as both teens seemed to freeze in place, and it took him a long moment to realize what was going on.

By the time he _did_ , it was already too late. Rufus was being flung bodily across the ice by the rookie, and Reno was quickly disappearing beneath it. Time seemed to slow as the redhead vanished from sight. Tseng closed the distance between himself and the small lake in mere seconds, just in time to wrench the vice president back from the rapidly expanding hole.

"Get to shore!" he shouted, giving him a none-too-gentle shove in the direction of safety before lowering himself flat onto the ice in an effort to distribute his weight over the fragile surface and avoid any more breakage. Reno's head popped up above the icy water for a moment, and he clawed ineffectively at the edge of the hole, only to be dragged down again by heavy, sodden clothes.

Tseng lunged for him, fingers clamping around the sleeve of his coat, and hauled him upwards, pulling him closer.

"Get 'em out of there, boys!" someone called out behind him, and he felt hands gripping him, pulling him back away from the hole. Tseng tightened his grasp on the rookie as several of the townspeople dragged the pair of them to safety. It was only once the younger Turk was back on top of the ice and clear of the damaged section that the Wutaiian spared a glance back. Rufus was watching from the shore, in something of a state of shock, an older woman dutifully looking after him. Several other people were crowded around the young man, also watching the spectacle, entirely unaware of just who he was.

One of the men who'd come to their rescue hoisted the violently shivering redhead into his arms and carried him the rest of the way to shore, while the other two helped Tseng to his feet. He hurried to collect the wayward executive, nodding a hurried thanks to the woman who'd been keeping an eye on him, and then hustled the Shinra heir off after his other charge.

* * *

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to stop shaking. Even being stripped of his soaking wet clothes and wrapped tightly in several blankets wasn't enough. Reno couldn't remember ever having been _this_ cold in his entire life. A weight settled beside him on the mattress, and the redhead opened his eyes, peering out of his little cocoon.

"Here... drink some of this," Tseng said gently, as he held a steaming mug to his lips. Reno gladly did as he was ordered, savoring the warm, salty broth that smelled distinctly of chicken. He looked up at his mentor.

"H-hey... 's the b-brat o-o-okay?" he managed, through chattering teeth. Tseng glanced toward the far side of the room for a moment and then back.

"I believe the 'brat' is just fine," he chuckled, "Though... he seems to be brooding at the moment."

Reno gave a relieved sigh. He'd been worried that he hadn't been able to get him far enough out of the way before the whole mess had collapsed. Everything after he'd hit the water was a little bit of a blur at the moment. All he really remembered was the shock of suddenly being submerged in freezing cold water, and how it had almost immediately driven the air from his lungs, and the panic he'd felt when he realized that his heavy winter clothing was pulling him under no matter how hard he fought it.

He had a vague recollection of Tseng grabbing him, and an even vaguer memory of being surrounded by an almost tangible sense of urgency as he was carted back to the inn. After that, he was pretty sure he'd been out of it for awhile, because the next thing he could recall was waking up and feeling like human ice cube.

More soup was coaxed down his throat, and he simply let it happen. He was too cold and too exhausted to protest being babied at the moment. Tseng's fingers lightly grazed his cheek.

"I think you're finally beginning to warm up," he commented.

"Tch... D-doesn't f-f-feel like it. Can't y-you just s-s-stick me in a b-bathtub f-fulla hot w-water or s-s-omethin'?"

Tseng smiled slightly. "Unfortunately, no. You're still somewhat hypothermic... It's dangerous to rewarm someone too quickly."

Reno sighed, resigned to spending his day shivering, and closed his eyes... only to open them again as a new realization hit him out of nowhere.

"D-did I m-m-miss the p-pie eating c-contest?"

"I'm afraid so..." the senior Turk replied. Reno groaned and sank back into his nest of blankets. He heard his mentor's quiet laughter, and fixed him with a glare. "I'm sorry," Tseng replied, quickly sobering, though a hint of a smile remained on his lips, "I simply find it amusing that, after very nearly drowning, your primary concern is that you don't get to gorge yourself on pie."

"Hmph... _I_ hardly find that surprising," a snobbish voice commented from just outside of Reno's present range of view. "I've _seen_ that little glutton of yours eat before."

Tseng looked up, frowning.

"I've had more than enough your attitude, Rufus. After what happened, I refuse to humor you any longer for today. Speak civilly, or don't speak at all."

Reno heard the older teenager murmur something that, unless he was far more out of it than he realized, _almost_ sounded contrite. Tseng, at least, seemed satisfied by the response, and a moment later got to his feet.

"I'm going to get Reno some more soup. Behave yourself."

The redhead rolled over onto his side as the senior Turk – or was it still _former_ senior Turk? – left the room, and curled up, drawing his knees to his chest and hugging the blankets tightly around himself. It didn't really help. The sensation of being chilled to the bone refused to abate and tremors still wracked his body.

A moment later, Rufus drifted into his line of sight.

"If you'd just taken a step back, you wouldn't be in this pathetic state," he commented after a few seconds of staring down at him.

"Tch... Yeah. And t-then Tseng w-woulda been f-f-fishin' _y-your_ sorry ass o-outta the l-lake."

"Why would _you_ care?" he snorted, folding his arms across his chest.

"'Cause... T-tseng d-d-does. H-he l-l-likes you, e-even if y-you are a f-f-fuckin' s-spoiled little b-bastard. Hell, e-even _I_ d-din't c-c-ompletely h-hate ya... 'til ya f-fired us. S-still couldn't just l-let ya f-fall in, though. M-my fault y-you were out o-on the ice..."

He fought back a yawn. The cold had sapped most of his strength, and the constant shivering wasn't giving him much opportunity to recover it. He just wanted to sleep. As he felt his eyes drifting shut again, a sharp poke – somewhat dulled by the blankets, but uncomfortable none-the-less – in his ribs jolted him awake again.

"Wake up, you moron," Rufus sneered, though with considerably less venom behind it than previously, "Don't you know you're not supposed to fall asleep when you're half frozen? It slows your heart rate, and makes it harder to keep warm."

"Who t-told ya _that_ s-shit?" the redhead asked with as much of a glare as he could manage.

"Hmph... _Tseng_ did, years ago."

Reno smirked slightly. "Guess y-you're not as d-dumb as you l-l-look."

"Keep that up, and I'll soon be reconsidering my decision _not_ to fire you," Rufus replied, eyes narrowed. Before the redhead could come up with a retort, Tseng returned with the promised soup and resumed his place beside his rookie. He carefully propped the teenager up and helped him to sip the welcome hot liquid.

"Once you've recovered enough to make it to the helicopter, we'll return to Midgar."

Rufus, for a brief moment, looked as though he was going to protest... but instead, the Shinra heir simply clamped mouth shut and looked away, disappointed.

"Fuck that," Reno replied. "I w-wanna stick around 'n s-see the rest of the f-festival."

A faint smile twitched at the corners of Tseng's mouth. "I would normally be willing, provided there are no lasting effects from your little misadventure. However... I, unfortunately, have been summarily dismissed, and if I heard correctly out by the lake, so have _you_. Allowing the vice president to wander around Kalm with no security is simply unacceptable."

Rufus rolled his eyes.

"You know perfectly well that Father would inevitably have overruled me on that, so stop fishing for an apology. I admit, I behaved... childishly. There's no need to rub my nose in it."

Tseng chuckled softly. "Then, as I'm _not_ in the market for a new job, I supposed we can stay. Provided, of course, that you're _both_ feeling up to it."

* * *

Late Monday afternoon, the helicopter touched down on the roof of the Shinra Building. A fresh blanket of snow had fallen overnight, leaving the helipad little more than a slightly raised outline in a sea of white. Tseng shut down the engine, and turned to glance back at the two teenagers.

"I need to see covering the helicopter. The two of you wait for me in the Turk offices."

The redhead nodded in acknowledgment and hurried to haul open the side door, before hopping down into the ankle-deep snow. Rufus joined him a moment later and the pair made their way inside, boarding the elevator.

"Gotta admit... that festival was pretty awesome," Reno said, as he hit the button for the fifty-eighth floor. Rufus snorted incredulously.

"Awesome? _You_ very nearly drowned and then spent the better part of an afternoon shivering uncontrollably."

"Yeah... but aside from _that,_ it was pretty awesome," the redhead replied with a grin. A moment later his grin widened noticeably. "'Specially the part where I got to kick your ass and not get fired for it."

"You most certainly did _not_ 'kick my ass'," Rufus scoffed. The elevator came to a halt and the doors opened at Turk headquarters.

"If you say so," Reno shrugged, still grinning. The executive glowered at him, but didn't press the issue, instead simply opting to follow the Turk into the lounge to wait for Tseng.

~end chapter 40~


	41. A Holly Jolly Turk Christmas Party

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 41: A Holly Jolly Turk Christmas Party**

 **by Desha**

Costa del Sol was always warm. Year round, the temperature seldom dipped into a range that most people would even consider 'chilly' much less 'cold'. When he'd left Midgar to catch his ferry in Junon earlier that morning, the snow had still been falling from the night before. He'd woken to an additional three or four inches on top of the two that had fallen before he'd gone to bed last night. It had continued to fall, even as the ship had departed Junon harbor.

And now, he was standing on a sunny shore, sweating in the long sleeves he hadn't yet had the opportunity to shed after disembarking. Several people, who'd opted to spend their Christmas in the sand and surf rather than waist-deep in snow, meandered up and down the beach. A few were already in the water. Rude wished he had a little time to join them... but he had a plane to catch if he was going to make it to Rocket Town by lunch time.

His home town wouldn't be quite so warm. In fact, there was likely more than just a little snow _there_ , too...

He didn't like to admit it... but he was nervous. This would be his first trip home since his promotion to the Turks, and his first time seeing his father since then, as well. He wasn't _entirely_ sure how he'd be received. His father had _barely_ even acknowledged that he was coming home for Christmas when he'd called to tell him a few weeks back. In fact, he'd come dangerously close to changing his mind altogether at least twice after that phone call... but in the end, he'd decided that he'd been away long enough. And maybe, in his absence, his father had changed a bit.

Regardless, it was too late to turn back now. He shouldered his bag and started toward the little airstrip a short distance from the docks, turning his back on the allure of the beach and wondering if Reno was enjoying the Kalm Christmas Festival.

* * *

Early on Tuesday morning, following their return from Kalm, Tseng woke to the sound of the smoke alarm blaring throughout his apartment. He sat up, casting the covers aside, and rushed into the hallway, the smell of burning thick in the air.

"Reno!?" he called out, wrenching open the door to the teenager's bedroom and finding it empty. He made his way towards the source of the smoke, and walked into the kitchen to find the missing redhead fervently fanning the haze that appeared to be emanating from a pan on the stove out an open window.

"Sorry, boss!" he called out over the scream of the alarm, not pausing in his attempt at clearing the air. Tseng dragged a chair from the table over and climbed up, pulling the cover from the smoke alarm and prying out the battery. The din, at last, ceased.

"What in Leviathan's name are you doing?" he asked, coughing slightly.

"Uh... Well, it was _gonna_ be your breakfast. It's more like a pan full of charcoal at this point. I was tryin' somethin' Rude showed me. It kinda got away from me. Sorry."

Tseng laughed softly in spite of the early wake-up call. "I think you should perhaps stick to slightly less advanced recipes for the time being..."

"Heh... yeah. Probably," the redhead grinned.

Tseng moved the chair back to the table, and filled the tea kettle, setting it on the stove to boil while Reno cleared away the remnants of his attempt at food.

"Why are you up so early?"

"Tch... To make you breakfast, obviously," the redhead replied. He sighed and scraped the now extinguished contents of the pan into the trash. "I wanted to do somethin' to thank you for takin' me with you to Kalm. I had fun."

"I wasn't aware you had such a fondness for hypothermia," the Turk lieutenant chuckled. Reno snorted in laughter.

"Yeah, okay, that part kinda sucked. But I liked the rest of it a lot."

"Good. I'm glad," Tseng replied with a smile. "Finish cleaning that up and get dressed. I think I'd prefer to go _out_ for breakfast this morning. And after that, a trip to Sector 8. I spoke to Veld last night. He mentioned that he has a favor to ask of you."

Reno looked up, blinking in surprise.

"Me? What's he want with me?"

"He asked me not to say. Though I _am_ permitted to tell you that it's a surprise for everyone attending the Christmas party and requires a very particular expertise you happen to possess," Tseng replied with a knowing smirk.

* * *

An hour or two later, Tseng and Reno were making their way – far too slowly for Tseng's taste – towards Veld's condo in Sector 8. Traffic was heavy this morning, owing at least in part to the additional snowfall they'd been receiving on and off for the past two days. At last, they reached their destination, sliding into one of the covered parking spaces out front. Tseng ushered the rookie up the cobblestone walkway and rang the bell.

A moment later, the door opened and an inquisitive little face peered out for a moment, before throwing the door wide.

"Good morning, Tseng!" a young girl of about twelve greeted the Turk, smiling widely, and Reno snickered quietly at her enthusiasm. She turned her gaze on him next, apparently only then realizing that the Wutaiian Turk wasn't alone today, and stared, mouth open slightly, up at him, blushing. "H-hi..." she managed.

"Hey," he replied, grinning.

"Felicia, this is Reno," his mentor offered. He smirked slightly. "He's the rookie you keep asking me about."

"... Hi..." the girl squeaked again, going even redder. Tseng glanced sidelong at his rookie, arching an eyebrow.

"May we come in?" he prodded. Felicia nodded faintly and stepped back, granting them access... and, Reno was fairly certain, not taking her eyes off him the entire time. It took some effort not to laugh. He didn't exactly have to wonder what was going through her head. He'd seen _that_ reaction plenty of times... though it was usually from _guys_ when he introduced them to Lira. Hell, for that matter, _he'd_ hadthat reaction to the opposite sex more than once when he was younger. Sector 2 may have been dirt poor, but the girls working the streets were hot and he'd taken an interest fairly early. He had to admit... he was a little flattered, even if she _was_ just a kid.

"Ah... Tseng. Reno. Glad you could make it over here," Veld said, as he emerged from the kitchen. "Come sit down."

They joined the Turk leader in the living room, taking a seat on the long, sectional couch near the Christmas tree that stood before the front windows. Felicia lingered a moment more before scurrying off in the direction of the hallway... though judging by the distinct sensation of being watched, Reno had a feeling she hadn't gone very far.

"How was Kalm?" Veld asked. Tseng chuckled quietly and shook his head.

"Well... we all made it out alive..." Reno snickered, "So, ya know... there's that."

Veld cautiously raised an eyebrow. "Something I should know about?" he asked, looking over at Tseng.

"It... will all be thoroughly detailed in my report, sir," he replied, "The important thing, as Reno said, is that there were no fatalities."

The Turk leader sighed. "Will I be receiving an angry phone call from the President later today? Because if so, I would very much like to know ahead of time."

"No, sir... Rufus will not be lodging any complaints. In fact, I doubt he'll even mention anything that happened to his father. I think he learned a valuable lesson."

"... See to that report immediately," Veld replied with a faint laugh. Tseng smirked slightly.

"Of course, sir."

"Well... at any rate, I suppose you're wondering about this favor I need," he continued, turning his attention on the redhead.

"Heh... I _was_ gettin' just a little curious, sir."

"You're free to refuse, of course... but I was hoping you might be up for doing a little bartending at the Christmas party. My wife and I can certainly handle the usual beer and such we have every year, but I thought the team might appreciate something a little different for once..."

Reno grinned widely. Truth be told, he'd always enjoyed working at the bar... it was one of the very few things he occasionally missed about being down in the slums. There really wasn't much call for that particular skill set at headquarters, though, and given that he couldn't even _buy_ liquor up here without risking yet another arrest, he hadn't even had much opportunity to practice on his own time, either.

"Hell, _yeah_ , I'll do it..." he replied, eagerly. Veld laughed quietly.

"Good. I'll let you and Tseng handle the liquor purchases, and whatever else you might need for the evening. As it's technically a company function, you can use the corporate account."

Tseng shook his head and smirked. "I think Heidegger might have something to say about that, sir."

"Hmph... Only if he were to find out. And _Heidegger_ is not invited to our party, so that's very unlikely to happen. Besides which... he's cut our budget by five percent next year. I intend to use every last gil of the current one while I still can."

* * *

Reno was still grinning widely as he grabbed two more bottles of vodka from the shelf and set them in the cart Tseng was pushing along behind him.

"... You _do_ realize that you're only serving eight people or so, don't you?" the Turk lieutenant queried, eying the rapidly growing collection of hard liquor he seemed to be accumulating. Reno shrugged.

"Better too much than not enough."

Tseng snorted softly and picked up one of the rookie's selections. "And, I suppose, better top shelf than bottom," he chuckled. The redhead smirked and added a bottle of grenadine before thinking better of it and grabbing a second from the shelf.

"When I'm not the one payin' for it, you're damn right..." he replied. As they passed the wine section, Tseng paused and reached for a mid-tier rosé bottled in Costa del Sol.

"The hell ya getting' _that_ cheap shit for?" the redhead asked.

"Because it happens to be a favorite of Esme's," he replied, and laughed, "And I believe I'd refrain from referring to it as 'cheap shit' in front of her. As I understand it, it _also_ has some sentimental value. Apparently, she and Veld were sharing a bottle when he proposed."

"Heh... Noted," Reno replied, somewhat sheepishly. "So... I guess you know Veld's family pretty well, then..."

"Mmm... Quite well. When I was first promoted to the Turks, I was... rather short on funds and in the process of being evicted. And contacting my father to beg for money was a bit too humiliating to endure. Veld took me in before I was forced to swallow my pride... or live at headquarters. I stayed with his family just long enough to save up for a more permanent home."

Reno's eyebrows rose in surprise. "How'd _you_ wind up broke?"

Tseng glanced away for a moment, slightly embarrassed.

"I was not always as... _responsible_... when it came to finances as I am now," he replied, awkwardly clearing his throat. "And, to be honest, I was somewhat homesick for a time. The more authentic of Wutaiian cuisine doesn't come cheap in Midgar, and three meals a day adds up rather quickly, particularly when one is already on a tight budget. Actually, that was one of the reasons I wanted to keep you close when I first brought you aboard. I... didn't want to see you fall into that same trap."

Reno laughed quietly and went back to gathering supplies.

"That is _not_ information to be shared, by the way," the Wutaiian Turk added, sternly.

"Like anyone'd believe me even if I told 'em..." the redhead snickered.

" _Reno_..."

"Yeah, yeah..." he laughed, "I won't let on about how you spent all your cash at expensive restaurants 'til you were homeless as a rookie. Your secret's safe."

He made a mental note, however, to ask Veld about his mentor's rookie days the first chance he got. Preferably after a few shots of the Mideelian absinthe he was currently wedging in with the other bottles, and with as many fellow Turks present as possible.

* * *

The next morning, Reno yawned and rolled over, comfortable and content in his bed. He was in no hurry to drag himself out of his warm little nest. He curled in on himself, pulling his knees closer to his chest and snuggled against a pillow, all without dislodging the three blankets he'd piled on top of himself last night.

He'd slept this way for years. Most of his life, in fact... though it hadn't always been because he found it comfortable. He could still remember sleeping like a 'normal' person... back when he was very small, and his mother used to tuck him in and sing to him until he drifted off. After she died – and after he'd run away from the orphanage they'd placed him in – he'd very quickly found that sleeping stretched out, tucked in, and vulnerable wasn't how a person stayed safe living on the streets.

The first time he'd woken to the sight of beady eyes staring down at him, and realized that it was a huge rat perching on his chest was also the _last_ time he'd ever allowed himself to wake up in that position. Ever since, he'd made it a point to protect himself in any way he could.

Sleeping in a ball made him a smaller target. Curling up under the blankets kept him hidden. He'd even learned to wake himself up at the slightest sound or movement. He wasn't _naturally_ such a light sleeper... At least he didn't think he was. He certainly couldn't remember waking up several times throughout the night back when he was little. Though, to be fair, that was so long ago now, that there really wasn't much from back then that he _did_ recall with any great clarity. Much of his childhood was something like a fading dream. There were specific instances that stood out starkly, etched forever in his memory... but in general? It was vague and fuzzy. He'd simply gotten older, and with that came new memories to take up brain space.

He yawned again, and fleetingly wondered if maybe it was time to stop sleeping like a kid on the streets. Hell, he wondered if he even _could_ at this point. It was practically an instinct, he'd been doing it so long. But he didn't _need_ to do it anymore. He was safe and sheltered, and there weren't any rats looking for a tasty morsel scrabbling around his bedroom.

That thought in mind, the redhead slowly uncurled himself, stretching out across the mattress. Not for the first time, he marveled how huge the bed was. He could easily fit four of himself in it. All that space and for the past... how long had it been? Nine, ten months? Tseng had recruited him in early spring, so yeah... somewhere around that. For all that time, he'd been locked into his old habit. It seemed so ridiculous.

And, in some ways, not ridiculous at all. He couldn't deny that he was still a little shocked that he'd made it this long without being drummed out of the Turks. When he'd first arrived, he'd very nearly convinced himself he wouldn't last a month. Reno grinned silently to himself. Forget a month... his very first _week_ he thought he'd earned himself a one-way trip back to the slums. But somehow, he'd lasted. Tseng had refused to give up on him, no matter how badly he screwed up. And that meant more to him than words could ever express. No one had ever believed in him the way Tseng did.

Not even Lira. He shared with her his dream of leaving the slums not long after they met... and while she didn't outright dismiss it, she'd done her best to temper that dream with a hefty dose of reality. He supposed he couldn't blame her. Not many people _did_ make it out of the slums, after all. She just didn't want to see him grow up to be bitter and disappointed... they way so many other people in Sector 2 ended up.

Reno peered out from under the covers and slid them down to his chest, at last managing to flatten himself out on his back. He folded his arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling above him. Laying like this felt... weird. It was definitely going to take some effort before he'd be able to fall _asleep_ like this.

He sighed quietly and turned his head to look at the clock... and was surprised to see that it was going on ten in the morning. Tseng didn't typically let him sleep in _that_ long unless it was a weekend. Apparently that courtesy extended to holidays as well. His stomach suddenly growled, and, with a slightly annoyed grunt, the redhead rolled over.

"Ah, shut up 'n let me sleep."

A second growl, louder and more persistent than the first at last drove him to stagger out of bed.

"Alright, fine... I'm up," he muttered. Reno stretched his arms over his head until his shoulder cracked sharply. It had been doing that ever since his injury on the gauntlet... but it wasn't painful, so he largely just shrugged it off and ignored it. Actually, it _felt_ pretty good, even if the sound itself was a little off-putting.

He opened the door and found the apartment quiet... though not abandoned. As he made his way down the hallway, he spotted Tseng in the living room, settled comfortably on the couch, the morning paper in his grasp as he sipped a mug of tea.

"... 'Mornin'," Reno said, with a yawn. The Turk lieutenant glanced up and chuckled.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were planning on sleeping straight through Christmas," he replied, teasingly. "There are donuts waiting for you in the kitchen."

" _Sweet_..." the rookie grinned and headed for the box sitting on the counter. Two of the sugar-coated pastries vanished in quick succession, before he picked up the box and carried it out into the living room. Tseng glanced up at him and shook his head.

"You might at _least_ use a plate if you're going to blatantly disregard the rule about no food outside of the kitchen."

"Tch... _You're_ drinkin' tea out here," he pointed out.

"Tea is a beverage, not food," his mentor countered.

"I could go run 'em through the blender..." the redhead offered with a wide smirk. Tseng snorted in laughter and dismissively waved a hand before turning back to his paper.

"I'll allow it just this once... if only to save the kitchen from an even bigger mess."

Reno snickered and planted himself at the other end of the coach, propping he feet up on the coffee table, and selecting his next donut.

"So... Party's not 'til tonight. What's on the agenda for the _rest_ of today?" he mumbled around the pastry.

"Relaxing. If past Christmas parties are anything to go by, it will be a late night, and very few of us will be sober by the end of it," Tseng replied, lightly nudging his rookie's feet back onto the floor. "And don't talk with your mouth full."

The redhead swallowed sharply, forcing the food down, and grinned.

"Sounds like my kinda party. _Soooo_... um... when do we get to... ya know... open presents?"

"Feeling a bit eager, are we?" the Turk lieutenant teased.

"No! I mean... I just... uh... Maybe?" Reno stammered in reply, glancing up at Tseng sheepishly. "Okay, fine. I... I'm kinda excited. I don't usually get... _presents_. Heh... unless you count Christmas sex from Lira. But I don't really get to unwrap _her_..." He paused a moment, in thought. "Well... actually, I guess _technically_ –"

Tseng chuckled quietly. "Reno, is there anything you _don't_ associate in some way with sex?"

"Nope," the redhead replied, grinning. The senior Turk could only shake his head.

"In any event, gifts will be opened sometime after dinner, and then Veld or one of the others will likely have some form of entertainment planned before the whole thing ultimately devolves into a drunken fiasco and ninety percent of the party's attendees wake in the morning wherever they happened to pass out the night before."

Reno snickered. "I can't tell if you're lookin' forward to that, or bein' all disapprovin' about it..."

"Both," Tseng replied, with uncharacteristic snark. The redhead laughed and helped himself to another donut.

* * *

Evening set in, and with it came another round of softly falling snow. Reno sank back into the passenger seat of Tseng's car, gazing silently out the window at the sight. He was really starting to love seeing it snow. Especially like this, when the sky was just beginning to darken, and everything was peaceful. Tseng joined him a moment later, and the redhead shuddered at the sudden draft that accompanied him until he shut the door.

Snow was beautiful... Cold, though, he could do without.

"Ready?" his mentor asked, and the rookie snorted softly.

"Boss, I've been ready since I woke up this mornin'..."

Tseng laughed and put the car in gear, and it wasn't long before the pair were pulling up in front of Veld's place once again. This time, however, the parking lot was crowded with cars... and one motorcycle tucked safely back in the corner of the sheltered parking. Reno snorted as he got out.

"You gotta be kiddin' me. She actually _rode_ that thing in this?" he said, gesturing towards the snowy sky. The wind was picking up now, and the snow was falling harder. "Man... Kai really _is_ nuts."

The redhead suddenly found himself planted on the ground, face pressed into a snow drift. His arms were quickly pinned, and he felt the entirely too familiar sensation of a knee in his back and a knife at his throat.

"And just who you are you calling 'nuts', my little baby Turkling?" a voice teased.

" _You_ , ya lunatic!" he groused in reply, though his words were muffled by the snow. "Get the fuck offa me!" Kai giggled and released him, allowing him to climb to his feet. "Where the fuck'd you even _come_ from..." Reno muttered as he brushed himself off.

Kai expertly flipped her blade around her fingers before resheathing it.

"Well... you see, when a man and a woman _really_ love each other, they –"

"Kai, there is somethin' _seriously_ wrong with you..." the rookie declared, cutting her off... though he couldn't quite hold back a snort of laughter. The shorter Turk only grinned in response.

"You guys need a hand with anything?"

"Kai McNamara is _offering_ to help with menial manual labor instead of being ordered to do so?" Tseng shot back, somewhat incredulously, "There really _are_ such things as Christmas miracles..."

"Nah, not really. I just heard that you two were bringing the booze tonight."

"Ya know, I should cut ya off here 'n now for tacklin' me like that," Reno replied. "Didn't anyone ever tell ya that you don't piss off your bartender? Somethin' tells me _your_ drinks are gonna be suspiciously watered down tonight."

"Oh... sweet, naive little Turkling. You water down _my_ drinks, you'll be running the gauntlet on the highest setting it has until _next_ Christmas..." Kai snickered. Reno narrowed his eyes, staring her down as he tried to determine whether she was kidding or if that was a legitimate threat. Something told him that, where the gauntlet was concerned, it might be better to err on the side of caution.

"Tch... You suck, ya know that?"

Kai laughed and clapped him on the back before turning to join Tseng in his effort at unloading the trunk of his car. They made their way up to the front door, their arms laden with liquor and gifts. Kai elbowed the doorbell repeatedly until footsteps were finally heard from within.

"Just hold yer damn panties, Kai... Fer fuck's sake, I'm comin'!" a voice from inside shouted. A moment later, Sato flung the door wide open. Kai smirked and slipped past him, heading for long table set up along one side of the room... the makeshift bar for the evening. Sato flipped off her retreating back and then turned to the other two Turks, with a wide grin.

"Ha! 'Bout time yeh two decided ta show up. People are gettin' thirsty," he said, by way of greeting.

"Merry Christmas to you, too, Sato," Tseng chuckled, following Kai's lead.

"We the last ones here or somethin'?" Reno asked as he trailed his mentor indoors. Sato shut the door behind them, banishing the cold winter weather to the outside and laughed.

"Nah... We're still waitin' on Tres 'n Remy. And Shay if he's plannin' ta drop in fer a spell before he's off ta that fancy _family_ get tagether o' his. Saya 'n me got here a might early... wanted ta beat the snow." He dropped his voice to a loud whisper. "She dinnae like drivin' in it, yeh know..."

"Aye, I don't. And I'm not yet suicidal enough ta let _yeh_ drive me in it, now am I, yeh bloody menace?" Saya exclaimed as she strode up to the little group. She leaned over and placed a kiss on Reno's cheek. The senior Turk smiled at his slightly mystified expression and pointed above his head. The rookie glanced upwards and caught sight of a sprig of mistletoe hanging from a silver ribbon. Saya giggled. "My idiot cousin's idea, o' course. Pretty sure he just wants ta see what happens if someone were ta try 'n kiss Remy. Or Tseng. Keep a wary eye out... I think he's got more hidden 'round here."

"Heh... I'll keep that in mind," Reno snickered, and hurried off to set his own load... which consisted of several gifts for the others, under the tree.

"Hey, barkeep!" Kai yelled over to him. "Make with the liquor already!"

" _That_ is for _after_ dinner. Have a beer for now," Esme replied somewhat testily, emerging from the kitchen. "And for Shiva's sake, at least let the poor thing take off his coat before you start in on him with your demands. He's doing this as a favor for you lot, you know... Really. You'd think with all the training you Turks go through, basic _manners_ would come up at _some_ point."

Sato suddenly laughed and reached into a bag sitting near the couch. He rummaged for a moment and at last pulled out a little medal on a green ribbon.

"Congratulations, Kai!" he snickered, looping it over her head. "Yeh win the prize fer 'First Turk ta piss off Esme'! Means yer ahead... Everyone else'll have ta work hard ta catch up!"

"What in Leviathan's name are you talking about?" Tseng asked, and Sato's grin widened.

"Thought the party could use a wee bit o' excitement, so I've got awards fer yeh," he replied, gesturing to his bag. "Trick is, though... yeh don't get ta find out what yeh gotta do ta win one 'til yeh actually _do_ it. Whoever wake up with the most t'morrow mornin' wins the _big_ prize."

"What's the _big_ prize?" Reno asked, suddenly intrigued.

Kai snorted derisively. "Knowing Sato, _probably_ something that'll explode the second you look at it funny."

The Mideelian Turk sniggered and plopped himself down into an armchair.

"Yeh'll have ta win it, if yeh wanna find out."

Reno was about to inquired further, but a new arrival interrupted him. Veld's daughter, Felicia, stepped out of the kitchen, bearing a tray of Christmas cookies and made a beeline for the redhead, more or less ignoring the Turks closer to her in her effort to present the treats.

"Hi, Reno..." she said, smiling shyly as she held the platter up to him. "Merry Christmas..."

The rookie grinned and helped himself, biting the antlers off a sugar cookie reindeer. "Heh... Thanks, Felicia. Merry Christmas to you, too!"

The little girl giggled and scampered off, finally making the rounds to the others before vanishing back into the kitchen. Saya eyed the redhead for a moment before breaking into laughter, and Kai soon joined her.

"Reno's got a girlfriend..." Kai teasingly sing-songed. The rookie rolled his eyes.

"Hey... Not my fault I'm irresistible," he smirked.

Kai snickered and wrapped an arm around him, escorting him over to the couch.

"Aw, get over yourself... the kid's twelve. She can't help it if she hasn't yet developed good taste in men..."

"Ha, ha, ha... Fuck you, Kai."

Saya sidled up next to him, and gently elbowed him in the ribs. "Careful, sweetie... Yeh'd best not get caught under the mistletoe when Felicia's around... Veld might have somethin' ta say 'bout yeh havin' ta give his wee girl a kiss."

"Speaking of Veld..." Tseng chuckled, steering the conversation away from the pre-teen's apparent crush on the rookie, "Where is he?"

"Hmph... Where do you think?" Esme scoffed. "There was a security alert at the office half an hour ago, and _of course_ that man ran off to see to it. On Christmas Eve, no less. I swear..."

A figure suddenly slipped into the room, silently tiptoeing up behind the woman, and held a finger to his lips.

"... if my husband were any more of a workaholic, I'd never _see_ him," she continued, unaware of her unexpected shadow. By then, nearly all of the Turks were doing their best to repress the urge to snicker. "Why, I have half a mind to –"

Whatever Esme had half a mind to do, Reno never found out, because right at that moment, Veld grabbed her from behind, eliciting a shriek of surprise from his wife, and spun her around, kissing her. As he pulled away, he presented her with a parcel wrapped in shimmering red paper.

"I only told you that so you wouldn't get suspicious. I had to go and fetch your present," he chuckled, and then added with a wide smile, " _Which_ I wouldn't have to hide in my office if you didn't spend the two weeks leading up to Christmas ransacking the house looking for it so you can peek..."

" _Ooh_... You are _insufferable_!" she declared, smacking him in the shoulder, but Reno could plainly see that she was trying to hold back laughter as she did so. She reached for the gift, but Veld quickly pulled it away and passed it off to his lieutenant who dutifully carried it over to the tree with the others.

" _After_ dinner, my dear," he said with a wry smile.

* * *

Reno bit back a yawn. Between the warmth of the fire burning merrily in the hearth and an _extremely_ full belly, he was beginning to feel more than a little sleepy. Remy and Tres had finally arrived, and dinner had begun almost immediately... and gone on for several courses. Not that _he_ was complaining about _that_.

"Wake up, yeh lazy wretch!" Sato demanded as he sat down hard enough beside the redhead on the couch to bounce the younger Turk several inches into the air. He laughed at the annoyed expression on the rookie's face. "Come on, then... Up 'n at 'em. Yer our bartender t'night, remember? 'N _I_ fer one could use a wee nip o' that absinthe."

Reno groaned faintly and dragged himself upright, stretching. He _might_ have overdone it just a little on dessert. But Sato was right... he'd volunteered for this. Besides... moving around would wake him up soon enough, and the last thing he wanted was to end up being the first Turk to pass out tonight. Hell, he hadn't even had a drink yet _himself_. He'd never live it down.

"Heh... Alright, alright... So who wants what?" he asked, grinning widely as he took up his position behind the 'bar'.

"Scotch and soda," Tseng answered before Sato could say anything. He smirked at the other Turk, adding, "Perks of seniority."

"Make that a whiskey sour," Veld replied, stepping in front of his lieutenant and chuckling. " _Perks of seniority_ , after all."

Kai giggled madly from her position on the floor near the tree. "And Tseng gets put neatly back in his place."

Reno had to bite down slightly on his lower lip to stop himself from laughing – he didn't think his mentor would appreciate it – and went to work, adding whiskey, lemon juice and simple syrup to an ice filled shaker. As he finished up and served it to Veld, he suddenly realized Kai had darted across the room and was now elbowing her way in front of both Tseng _and_ Sato.

"Fuck seniority. _Ladies_ first," she said, with a snicker. Saya and Remy glanced at one another and quickly joined her.

"Hmph... _yeh_ hardly qualify there," Sato shot back, good-naturedly. Kai stuck her tongue out at him before turning to Reno.

"I'm in the mood for something... festive. And sweet."

"Tch... That your way of tellin' me to surprise ya?" Reno asked.

"That's my way of daring you to prove you actually know what you're _doing_ back there," she replied, grinning. Reno snorted softly and reached for a martini glass and a bottle of vodka. The liquor went into a shaker with ice, and was quickly followed with an ounce of amaretto. He smirked slightly and added a healthy dose of sweetened vanilla coffee creamer before shaking and pouring it into the glass. Kai arched an eyebrow. "What in Shiva's name is _that_?"

"I call it a Christmas cookie martini," the redhead replied, passing it over to her. Kai snorted a laugh and took a sip.

"... Goddammit," she swore, sighing.

"What?" Saya asked, frowning slightly.

"I can't make fun of it. It's really _good_ ," she replied, pouting as she made her way back to her previous seat. Saya giggled, and the diminutive Turk's response even drew a quiet laugh from the normally rather uptight Remy.

"I'll have one 'o those, then," the Mideelian Turk said, grinning.

"... Better make it two," Remy added.

When everyone at last had a drink in hand – an in a couple of cases, one in each – Reno set about making something for himself while he was at it. Just as he was reaching for the vodka, though, he heard a faint sound behind him and turned to look. Felicia was standing somewhat awkwardly nearby, half hiding behind a tall potted plant.

"... Can I have a Cosmo Candle?" she queried. The redhead grinned.

"Can ya even tell me what a Cosmo Candle _is_?" he snickered, bending down slightly until he was eye level with the girl. She flushed, embarrassed, and shook her head.

"It's what my mom always gets when Daddy takes us out to the eat at the Silver Swan."

"Trust me... if ya don't know what's in it, you don't wanna be askin' me for it... 'cause it's not gonna be anything like what you're expectin'," he replied, "But I'll make ya somethin' you _will_ like if ya want..."

"Okay..." she agreed, smiling shyly. A minute or two later, he sent her off with her drink, back to the party.

"Ahem..." someone behind him announced himself, and Reno spun to find himself face to face with Veld.

"... Heh... Yeah, okay, before you murder me, I swear there wasn't a single drop of alcohol in that. It was just grenadine, ginger ale, and lime juice. They call it a Zippy Niblett," he said, hurriedly, holding his hands up in surrender. "And seriously, I have no idea where they came up with that name."

Veld merely shook his head and chuckled quietly before rejoining the party.

It went on like that for the better part of two hours, with Reno making more and more... _interesting_... drinks, and even experimenting a little when given the opportunity, and the other Turks downing them one after the other. By the time Veld called them all together for gifts, Remy, at least, was definitely drunk, and a few of the others were well on their way. The normally reserved young woman teetered dangerously on her perch on the armrest of the couch. As Reno finally made his way out from behind the bar to join them, she turned a little too fast... and face-planted directly into Tres' lap.

"Tch... If I'da known _that's_ all it'd take to get you to go down on me, I'da got you drunk ages ago..." the senior Turk snickered. Remy hurriedly backpedaled away from him and staggered to her feet, blushing, and glared as a chorus of laughter rose from the others. She took a swing at Tres, but missed by a mile, spinning herself in a circle in the process, and tripping over her own two feet. Reno caught her before she could end up on the floor... or back in Tres' lap... and helped her over to a chair while she giggled.

Sato grinned widely. "And the prize fer first Turk drunk off their arse goes ta Remy!" he declared, producing another of his little medals and presenting it to her with a flourish. "Honestly didnae see _that_ 'un comin'..."

Remy hiccuped loudly and pointed at the redhead. "It's _his_ fault..." she slurred, "Him'n'is Shiva-be-damned mar – _hic_ – tinis..."

"Ha! Prize fer first Turk blamed fer somethin' they ain't responsible fer goes ta Reno!" Sato crowed.

" _He's_ the bartender! He _made_ my drinks!" Remy protested.

"Aye," Sato laughed, and tossed one of the medals to the redhead, "But he didnae force yeh ta down four of 'em 'n a beer on top 'o the wine yeh had with dinner... Tha's on _yeh_ , pet..."

Reno snickered as he caught his 'prize' and looped it over his head. He had to admit, he was a little curious just what it was Sato had in mind for the winner. Knowing the man, there were even odds that whoever won it would end up either ecstatic or deeply disturbed.

Esme and Felicia emerged from the kitchen with coffee and hurried to offer their guests a cup... though Felicia seemed to bow out of service a bit early so that she could claim the seat beside Reno and then sit silently as she tried – fairly ineffectively – to pretend that she wasn't staring at him whenever he wasn't looking.

"Well, now..." Veld said, "Before Remy loses consciousness –" The jab was met with an irritated scowl from the aforementioned Turk, who by then was making good use of the coffee presented to her. "– I think we ought to get to the presents. Felicia? Would like to hand them out to everyone?"

Reno smiled widely. This was the part he'd been looking forward to the most. Not just because he'd be getting _stuff_. Honestly, he could get nothing but socks and underwear and be perfectly happy. But until now, Lira was the _only_ person who ever gave him anything at Christmas... and he appreciated it, but it also never failed to remind him of how alone he'd been. This was his first Christmas with this odd little family of misfits that he somehow managed to fit in with. He _wasn't_ alone anymore... and the pile of presents that was slowly accumulating in front of him was evidence of that.

Sato suddenly chucked another medal at the redhead.

"First Christmas as a Turk award," he said with a grin. Tseng pointedly rolled his eyes.

"Sato... He's quite literally the onlyone of us who could have won that so-called _award_."

The Mideelian Turk shrugged. "Free point fer the rookie. Nothin' ta worry 'bout. Yeh'll have plenty of opportunities ta catch up."

The Turk lieutenant snorted softly. "You're assuming I'm foolish enough to wish to win one of your 'prizes'. I believe I'll forfeit now, rather than wait for the results. Whatever it may be, it's entirely too likely to explode."

"Ah, ah, ah... cannae let yeh do that. If I did, everyone might follow yer lead," Sato smirked. "No forfeiture. Yeh win the prize, yer obligated ta accept."

"Hmph... Well, now we _know_ it's going to explode," Remy stated.

"Well, it had better not explode in _my_ living room," Esme warned, casting Sato a sharp look. Felicia finished passing out gifts and resumed her seat beside the redhead.

"I think that, seeing as it _is_ indeed his first Christmas with us, Reno should be allowed to open the first gift," said Tseng. The others murmured in agreement and the redhead grinned widely, reaching for the topmost present in his pile. It was wrapped in white paper printed with silver snowflakes and decorated with a an icy blue ribbon on top. A little tag tucked under the bow stated that it was from Sato. He glanced up at him.

"Um... This _isn't_ gonna blow up... right?"

Sato snickered. "Fer Titan's sake... Do yeh _all_ think I'm completely mad?"

"Yes," several of the assembled Turks chorused, which only caused him to laugh louder.

Reno's first instinct, before spotting the tag, have been to simply tear into the paper. He quickly rethought that tactic, however, and cautiously removed the ribbon, and then the paper, and then _slowly_ lifted the lid of the box, bracing himself for whatever might be coming. When it _didn't_ explode in his face, he dared to peer inside.

"Fer yer new place," Sato said, grinning as the redhead drew a set of lock picks out of the box, "Yeh know... fer when yeh inevitably lock yerself out after a night o' drinkin'."

The rookie sniggered and looked over at him. "Oh, good... Now I won't have to get Rude to kick in the door for me every time."

Saya rolled her eyes and smacked her cousin. " _Yer_ the one who's always getting' drunk 'n lockin' yerself outta the apartment, yeh idiot."

At that point, things devolved into a bit of a free-for-all, as the others delved into their piles as well. It wasn't long before the floor of Veld's living room was strewn with torn paper and bits of ribbon.

Eventually, Reno found himself reaching for a fairly large box in plain red paper. Several identical, save for their various sizes, boxes sat in front of the other Turks as well. The sheer utilitarian appearance of the gifts told him they were from Tseng even before he looked at the tag on his own. It was Tres who actually voice that opinion aloud.

"Heh... If that's one _not_ from Tseng, I'm liable to keel over in shock," he snickered. "So what'd you get the kid? Too big for new socks... unless it's a lifetime supply."

Tseng chuckled at the gentle teasing. "Mock me all you like, Tres. But I prefer to give _useful_ gifts."

"Alright, who's takin' bets? My money's on stationary. 'Cause if he's _not_ plannin' on doin' something about the rookie's shit handwriting soon, we're all gonna go blind tryin' to read his reports," Tres continued. _That_ comment elicited a ripple of laughter form every Turk in the room, and the redhead rolled his eyes.

Though he couldn't exactly deny that his writing was terrible. But fuck it... that's what happens when you more or less decide to stop going to what passes for school in the slums when you're twelve years old. He'd learned enough to get by... and Lira had helped him improve on a few things after they'd met. His handwriting, though... even Lira hadn't had much luck with _that_.

"The wee thing's movin' outta Tseng's place in a couple weeks isn't he?" Saya asked, joining in, "Ten gil says it's bath towels."

"Hmm... Put me down for five gil on the lifetimes supply of socks," Kai piped up, grinning.

"Ha! Show what _yeh_ know," said Sato. "It's a coffee maker. We _all_ know the bloody rookie's a caffeine fiend."

"Heh... Veld? You gettin' in on this?" Tres prodded. The Turk leader laughed and shook his head.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be very practical."

"Well, if you'd all stop guessing and let him get around to opening it, we'd find out, now wouldn't we?" Remy pointed out. She paused for a moment and narrowed her eyes slightly. "And as much as it pains me to say it... I agree with Sato. Reno can barely even _function_ without coffee."

Sato stared at his fellow Turk incredulously and then laughed. He reached for his bag and tossed her a medal.

"The award fer sayin' somethin' no one'd ever expect 'em ta say," he stated, still snickering. Remy smirked and caught the little medallion.

"Tch... You guys done yet? Can I open the damn thing now?" the redhead groused, growing impatient.

"Go on," Tseng replied, smiling. Reno torn open the paper and blinked in surprise before his face split into a wide grin.

"... What the bloody hell... ?" Sato queried, peering skeptically at the video game system the rookie had just unwrapped.

"Who are you and and what have you done with Tseng?" Kai asked, in a mock-accusing tone. Saya stood and wove her way through the paper carnage on the floor. When she reached the Wutaiian Turk she pressed a hand to his forehead, a look of feigned concern on her face.

"He dinnae _seem_ feverish... but maybe one of yeh should give Dr. Ward a ring just in case..."

"Oh, for Leviathan's sake..." Tseng sighed, rolling his eyes in exasperation at the teasing. He batted her hand away from him and folded his arms across his chest. "It's _hardly_ shocking."

"Aye, that's the point! Yeh gave a teenage boy a video game. It's damn nearly _normal_!" Sato chuckled. The Turk lieutenant scoffed.

"I'll have you know that it's an _entirely_ practical gift," Tseng shot back, "You said it yourself. Reno will be moving out in the very near future. It's _meant_ to keep him busy off duty so he stays out of trouble."

Reno laughed along with the others and grinned.

* * *

Tseng felt himself drifting off. Actually, he'd been slowly falling asleep for quite some time by then... which, given that it was going on two in the morning wasn't exactly shocking. But the others had, for a time, been noisy enough to prevent him from passing out completely. Bar service had resumed once the last gift have been opened and an impromptu game of Never Have I Ever had started shortly after. It had gotten quite... raucous. Particularly after Sato had started handing out oddly specific 'awards' for things like 'Turk carrying the most knives' – which had gone to Kai after she'd thrown one at the drunken Mideelian, pinning his sleeve to the wall. An impressive feat, really, given that she was easily a drunk as _he_ was at the time. Tseng just _hoped_ she'd actually been aiming for the sleeve.

Now, though, they'd gone silent. More or less. Sato was snoring quite loudly on the floor near the bar. Tseng felt someone place a blanket over him and he roused himself, finding himself face to face with his mentor. Veld smirked.

"Not yet asleep, eh?"

"How could anyone not thoroughly inebriated manage to sleep with _that_ going on?" he snorted, nodding toward Sato. As if to prove his point, the Mideelian Turk gave an excessively loud snore and rolled over. Veld laughed softly.

"Point taken. Well, then... since you seem to be the only one still conscious, I suppose that means you get the guest room."

Tseng sat up and yawned before getting to his feet.

"A generous offer..." he replied, making his way over to where a certain redhead had curled up under the Christmas tree. He knelt down and lifted him off the floor. "But I think I'll let someone else have it."

Reno shifted in his sleep and tucked his head in against the Turk lieutenant's shoulder, murmuring something incomprehensible before settling in comfortably. Tseng smiled faintly and shook his head at the scent of alcohol. Acting as bartender hadn't exactly keep the rookie _out_ of his stock... and apparently, when drunk, he was far less easily woken from his slumber.

"He looks so much younger than seventeen when he's asleep..." he commented, following Veld down the hall toward the empty bedroom. The Turk leader laughed quietly.

"He looks younger than seventeen even when he's _awake_ ," the man teased.

"True," Tseng chuckled. Veld pulled aside the covers and Tseng set his charge down on the bed and tucked him in. He ran a gentle hand through the redhead's hair. "I sometimes worry that I'm becoming _too_ attached to him on account... And I worry that I worry too much _about_ him."

Veld snorted and escorted him out of the room, leaving the redhead to sleep. "Oh, that has _nothing_ to do with his age. No one trains a first rookie and doesn't get attached to them. In fact, you are _personally_ responsible for at least half of the gray hairs that have shown up in my beard over the years. I suspect he'll be responsible for just as many of yours someday." He smiled and rested a hand on his protege's shoulder. "Take it from someone with experience. He's yours... he'll always _be_ yours. And you will _always_ worry. It comes with the job."

* * *

Reno groaned faintly and forced his eyes open. He'd certainly felt _worse_ after a long night of drinking, but he was most definitely a little hungover. Right now, he could really go for some coffee and some very dry toast. And maybe some eggs. And bacon. And now that he thought about it, pancakes sounded pretty good, too. Alright... so he probably wasn't really _that_ hungover.

He started to get up, only to look around at his unfamiliar surroundings. It took him a moment to figure out where he was when he realized that he _wasn't_ where he remembered falling asleep last night. He gave a wide yawn, ignoring the faint pounding that had begun in his temples and made his way to the door, opening it and peering out into the hallway. First things first. He needed coffee.

As he wandered into the living room, he had to bite back a laugh. It looked a bit like a warzone. Though they'd cleaned up a _little_ before they'd started drinking again, there were still remnants of wrapping paper scattered about. Add to that several glasses and beer bottles and half-empty liquor bottles. But far more noticeable were the bodies that were sprawled in all corners of the room. Sato was snoring heavily next to the bar, the now mostly-empty bottle of Mideelian absinthe clutched to his chest like a teddy bear. Kai and Saya were propped up against one another on the couch. Tres was passed out in the corner near the kitchen, leaning back against the wall, a whiskey bottle in one hand and a highball glass in the other. Remy was curled up in a chair near the fireplace.

The redhead glanced around the room, but didn't see Tseng anywhere. He _did_ , however, hear a soft noise from the kitchen. Curious, he stepped over Tres' legs and slipped into the next room. Esme turned away from the stove as he entered and smiled.

"Well, merry Christmas..." she said quietly. "You're the only one besides Tseng to recover so far."

"Heh... Merry Christmas. Where _is_ Tseng, anyway?"

"Oh, that fool husband of mine. He snuck down for a four a.m. snack... and managed to knock over all of the orange juice I'd got for breakfast," she chuckled. "Tseng offered to run out and see if any of the stores were open this morning... though I'm not getting my hopes up. Most people'll be home with their families. Have a seat. Coffee'll be ready momentarily."

"Ya read my mind..." the redhead grinned. Esme smiled and turned back to the pan on the stove, from which the scent of frying bacon was emanating. He sat there, quietly listening to the senior Turk still snoring away in the next room. A minute later his hostess set a mug in front of her guest and filled it from the freshly made pot of coffee. Reno added his usual metric ton of sugar, and took a sip.

"Mom, do you think Daddy would be upset if I shoved a sock in Sato's mouth?" a small voice asked in a vaguely annoyed tone as Felicia walked into the kitchen, oblivious to the presence of the rookie. Reno laughed right about the time he attempted to swallow and ended up choking. He alternated coughing and laughing for several seconds before finally calming down enough to catch his breath.

"Well... If I wasn't awake before, I am now..." he sniggered. "Mornin'..."

Felicia went several shades of red before squeaking a faint 'good morning' and hurriedly retreating back in the direction she'd come from. Esme giggled softly.

"I think she's got a little bit of a crush on you," Esme whispered, winking at him. "Don't worry... She's just at that age."

The back door opened, and Tseng stepped inside, brushing snow from his shoulders.

"Any luck?" Esme asked.

"Limited success," the Turk lieutenant replied, offering her a shopping bag. "The only place that was open this early on Christmas Day had exactly one bottle of orange juice left. But they had plenty of apple juice to make up the difference."

The woman smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to Tseng's cheek.

"Thank you, Tseng. You're always so sweet. I hope you didn't have to go far. You were gone awhile."

"Just over to Sector Three."

Esme rested her fist on her hip. " _Tseng Itsudake_. You mean to tell me you drove half-way across the city on Christmas morning for a little _orange juice_? For goodness sake..." She shook her head, and laughed softly to herself.

"Heh... fuckin' over-achiever..." the redhead snickered as he polished off his coffee and got up, heading for the living room.

"And just where are _you_ going?" Tseng chided, "Given that you're awake and apparently not in abject misery, you _could_ lend a hand."

Reno laughed. "Boss, come on... you've eaten my cooking. The only person who'd be less of a help in the kitchen is _you_. 'Sides... I _am_ gonna help. I'm gonna go do _everyone_ a favor... and shove a sock in Sato's mouth before his snoring drives us all nuts."

* * *

It was well after noon before they finally made their way home again. Reno was happily clutching his 'prize' from having accumulated the largest collection of Sato's medals... including the one for Least Hungover Turk, which both Tseng and Veld had been disqualified from receiving, owing to the fact that neither'd had enough to drink the night before to actually _get_ drunk.

"... Just what _is_ it?" Tseng asked as they made the turn onto the freeway. The redhead grinned.

"Sorry, Boss... I'm sworn to secrecy." His grin quickly widened. "Not sure who I'm gonna use it on yet, but when I finally _do_ decide, it's gonna be epic..."

The Turk leader eyed him suspiciously and sighed. "At least tell me that it's not illegal."

"Eh... Kinda depends on how much a Turk can get away with," Reno replied with a teasing smirk. Tseng groaned and switched lanes, heading for their exit.

"Whatever it is, _please_ don't use it on Rufus. I'd rather you not be fired. Or murdered."

"Tch... take all the fun out of it, why don't ya..." he teased, still grinning. Tseng silently prayed that the new year would _not_ begin with a trip to the police station to bail the redhead out. Again.

* * *

Rude unlocked the door to his apartment, quietly walking inside and setting his bag down on the side table by the door. He sighed and flicked on the lights, and was greeted by the familiar sight of home.

Technically, he wasn't supposed to have been back until the day after tomorrow, but... he hadn't been able to stand staying another day. It wasn't as if he and his father had fought or anything like that. Hell, a fight might have even been preferable to the cool indifference he'd been subjected to. At least then, his father might have said more than two words to him. He'd felt like a stranger in his own home from the moment he'd arrived, and by the time he'd left, he'd come to the sad realization that... it really wasn't home anymore.

Though, if he were being honest with himself, it hadn't been home for a long time.

He still didn't entirely understand. His father had never been an especially _affectionate_ man, but he'd never been so... _distant_. At least not when Rude was a child. Not before his mother's death. Afterwards, though... he was a very different person. And now, he was almost unrecognizable.

Rude made his way into the kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. He silently cracked it open and then made his way out into the living room, planting himself on the couch and taking a long sip.

A part of him – a large part, at the moment – wished he'd just stayed in Midgar for Christmas.

~end of chapter 41~


	42. Moving Out

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 42: Moving Out**

 **by Desha**

Reno shoved the remainder of his clothes into a box, haphazardly cramming in as much as he could. There really wasn't _that_ much to pack... but considering the fact that, when he'd first arrived at Tseng's apartment, all he had was what could fit in a backpack and the clothes he happened to be wearing at the time, the precariously leaning pile of cardboard boxes was fairly impressive. He actually hadn't even realized that he'd accumulated so much... _stuff_.

It felt like a lifetime ago that Tseng had extracted him from Sector 2. It hadn't even been a year quite yet. He was really going to miss living here. But on the other hand... he had a brand new apartment all his own, right upstairs from Rude, just waiting for him.

Speaking of whom...

"Hey," a voice prodded him from the doorway, and the redhead glanced up from his efforts at closing the over-stuffed box. "Ready to start loading?"

"Just about," Reno replied with a grin, "This is the last one. So... I still haven't seen the place. Any idea what it's like?"

Rude shrugged. "Everything in the building's pretty much the same until you get to the top couple of floors. Yours is probably just like mine..." He glanced at the stack of boxes. "You sure that's everything?"

"Think so."

"Not quite," Tseng stated as he strolled up behind Rude. The older rookie quickly ducked out of his way, and Reno smirked as he spotted what his mentor was holding. "I would, after all, hate to deprive you of your one true love."

"Heh... So no custody battles over her, huh?" the redhead snickered, accepting the coffee maker. Tseng smiled.

"I _think_ I can manage to content myself with my tea."

Reno turned and took one last look around his former bedroom.

"... Guess that's it, then."

Rude nodded and hefted one of the boxes, carrying it out to his waiting truck. The redhead sighed almost inaudibly and a moment later, Tseng's hand gently squeezed the back of his neck hitting a pressure point and all but forcing the rookie to relax slightly.

"You are _always_ welcome here."

"Heh... Yeah. I know," Reno replied, turning to him with a grin.

"Good. Then let's get you moved out so I can finally have some peace and quiet," the Turk lieutenant teased.

* * *

"Where do you want this?" Rude asked, as he followed his friend through the door of the apartment.

"Eh... anywhere. I'll sort shit out later." He was far too enthralled with exploring his new home to care about something as trivial as unpacking. It wasn't large... Hell, it was nowhere near as roomy as Tseng's place was, consisting of a kitchen that spilled out into a living room, separated only by a small, waist-high wall that jutted out across part of the opening, and a doorway on the far side of the room that led into the bedroom, which, in turn, held doors leading to a small bathroom and a cramped closet. A sliding glass door on the wall across from the kitchen offered access to a narrow balcony.

The place was furnished... in that there was a bed and a pair of beat up wooden chairs and a rather worn looking couch abandoned by the former tenant. Reno peered into a couple of cabinets in the kitchen and found a somewhat mismatched set of dishes and utensils, and one _badly_ dented frying pan.

All in all... it was as Rude said. Pretty much just like his apartment downstairs, but lacking the the lived-in feeling of an occupied abode. Tseng ran a fingertip along the top of the little dividing wall and grimaced slightly at the dust it collected.

"First... a little cleaning is in order, I think. And then we'll see to getting some more appropriate furnishings," he said, and glanced over at the bare windows. "Or at the very least, some curtains."

Reno laughed and made his way into the bedroom to take a closer look. It really wasn't bad. A little dusty after having been uninhabited for a few weeks, maybe, but he didn't really mind that. And at least he didn't have to mess around sleeping on the floor tonight. The bed looked plenty comfortable. With a grin, he flopped down onto it... and yelped in surprise when the mattress started moving underneath him, prompting him to scurry back to his feet almost immediately in order to assess the threat level it presented.

"... What the actual _fuck_?" he said, to no one in particular, and hesitantly prodded the bed with one finger. The mattress beneath the sheets undulated lazily. Tseng peered through the door, a concerned look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

Reno shook his head and pointed. "The bed's fuckin' _moving_!" He poked at it again to demonstrate.

Tseng chuckled and ducked back into the living room.

"It's only a waterbed. If you don't care for it, we can always drain it and replace it," he called back to him.

The redhead eyed the oddity with no small amount of uncertainty before at last slowly lowering himself down onto it again and laying back. As he did so, his eyes widened.

"... Oh, dear _Ifrit_... This is the most comfortable thing I've ever laid on."

Rude poked his head in, smirking. "So... not draining it, then?"

"No one is gonna fucking _touch_ this bed. This bed is the greatest thing _ever_. Why the fuck would anyone leave this behind?!"

"Think we've lost him, sir," Rude called back over his shoulder to the Turk lieutenant with a snort of laughter.

* * *

By the time Monday rolled around, Reno was mostly settled. There were still a _few_ things he'd need to buy eventually, but all in all, he'd managed to make his new little home very cozy in the short time he'd been in residence. Rude had insisted on helping him pick out new cookware to replace the rather pathetic frying pan they'd found in the kitchen... not that he was likely to be doing much _with_ it, but he supposed it never hurt to have it on hand, just in case one day actually learned to cook. Tseng had joined him in picking up the handful of items the redhead had put on layaway awhile back in preparation for the move... the first of which was a massive TV which Reno had immediately hooked his new game system up to.

But by far his favorite part of the entire weekend had been his first night alone in his new waterbed. He'd fallen in love with the damn thing... and more to the point, he'd slept like a log, which was unusual for him.

So much so that his alarm startled him badly enough that he very nearly fell... overboard. Fortunately, the sides of the bed kept him safely on the mattress. He yawned as he sat up, stretching, and crawled out from beneath the blankets.

As much as he would have liked to sleep in a little, he was riding to work with Rude this morning, and he didn't want to keep his friend waiting. Eventually, he was planning on getting a car of his own, now that he was officially licensed to drive, but was a little torn on what he actually wanted. He could get some shitty, beat up piece of crap now, which would get him from point A to point B. Or he could hold off for awhile and save for something nice. As tempting as the instant gratification of buying a piece of crap was... having a car he actually _liked_ seemed to be winning out. And, as Tseng had pointed out, it was probably a better investment, in the long run.

In the mean time, there was always Rude... and barring that, the trains weren't really all _that_ bad.

Right now, though, he didn't have time to think about his future car. He needed to get up, get ready for work, and get downstairs to meet up with Rude.

Fifteen minutes later, he'd showered, dressed, and was bolting down a bowl of cereal and his third cup of coffee. He smirked slightly wondering what Tseng would think of him skipping out on his run this morning in favor of staying in bed longer. He couldn't exactly say that he disliked not getting up before the sun had even properly risen to jog four miles... though he knew he probably shouldn't get into the habit of slacking off on training. He'd built up a fair bit of muscle over the past nine or ten months, and while he was still skinny as a rail, he had some noticeable definition to his body now... and vain as it might have been to admit it, he didn't want to lose it.

 _Lira_ , for one, certainly seemed to approve of his new physique... He grinned slightly, thinking about bringing her here. As far as he knew, Lira'd never been on the Plate before. And, after all... he _still_ needed to break in that new bed of his. Sex on a moving surface ought to be something of an experience. And... maybe he could make her stay a little more... _permanent_... while he was at it. He was making good money. He had a place of his own. There was no reason why she couldn't stay with him, even if she wanted to eventually get her own apartment. She didn't need to keep selling herself down in Wall Market. There was lots of work up here for people who wanted it. Hell, maybe he could even get Tseng to pull a few strings and find her something at Shinra Company. He could see her maybe working on forty-eight with Izzy or something. The two of them would be best friends within about five seconds.

That would have to wait though. A quick glance at the clock told him that he was going to be late getting downstairs if he kept getting lost in thought. He finished off his breakfast and grabbed his coat, pulling it on as he was walking out the door, and caught the first elevator down. Rude was already waiting for him when he stepped out... if by 'waiting' one meant making out with his girlfriend.

"Mornin'," the redhead grinned, unabashedly interrupting. "Guess I don't really gotta ask what _you_ got up to last night."

Rude hurriedly broke away from Margaret, blushing. The woman, meanwhile, openly glared at the interloper.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" she asked in a clipped tone.

"Heh... Yeah. Same place as Rude. And he's kinda my ride, so..."

Margaret rolled her eyes and gave Rude one last kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you tonight."

Reno snickered softly. "Guess I don't really gotta ask what you're doin' _tonight_ either..."

She shot him a vaguely disgusted look and turned on her heel with an audible 'Ugh...' before heading out towards the parking lot.

"Do you _have_ to say things like that around her?" Rude asked as she slipped out the door.

"I s'pose I don't _have_ to..." he said, smirking.

"... She really doesn't like it, Reno."

"Tch... _Alright_. I'll try 'n tone it down a little."

"Thanks. Ready to go?"

"Ready when you are," the redhead replied.

* * *

Luca greeted the pair less than a second after they stepped into headquarters.

"Don't bother taking your coats off. You two are with me and Remy today... and we're heading out of town, soon as I rustle up the necessary equipment."

They didn't have time to ask where they were going. The senior Turk slipped past them and into the elevator they'd just vacated, disappearing from view moments later. Rude raised an eyebrow behind his sunglasses, and Reno could only shrug in reply.

"Guess we just wait here for him?" the redhead suggested.

"No, you come with me, so I can get you two briefed," a voice replied, and Reno turned just in time to spot Remy rounding the corner, walking swiftly towards them. She didn't pause... merely continued straight past them, down the hallway toward her office. The pair of rookies looked at one another for a moment, and then wordlessly followed.

"I apologize if I seem rushed, but Veld wants us moving out in fifteen minutes," she continued as they stepped into the room.

"What's goin' on?" Reno asked.

"We have thief. Or more specifically, the materia research department has one. Some very rare materia samples seem to have walked off overnight. The lab is restricted, and all but two people with access are accounted for. Luca tracked down some emails that pointed to _one_ of them meeting up with a buyer. "

"Meetin' 'em where?"

"Icicle Inn," she said. "I hope you two aren't sick of snow yet... because there's a lot more where we're going."

* * *

Tseng was silent, lost in thought, as he sat in the chair opposite Veld.

"Are you going to drink that, or just sit their staring into the depths of your tea for the next few hours," the Turk leader chuckled, rousing his lieutenant for the first time in several minutes.

"I don't see why I couldn't have gone in Remy's place."

"Because you can't always be there to back Reno up. While his training is your responsibility, he needs field experience working with others on the team, as well. Without you. And you _yourself_ suggested pairing him up with Rude more often. Besides... you have your own assignment to look after, which is just as important as theft of company property." He snickered quietly. "I would think you'd _appreciate_ a day or two to yourself. There _is_ quite a bit of planning involved, after all, and don't think I haven't noticed you've been putting it off."

Tseng snorted a soft laugh and finally deigned to take a sip from his mug. "Point taken. I suppose I'm just... not quite ready for it. Moving him out of my home was difficult enough. Hell Week means he's yet another step closer to –"

"To not being your rookie anymore," Veld finished for him. The Turk leader shook his head. "No one stays a rookie forever, Tseng. I didn't, _you_ didn't, and Reno won't either. Time marches on, and we march right along with it."

"I _am_ acquainted with the concept of the passage of time, sir." He smiled slightly. "Though... I suppose a reminder never hurt. It simply doesn't seem that long ago that I recruited him, sometimes. Now he's going on missions without me... training for his pilot's certification... living on his own. He hardly needs me now."

Veld laughed openly at that statement.

"Tseng, that may be the most ridiculous thing that's ever left your lips. He's still a rookie, and even after he's promoted off of probationary status, he'll still be the _youngest_ Turk we've ever had. _You_ were _far_ more mature than he is when you made full Turk. I don't think I need to remind you how long you lasted before calling me at two in the morning because you –"

"Let's _not_ speak of that incident," Tseng quickly interrupted. " _Ever._ Especially in front of Reno."

Veld smirked. "I trust I've made my point, then?"

"Yes, sir," Tseng said, smiling slightly.

"And... Hell Week?"

"Will begin next week, as scheduled," Tseng acknowledged.

"Good. I have to admit, I'm looking forward to seeing whether his score on the strategy eval was a fluke or not. And if it was _not_ , I want that boy's IQ tested. I'd very much like to know just how smart that little smartass of yours really _is_."

* * *

Reno stepped out into a cold that could only be the result of winter on a glacier, and coughed as it almost immediately took his breath away. The boat that had carried them there rocked lazily back and forth in the narrow bay as he made his way across the deck. Apparently, someone had decided that a helicopter with the Shinra logo painted on the side might spook their quarry. Thus, their arrival had been somewhat less than ostentatious.

"Holy crap," he muttered as the others joined him. "The air actually hurts my goddamn face. Why the _fuck_ would people wanna _live_ somewhere that the air hurts your face?!"

"Yeah... Kinda sucks this time of year," Luca agreed, "But you drop by in the spring or summer or even early fall, and it's some of the best skiing on the planet. I come up every year for a week – or two, if I've got the vacation time saved up – in the summer and stay with my grandad. He used to be a world champion downhill racer back in the day, ya know. Of course... I always preferred my snowboard to skis."

"We're not here on vacation," Remy declared, redirecting them towards the town. "And we have quite a walk ahead of us."

She started of, disembarking the ship and began the slow trudge towards the resort town in the distance. Reno shivered violently and zipped his coat up as far as it would go, before nudging his goggles down over his eyes and hiking his scarf up to cover his nose and mouth. The less bare skin exposed to the weather, the better, in his opinion.

The trail leading to Icicle Inn was well marked, but iced over and the snow had drifted in several places, making the task of finding ones footing interesting to say the least. Rude slid unsteadily on a particularly slick spot, and probably would have faceplanted had the redhead not wedged himself under his arm to support him until he regained his balance. His fellow rookie nodded a quick thanks and continued on, following Remy and Luca.

By the time they reached the village, Reno could hardly even feel his fingertips. Luca led them up to a small cottage and knocked at the door. A few moments later, and old man answered.

"Luca?" he queried, "What in Shiva's name are you doing back here so soon, lad? I barely sent ya home a week ago!"

The senior Turk grinned widely. "Wish I could say I just couldn't stay away from the ski slopes... but we're here looking for a thief. Could use a place to warm up while we wait for our targets to show themselves."

"Well, get inside," he replied, waving them through the door. "Come on, now... hurry up before we let Old Man Winter in along with you."

Reno didn't need telling twice. The door shut behind him and he groaned in relief as he spotted the wood-burning stove in the corner, flames glowing brightly from withing. He yanked his gloves of with his teeth and held his hands out over it, sighing as the heat permeated his half-frozen digits.

"Grandad, this is Remy... and these two are Rude and Reno."

The old man smiled widely and held a hand out to Remy. "Salvator Bishop. Pleasure to finally meet a few of you face to face. My grandson's told me all about his fellow Turks."

"Hopefully within the confines of the company confidentiality agreement," Remy replied. Luca grinned widely.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not giving away trade secrets or anything. I just enjoy telling stories... like that time you and I were undercover in Mideel trying to infiltrate that smugglers ring and you ended up getting so hammered trying to keep up with them that you –"

"Finish that sentence, and I _will_ kill you," the senior Turk stated, and joined Reno over by the stove to warm up. The rookie glanced over his shoulder at Luca.

"... You're gonna tell _me_ that story, though, right?"

Remy glowered at him. "No. He's not."

"Sorry, kid," Luca said with a shrug. Remy gave a curt nod and wandered off over to the window near the front door. Her fellow Turk let a smile creep over his face and winked. "I'll tell ya on the way home," he replied in a whisper.

* * *

It was some hours later. Night was falling rapidly, and Reno had to do a double-take at the clock to confirm that it was really only 3:30pm. He glanced out the window again, watching darkness settle over the snowy town.

"... the fuck?" he murmured, more to himself that the other three Turks.

"What?" Luca asked, joining him, and peering out into the evening shadows.

"It's three in the afternoon..."

His fellow Turk snorted a soft laugh and ruffled the rookie's hair. "Yeah? We're also less than a hundred miles from the pole, genius."

The redhead eyed the older Turk curiously, searching his memory for a reason why that statement would make any kind of sense. When it became obvious that he really had no idea what his superior was talking about, Luca snickered. Rude, at last, took pity on him.

"They only get about three hours of daylight up here in the winter. Sun barely even makes it over the horizon this time of year."

"Yep," Luca added, "We got here right about the peak of the afternoon... that's as light as it gets."

Reno blinked somewhat owlishly as he processed that. "... So you're tellin' me that not only does the fuckin' air hurt your face here. It's also dark like... ninety-nine percent of the Shiva-be-damned day?!"

"Eighty-seven and a half percent," the other teen replied, with a smirk, "You're terrible at math."

"Seriously, man... why the _hell_ would anyone wanna _live_ here?" the redhead said, somewhat exasperated... and vaguely annoyed that he'd been expected to just know something like that. He was perfectly aware that there were likely... _gaps_... in his education, but he didn't need it pointed out and laughed at.

"Will you three pipe down? I'm _supposed_ to be watching for our target."

"Because poking fun at the rookie's gonna make him harder for you to spot?" Luca chided. "And besides which, you're the one who volunteered to take the first watch. Tres is right, Remy... you _really_ need to lighten up once in awhile."

" _Some_ of us take our job seriously, Luca," she shot back, never pulling her gaze away from the window. "And _some_ of us don't think mocking someone for not having the same advantages growing up that _you_ did is all that funny."

 _That_ statement very quickly put a stop to the quiet snickering coming from the other two Turks... something for which Reno was grateful. Remy may have been a stickler for the rules, a killjoy, and an all around pain in the ass most of the time because of it, but you certainly couldn't accuse her of being unwilling to call someone out when they were being a dick.

Rude cast him an apologetic look, and for a moment, Luca looked as though he intended to say something as well... but he never got the chance.

"There he is," Remy said, rising from her position by the window.

The four of them hurried out into the darkness, which by then had taken hold in earnest. The only illumination came from the windows of the houses, and a handful of lights mounted at intervals on tall poles along the main street. Reno soon spotted a shadowy figure making its way up the front steps of the large inn near the center of town. As he passed under the light above the door, the redhead could see that the man matched the photo they'd been given of their suspect, and had to wonder how Remy had managed to recognize the guy in the dark from that far off.

They broke into pairs, Remy and Luca heading in from the front while he and Rude circled around behind the building to prevent the thief from escaping out the back if he spotted his pursuers. The two rookies were under orders to act as backup only, and leave the heavy lifting to the more seasoned Turks unless absolutely necessary... but Reno couldn't help but hope that the guy slipped past the others.

His experience in the field was still very much in its fledgling stages. He got out once in awhile, but never for anything especially important or dangerous. He _wanted_ to do more... he just wasn't _allowed_ to yet. And frankly, it was starting to irritate him. He had almost a year's worth of training. He knew what he was doing. He wanted the chance to _prove_ it.

A slight movement ahead of the pair of rookies suddenly caught his eye, and he grabbed for the back of Rude's coat, yanking him to a halt, and all but dragging him – which was no easy task, considering that Rude had several inches and several pounds on him – into the narrow gap between the inn and a small out-building. He ignored his friend's questioning expression for the moment, opting instead to peek out from his impromptu hiding place at whatever it was he'd seen.

At first, he thought it was just one man. But after several long seconds of staring, he realized that another, smaller, figure was standing in the shadow of the first. A man and a woman, maybe. They seemed to be watching the inn very intently.

"What's up?" Rude finally whispered, insistently.

"... Think I mighta just caught sight of the assholes our thief is here to meet," he replied, never taking his eyes off of the pair. The smaller one suddenly darted out of the shadows and through the rear entrance of the building, and Reno saw that it was, indeed, a woman. Wutaiian, perhaps thirty... the ease with which she moved in perfect silence across the the snow took him by surprise. She emerged mere seconds later, before the redhead could even relay what was happening to his fellow rookie, and signaled her partner.

Reno realized, in that moment, that Remy and Luca had been made. The thief's contacts had noticed something was up and were retreating.

" _Come on_ ," he hissed, urgently, at Rude.

"... We're supposed to –"

"Come _on_ ," he repeated, as the pair slid back into the shadows. There was no way he was just going let them vanish on him. He was taking those two down with or without Rude. His boots crunched loudly in the snow, and he vaguely wondered how the hell that woman had crossed the same stretch of ground so soundlessly. A moment later, new footsteps echoed his own, as the other rookie hurried to follow.

As they rounded the corner, expecting a chase, Reno had to throw himself to the ground as something – several somethings, actually – sharp and metallic flashed in the light of a street lamp. Kai had thrown enough knives at him in training for him to recognize _that_ sight immediately. He was dimly aware of a series of dull thuds some distance behind him as the blades embedded themselves into something wooden.

"You would be foolish to continue," a voice said from the shadows.

"Yeah? Why's that?" he called back, "Two against two seems like pretty even odds to me."

"You would be _foolish_ to continue," a second voice repeated... and Reno froze. It had come from behind him. He swore under his breath. He'd been in such a hurry to prove himself that he hadn't stopped to think, and he'd just been outmaneuvered because of it. Her partner had broken off and flanked them. The sound of a gun being cocked in the darkness was enough to send a chill down his spine.

"That materia would have fetched a good price. Were we not running late for another meeting, we'd see what sort of deal we could barter for it with your lives. That being the case, you're fortunate there's no profit for us in killing a pair of Turks today. We're leaving now," the woman stated. "Don't follow. You'll regret it."

With that, both of them seemed to vanish, swallowed up by the shadows. It was several long moments before Reno dared breathe again. He looked back at his partner, who seemed to be in a similar frame of mind.

"Rude... the next time I try and do somethin' _that_ fuckin' dumb, tackle me and pin me to the ground 'til I come to my fuckin' senses."

"Gladly," the other rookie said with a soft snort, before smacking Reno in the back of the head. He grinned and started back toward the inn, the younger teen trailing a few steps behind him. As they reached the small road behind the the inn, the redhead glanced back over his shoulder. A figure stood at the far end of the ally, silent and menacing, watching them go. He didn't look back a second time.

"Oh, thank _Leviathan..._ " Remy's voice breathed in relief, and the pair found themselves being hauled bodily into the building almost as soon as they reached their destination. The twin looks of concern on the senior Turks' faces were a little hard to miss.

"What the hell happened?" Luca asked, holding up a particularly wicked-looking throwing star, which Reno now saw was engraved with some sort of emblem. "We were about five seconds from going after you two. We found a bunch these embedded in the back wall and assumed the worst. The goddamn Zenshou... figures those assholes would be involved."

"The... what?" Reno queried, turning to Rude... who could only shrug, just as mystified as his fellow rookie.

"The Zenshou are blackmarket traders operating out of Wutai," Remy replied, "I'm not surprised you don't know of them. They're relatively new. An offshoot of one of the Wutaiian gangs... and quite vicious because of it. Now, what _happened_?"

Reno shifted somewhat uncomfortably. "Uh... for the record, it was my idea to try 'n nab 'em. Rude just followed me to make sure I didn't die."

"You went _after_ them?!" Luca cried, incredulously. Remy, meanwhile was frowning deeply. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at the two of them.

"Your orders were to secure the back entrance. Nothing more."

"Yeah, but –" Reno started, only to be silenced by the senior Turk.

"No. You failed to follow the orders you were given. You put yourself _and_ Rude in danger. _And_ you left Luca and I without any backup. What would have happened had we needed you in there? You're smarter than this, Reno. You need to start acting like it. There's no excuse."

The redhead dropped his gaze, conceding the argument.

"I'll be detailing this in my report, and recommending a formal reprimand. For _both_ of you," she continued, before turning and heading off to the back room of the inn. As the door swung shut behind her, Reno caught a glimpse of the target they'd been sent after, seated in a chair, his hands cuffed behind his back.

"Ouch," Luca said once she was out of earshot, "Sucks to be you guys. But you _kinda_ deserved that."

He shook his head and followed the other Turk to help deal with their prisoner. Reno glanced guiltily over at Rude.

"So... How pissed at me are you?" he asked.

"Hmph... for almost getting me killed and earning me a formal reprimand? ... I'll tell you _after_ Veld and Tseng finish biting our heads off. If we survive it."

~end chapter 42~


	43. Reprimanded

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 43: Reprimanded**

 **by Desha**

 _ **Author's note:**_ _A slightly shorter chapter than usual, but I'm short on time this week and the next one will probably take longer than usual owing to the subject matter, so I didn't want to make you all wait. Also, I got Assassin's Creed Origins, so... slightly busy with other matters, too. :) Leave me a review if you're still reading this story! It's what keeps me motivated._

* * *

Reno frowned in annoyance, watching Rude's leg as it vibrated, up and down, the heel of his foot tapping softly against the tile floor in an almost painful, at this point, rhythm. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head.

"Fuck, man. Would ya relax? You're gonna jackhammer a hole right through the damn floor ya keep that up much longer," he said at last. The movement abruptly stilled and the other rookie looked up at him.

"Why aren't _you_ nervous?" Rude demanded.

"Tch... Come on. I know we –" The scowl shot at him from his friend's direction caused him to pause and rephrase. " _I_ , okay? _I_ screwed up. Totally on me. But seriously... what's the worst that's gonna happen? We get put on some shit detail for a week or two? Or he turns Kai loose on us for extra training and she tries to kill us on the gauntlet like she does at least once a week anyway?"

His fellow teen snorted in derision. "You say that _now_..."

The redhead rolled his eyes and lazily spun his office chair in a slow circle.

"It's not like they're gonna kick our asses to the curb. I mean... six _months_ ago, I mighta been a little worried about somethin' like this, but now? I _know_ I'm not gettin' fired, and long as I can be reasonably certain I'm not on my way back to Sector 2, Tseng can inflict whatever hellish punishment on me he wants and I'll take it. 'Cause I can deal with anything, long as it's not a one-way trip back down."

The other rookie didn't look especially convinced. But Reno was being perfectly frank. He could take any punishment... suffer any abuse... as long as it wasn't _that_. And Tseng had promised him a long time ago that he'd never do that to him. It had taken some time, but eventually, the redhead had come to trust the the Turk lieutenant's word. When he made a promise, he kept it.

"... 'Sides," he added with a smirk, "I don't know what's got _you_ so freaked out, Mr. Perfect Record. You tried to _stop_ me. If anyone's in deep shit over this, it's gonna be me."

"Hmph... _You've_ never been reprimanded by Tseng."

Reno raised an eyebrow. "Bullshit. I _lived_ with the guy for the better part of a year. You know damn well how much trouble I got into when he first brought me up here."

Now, it seemed, it was Rude's turn to smirk. And he took full advantage of it.

"You've never been _formally_ reprimanded," he amended.

"Neither have _you_ , ya asshole," he snickered. "You just let Sato tell ya one too many stories about what Tseng supposedly does to _him_ when he fucks up."

He heard a slightly manic giggle behind him and turned to see Kai, her short figure silhouetted in the open doorway of their office.

"Just keep telling yourself that, my little Turkling. You're going to find out what it's like shortly," she said, grinning widely. She turned to Rude. "But... Tseng would like to see _you_ first." Her grin widened wolfishly. "Seniority and all, you know. So get a move on."

Rude groaned and got to his feet, casting Reno a somewhat resigned look, and made his way past the senior Turk.

"Good luck! Try not to let him smell your fear!" Kai called over her shoulder. She giggled again and strolled into the office fully, taking up Rude's recently vacated seat behind his desk. "Soooo... Are the rumors true?"

Reno snorted softly. "Which ones? If you're talkin' about what the girls on forty-eight are sayin' about me... then yeah. They're _all_ true," he replied with a suggestive leer.

"Oh, get over yourself," Kai chuckled. "I _meant_ did you and Rude really take off after a couple of Zenshou assholes, in the dark, without backup, and without telling anyone what you were up to?"

"... Maybe."

The senior Turk shook her head.

"You're a fucking moron."

"Takes one to know one," the redhead retorted, with a laugh.

"I'm serious. Those Zenshou guys fucking _ruthless_ , and by the sound of things, we cost 'em some pretty nice merch that they probably already had a buyer for. You're lucky they didn't take it out of your backside. Plus... leaving Remy and Luca in the lurch like that? Dick move, kiddo. You can't just run off like that, even if you probably _aren't_ gonna be needed."

"For Ifrit's sake, Kai... Tseng send ya in here to reprimand me _for_ him or somethin'?"

"Oh, this is nothing compared to what Tseng's gonna do to you," she snickered. "I'm just taking the opportunity to say my piece before _he_ tears into you. And I'm warning you right now... you better not _ever_ pull that shit on _my_ watch."

"... Alright... I get it, already," the redhead sighed. "I fucked up. Lesson learned."

"Hope so. 'Cause that's _one_ lesson you'll need to remember for the rest of your career as a Turk. Rookies that forget it tend to end up dead."

Reno sighed internally. He wished the others would stop reiterating that point. He knew what he'd done was dumb... and dangerous... and inherently selfish. And, to be fair, he knew he was being a little flippant about it when the others came in and berated him for it – Kai was the third person to do so since they'd gotten home – but he really _did_ get it. He was going to be careful not to let it happen again. He didn't need to be constantly reminded of the fact that he'd come somewhat frighteningly close to not returning from Icicle Inn.

He was pretty sure his dreams would be doing an excellent job of _that_ for the next few nights, anyway, if _last_ night was any indication. To say he hadn't slept well was an understatement. He'd been haunted by images of that dark figure watching him from the alley after they'd been granted their reprieve. It _still_ sent shivers down his spine every now and then even while he was awake. The worst part was that he'd never _really_ gotten a good look at the male Zenshou, so in his dreams, he was still a faceless, menacing shadow. It creeped him right the hell out.

Kai stood up and tussled his hair as she walked past him, to which Reno responded with a vaguely annoyed glare.

"And get a haircut, will ya?" she teased, as she tugged gently on his pony tail. By now, it reached just above his shoulders. "Seriously... the resemblance to your mentor is starting to get a little weird."

"Ya know... the girls on forty-eight all _love_ my hair," he shot back. "Can't get enough of it."

"No accounting for taste," Kai grinned, slipping out the door. "But for the record... It's a _kinda_ makes you look like a girl."

"Tch... then how come _you_ never hit on me? Thought you were into chicks," he called after her retreating form.

"Told ya before..." he heard her say, already halfway down the hall, "I prefer blondes."

Reno gave a loud snort of irritation and rolled his eyes. He didn't give a shit what Kai thought. Besides... he'd learned a long time ago that there were a surprising number of women who were _really_ into guys that weren't huge and buffed out, with slightly more delicate features. And more than a few them were seriously turned on by redheads. If growing his hair out got him laid more often – which it certainly didn't seem to hurt, at least – he'd grow it down to his goddamn waist if he could manage it.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, wondering when Tseng would be finished with Rude. He kind of just wanted to get this over with. Not that getting back to training had any particular appeal to him, but he'd been overly lazy since moving out just a few days ago... and unexpectedly restless because of it. He'd always been a little high-energy, but now that he was regularly eating three meals a day – and consuming an obscene amount of caffeine in the mornings – his energy levels by the time he was fully awake were off the charts. A few days _without_ his normal workout routine, and he was quickly finding himself growing _desperate_ to move around and burn some of it off.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long. About five minutes later, Rude walked through the door, looking as thought he'd just gone through a war. Reno raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"... Fuck, man. What'd he _do_ to ya?"

Rude just shook his head. "He wants to see you now."

Reno suddenly wasn't _quite_ so eager to get this over with.

* * *

"Come in," Tseng replied to the somewhat tentative knock on his office door. It opened a crack... just wide enough to admit a familiar figure. "Close the door behind you."

He heard an almost inaudible sigh as the redhead obeyed the command, and saw Reno visibly wince at the loud click as it latched shut. Had the subject not been so serious, he might have been tempted to chuckle a little at the behavior. Apparently, like Rude, someone had 'warned' him about the horrors of a formal reprimand ahead of time.

He strongly suspected Sato. Or perhaps Kai. Both Turks occasionally had a slightly sadistic streak, particularly when it came to teasing the younger members of the team. He'd actually thought Rude was going to faint at one point.

"Sit," he commanded, nodding to the chair in front of his desk, and his protege silently took a seat. Tseng leaned forward, elbows resting on top of the desk, and steepled his fingers before him, gazing at the teenager appraisingly. For several moments, he simply let that gaze linger. It was one of his favorite interrogation tactics, and never failed to make his subject feel ill at ease.

And it certainly wasn't failing now. Reno shifted uncomfortably in his seat, dropping his eyes to the floor, occasionally daring a glance up to see if Tseng was still staring at him and immediately looking back down when he saw that he was. At last, the Turk lieutenant took a deep breath and began.

"I believe Remy has already expressed her displeasure over your behavior during the mission to Icicle Inn. I will do the _same_ in due course. But first... Explain yourself," he said, darkly.

Reno swallowed sharply and opened his mouth to speak. On the first attempt, no sound came out, and Tseng had to resist the urge to smirk. That tone of voice was always effective but it seldom _literally_ rendered someone speechless.

"... We... _I_ saw someone watchin' the same door me 'n Rude were s'posed to be watchin'," the rookie managed at last. "I figured they had to be the assholes our guy was there to meet so... I went after 'em. Rude just followed me in case my ass needed savin'. It wasn't his idea."

He had to admit, he was a _little_ impressed. Most people would go out of their way to spread the blame around in situations like this. Reno seemed almost eager to take it all on himself. Granted, he was far more at fault than the other rookie, but it was still admirable.

"What were you thinking?" he demanded. Reno ducked his head and mumbled something. "Speak up. And look at me when you do."

"... Yes, sir," the rookie replied, cautiously raising his gaze to meet the Wutaiian's. He swallowed again. "I said... I _wasn't_ thinkin'. Sir. Or... at least I wasn't thinkin' about what I _shoulda_ been thinkin' about."

"I see. And just what _were_ you thinking about?"

Tseng could actually _see_ Reno making the effort not to look away from him. He seemed to be having an easier time of it than Rude had... but by a slim margin. Eye contact was intimidating. That was one of the earliest lessons Veld had ever taught him and one that he'd never forgotten. It was effective in an interrogation... and it was, perhaps, even _more_ effective for disciplining a rookie.

Reno's shoulders sagged.

"That... if I caught 'em... I could prove that I didn't need to sit around headquarters just... _training_... all the time. That I know what I'm doin'. That... I dunno. That maybe I'm ready for my _own_ assignment once in awhile instead of just followin' everyone else around like a fuckin' puppy."

That very nearly broke Tseng's mask of abject disapproval. It had been years... but he'd expressed much the same sentiment to Veld once. During _his_ first formal reprimand. One that had been wholly deserved. Really, it had been nothing short of brutal at the time, though looking back, Veld had actually gone fairly easy on him, all things considered. Particularly given how much grief he'd had to take from Heidegger when the bill for the damage had come in.

"And so, to that end, you decided to ignore your orders, leave the rest of your team without backup, and race off into an unsecured area, in the dark, after two – or potentially more – subjects, putting both yourself _and_ your partner in danger. In doing so, you failed to notice yourself being flanked, and as a result, you were ambushed. Does that about sum up this idiotic debacle?"

Reno nervously cleared his throat. "Er... Y-yes, sir."

"I hope you realize the extent of just how utterly _foolish_ that was."

"Yes, sir."

"You could have been killed."

"I know, sir."

" _Rude_ could have been killed because of _you_."

The redhead _did_ drop his gaze again at that statement, sinking down lower in his seat... no easy task, given that Tseng had intentionally replaced the comfortable chair that normally sat there with a hard-backed, unpadded wooden one borrowed from one of the interrogation rooms.

The guilt on his rookie's face was unmistakeable... as he'd expected it to be. He'd long-since determined that Reno was, by nature, a protector. He'd allow _himself_ to be hurt before he allowed anything bad to befall someone else. He'd seen it a number of times already... prehaps most recently in Kalm when he'd let himself fall through the ice in favor of pushing Rufus to safety.

"... I know, sir," the rookie finally replied, and this time Tseng didn't force him to look up. He doubted he'd have even been able to if he tried.

"You're not yet ready to take the lead on an assignment. Not by a long shot. I think this incident more than proves that," Tseng continued. "Reno... you cannot _give_ orders until you learn to _follow_ orders."

"Yes, sir," he answered, quietly. "... I'm sorry."

"Very well. I think I've made my point. You may go."

The redhead scrambled to his feet eager to retreat from Tseng's relentless stare. Just as he reached the door, Tseng smirked slightly.

"One more thing," the Wutaiian Turk called after him, and the rookie's hand froze a fraction of an inch from the doorknob. He turned back slowly to face his mentor, very obviously fearing the worst.

"Yes, sir?"

"Traditionally, I would be withholding this information until Friday evening... mostly out of pity, to limit your suffering. But I think, under the circumstances, you've earned a little extra punishment."

"S-sir?" Reno queried, nervously. Tseng smiled, and by the expression on his rookie's face, it had come across _exactly_ the way he'd wanted it to.

* * *

Rude didn't look up immediately when the door to his and Reno's office opened. He was finishing up a report for Tres in an effort to stop thinking about his own conversation with the Turk lieutenant.

"... How bad was it?" he asked. When his friend's only answer was the soft squeek of him slowly planting himself in the office chair behind his desk he glanced up... and his eyes widened slightly. "Reno?"

The teenager was pale. Well... paler than usual, at any rate. Reno was always a shade that somewhat resembled porcelain, owing both to his naturally fair skin and a lifetime spent out of the sun. The other rookie stood up and rounded his desk, coming over to check on him.

"Reno?" he repeated, a little concerned. "What's wrong?"

The redhead slowly looked up at him.

"He did it to torture me," he replied, a slightly shell-shocked expression on his face.

"What?" Rude prodded, "Reno... what is it? Are you in more trouble than we thought over this?"

He silently shook his head in the negative.

"Then what?"

"... Hell Week," he finally replied. "It's startin' on Monday. He told me _now_. Just so I'd have the whole fuckin' rest of the _week_ to drive myself nuts about it... And he ordered me to tell ya that you're not to discuss it with me. Like _at all_."

Rude whistled softly and gave the younger teen's shoulder a squeeze.

"And I thought _my_ reprimand was bad."

~end chapter 43~


	44. A Hellish Beginning

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 44: A Hellish Beginning...**

 **by Desha**

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _This is taking much longer than anticipated, so I've decided to cut Hell week into two separate chapters. Enjoy! :)_

* * *

Rude sighed and shook his head, watching his dining companion poke forlornly at the beautifully seared steak, and tried not to take it as commentary on his cooking. He knew it wasn't that. In fact, he knew _exactly_ why his friend's normally insatiable appetite had dwindled to near non-existent this evening.

"It's just one week," he said at last. In spite of having been ordered not to discuss Hell Week with the redhead, it was simply too much to sit there, watching him suffer, and say nothing. "It'll be over before you know it."

"You're assumin' I make it _through_ the week," Reno replied, miserably. The other rookie smirked slightly.

"Want me to see if I can give you food poisoning?"

His friend gave a halfhearted laugh at that and looked up from his plate.

"Tempting. Unfortunately, if I can't poison myself with my _own_ cooking, I don't think you'll be able to pull it off with yours. Might be easier if ya just broke both my legs or somethin'..."

Rude snorted softly in amusement. "Much as I'd like some payback for getting me reprimanded, sending you to the hospital _might_ be taking things a little too far. Eat _something_ ,will you? It's downright bizarre seeing food sitting in front of you untouched."

Reno finally acquiesced to the request and picked up his fork again, spearing a bite-sized chunk of meat and shoving it into his mouth. Rude frowned when he didn't make any move to take a second.

"It's _really_ not that bad. You'll do fine," he said, and then snickered, "Hmph... unless, of course, you're so run down from starving yourself all weekend that you end up face-planting on the first test."

The redhead rolled his eyes... but he _did_ grudgingly take another bite.

"Ya know, it's the not _knowin'_ that's gettin' to me. No one'll tell me what they're gonna do to me. No one'll tell me when it's gonna happen. No one'll tell me where. Too many fuckin' possibilities... Hell, if Sato's to be believed, I'm not even safe in my own home."

A wide grin spread over Rude's face at that last comment. Sato tended to exaggerate. A lot. But in this instance, it was a hundred percent true. Rude himself had woken to find himself tied to his bed on the second day of Hell Week and was expected to extract himself from the restraints... under a time limit. He still wasn't entirely sure how Tres and Veld had managed to do that without waking him up.

"Tch... and the way _you're_ lookin' at me right now isn't exactly puttin' my mind at ease, you dick," his fellow rookie added, scowling.

"Oh, would you just relax? The tests aren't anything that'll _hurt_ you..."

"Yeah, I know, but..." Reno began, hesitating for a moment in uncertainty, "... what if I don't... pass?"

"There's no passing or failing," Rude replied, "It's just to figure out what level your skills are at so they know where you need the most work." He grinned again. " _And_ to torture you."

"Ha fuckin' ha," the redhead replied, dryly. "Seriously, Rude... What if I fuck up so bad Tseng decides I'm not cut out to be a Turk? I _like_ bein' a Turk!"

The other rookie rolled his eyes in response. "I _thought_ you were over that..."

"... Yeah. So did I. 'Til fuckin' Hell Week came along," Reno muttered.

"Am I gonna have to toss you in the pool again at some point?" Rude asked, a challenging eyebrow rising from behind the lenses of his sunglasses. Reno smiled and gave a quiet laugh, more genuine this time.

"Probably."

"You're gonna do fine. Now get out of your own head and _eat_. Hell Week officially starts at midnight... and it's already almost seven."

The redhead suddenly paled slightly. "You don't really think Tseng'd do somethin' _tonight_ , do ya?!"

"I don't know. How sadistic is he?" Rude asked with a shrug. Reno groaned in dismay and shoved his plate away from him.

"I'm gonna fuckin' die. If the tests don't kill me, the stress will."

Rude sniggered and pushed the rejected plate back toward his friend.

"Not if you starve to death first. Eat."

* * *

Reno yawned as he made his way downstairs the next morning. The elevator doors opened and he yawned again as he stepped out into the hallway... and then _again_ as he walked over to Rude. The other rookie snickered at the sight.

"Is this your plan? _Sleepwalk_ through Hell Week?" he teased.

"Ugh. I got like... zero sleep last night," Reno grumbled as they headed out into the parking lot. The icy winter air was like a slap in the face... but at least it woke him up a bit. "Every time I'd start to doze off, I'd swear I'd hear somethin' and start wonderin' if it was Tseng gettin' ready to throw some insane challenge at me. I finally just gave up and started watchin' TV. Hey, but on the plus side... in three to six weeks I'll be the proud owner a wearable sauna."

Rude paused mid-stride. "A... what?"

"Honestly... I don't even know. I think it's like... a heated robe, or some shit. It was three in the fuckin' morning, okay?!"

His fellow rookie burst out laughing as they reached Rude's truck, and he opened the passenger side door for him. Reno glared and climbed inside, shivering slightly in the cold. It had seemed like a _great_ idea at the time. In the light of day, though... the assholes on those late-night commercials trying to pass for entertainment were _way_ too convincing when he wasn't awake enough to think straight.

Rude was still snickering loudly when he finally climbed into the driver's seat.

"Ah, shut up," the redhead muttered, "'Least I managed to talk myself outta orderin' the toilet light..."

"Toilet light?" he laughed, "Do I even want to know?"

"It's a light that goes inside the toilet. Ya know. For at night, so ya don't have to turn on the lights to take a piss and blind yourself."

Rude shook his head and started the engine before backing out of his parking space and pulling out onto the street.

"You need to stay away from infomercials," he chuckled in reply.

"Tch... tell me about."

He fell silent for much of the remainder of the ride, and Rude seemed content to leave him to his own thoughts for awhile. He was _not_ looking forward to this. He didn't mind being evaluated... Hell, he basically lived in a constant state of evaluation any time he was on duty. But sitting around, waiting for something to be sprung on him without notice was maddening.

Would Tseng hit him with the first test the second he walked into the office? Or was he going to wait and let him stew half the day before pulling something? Reno wasn't sure which was worse, to be honest. One part of him just wanted it over with, and the other was hoping it _never_ started. In spite of the fact that Rude had gone to great lengths to reassure him that Hell Week wasn't as big a deal as he was making it out to be, the annoying voice in the back of his mind kept coming up with new and ever more terrifying what-ifs.

Logically, he knew that easily three quarters of the worst-case scenarios his imagination had dreamed up were unlikely... if not outright ridiculous. But they refused to leave him alone, and every time he finally succeeded in dismissing one, something new occurred to him.

And on top of that, he was starving.

He had, in the end, managed to finish about _half_ of his dinner, and only because Rude kept pestering him to take 'just one more bite'. Breakfast, though, he hadn't even bothered making an attempt, opting instead to simply inhale an entire pot of coffee. Being hungry but having no appetite sucked, and he _really_ hoped that whatever Tseng had in store for him, he hit him with it before lunch time rolled around... because if he could just get through the first round, he was absolutely certain his nerves would settle a bit and he'd start feeling less on edge. And that would mean he'd be able to eat.

A gentle nudge in the ribs pulled him from his thoughts and Reno looked up in confusion.

"You getting out or what?" Rude asked. It took the redhead a moment to realize that the truck had stopped moving. He turned his head and glanced out the window and suddenly noticed that not only had they stopped... they were parked in the Shinra Building's parking deck.

He sighed and opened the door, slipping out into the cold air again. Rude waited for him as he rounded the back of the vehicle and they walked to the elevators together. Reno arched an eyebrow in curiosity when Rude hesitated in pressing the button for their floor, but a moment later, the doors closed behind them and they were on their way up.

"Somethin' up?" the redhead asked, suddenly noticing the slight stiffening of his friend's posture. Rude looked up in surprise, and hurriedly shook his head... though Reno couldn't help but be suspicious. Before he could press him farther, though, the elevator chimed and the doors opened again. With a mental shrug he strode out into the hallway...

… And was immediately blindsided by a sharp kick to the back of his knee. Reno went down hard on the tile floor, and instinctively rolled to his left, narrowly avoiding the second strike that would have hit him in the ribs while he was down. A hooded figure dressed entirely in black stood over him, and the rookie scurried to his feet.

Rude was nowhere to be seen. Neither was any other friendly face, for that matter. Turks headquarters appeared to be deserted. He had little time to wonder what was going on, however, as his attacker was moving in again. The figure lunged for him, but Reno was quick to dodge. He glared angrily and took a swing, landing a hard punch to the stranger's gut and blocked the retaliatory strike that came next. He also just barely avoided the swift leg sweep that almost certainly would have sent him to the ground again.

Reno turned, hooking his assailant's knee with one foot and shoving him backwards. The stranger went down with a loud thud, and the redhead smirked.

"Gotcha..." he said, grinning as he leaned down, reaching for the dark figure's hood.

A moment later, he realized that had been a mistake. The man seized him by the ankle and twisted it, and Reno felt himself rotating right along with it, feeling his balance slipping. The next thing he knew, he was slammed painfully into the floor by his own momentum, landing flat on his stomach. The impact drove the air from his lungs and sent a sharp wave of pain across his ribcage. He winced as a knee planted itself firmly in the small of his back.

"Would you care to reevaluate that 'gotcha'?" a familiar voice asked, somewhat teasingly.

"... I think I'd rather reevaluate my life choices," the redhead groaned. The pressure on his back eased, and Reno found himself free once more. He rolled over, glaring up at his attacker. "Thought none of these fuckin' tests were s'posed to hurt me."

Tseng removed the hood and offered his protege a hand, which the rookie grudgingly accepted. He pulled him to his feet.

"Well... They're not meant to cause any _permanent_ damage. Minor bumps and bruises, however, are an occasional a consequence."

The redhead snorted in contempt. "Yeah, well... tell that to my ribs. That fuckin' _hurt_."

"I'm sure they'll be feeling much better before your next evaluation," Tseng replied, turning and heading off down the hallway. "If you're planning on indulging in the donuts Saya very kindly left on your desk for you, you had better hurry. The morning briefing starts in ten minutes."

"Tch... You're not even gonna tell me how I did?" Reno called after him. The Turk lieutenant didn't look back.

"Welcome to Hell Week, Reno..." Tseng replied with a quiet laugh. With that, he rounded the corner, disappearing from view.

* * *

Saya slapped at the hand that was stealthily reaching into the large box on the rookie's desk.

"Those aren't fer _yeh_!" she chastised, as the offending appendage was quickly withdrawn. Sato glared up at his cousin from Reno's chair.

"Like he really needs all of 'em..." he groused, rubbing his hand. Rude shook his head.

"He _might_. He hasn't been eating very well the last few days. Too nervous."

"Oh... the poor wee thing..." Saya sighed, "Hell Week's never fun, but Tseng just had ta go 'n tell him so far in advance..."

"Heh... may not be fun fer the sorry Turk goin' _through_ it," Sato said, grinning, "Fer the rest 'o us, though..." He laughed and made another attempt at sneaking a donut while Saya's attention was on Rude. It failed, and he yelped loudly when the woman slapped him across the face this time. "Fer Odin's sake! Would yeh _stop_ hittin' me, woman?!"

"Aye, I will. When yeh stop givin' me a reason ta."

"Well, _that_ will never happen," Kai stated definitively as she strode into the little office. She sidestepped Saya, grabbed the box, and helped herself to a donut before the other woman could stop her.

"Kai!" Saya shouted, glaring at her fellow Turk. Kai merely smirked and took a bite.

"Ah, he won't miss _one_ ," she insisted, setting the box back on the desk.

Sato reached for it a third time.

" _DON'T YEH EVEN_ _ **THINK**_ _ABOUT IT, SATO!_ "

The Mideelian Turk froze, and a moment later, reluctantly withdrew his hand and folded his arms over his chest looking cross.

"So... think he beat Tseng?" Kai asked around a mouthful of donut.

"Hmph... _I_ didn't," Rude replied, "And Reno can't even beat _me_ yet."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," the aforementioned redhead snarked, squeezing into the unusually crowded office behind Kai. "You guys havin' a party to celebrate me bein' tortured or somethin'?"

"I'm just here for the free food," Kai replied with a snicker. "So'd you beat him?"

"... Uh... no," Reno replied, "But I'm pretty sure I got some nice bruises as a consolation prize."

Saya giggled quietly and retrieved the box, opening the lid and holding it out to him. Reno flashed her a grateful smile and grabbed two of the doughy, sugar-coated rings.

"Finally got your appetite back?" Rude asked. The redhead shoved a donut into his mouth whole.

"Seems like it..." he mumbled in response. He swallowed somewhat painfully, forcing the massive bite down. "Don't s'pose you guys could tell me what to expect next..."

"Nope," Sato replied. He made one final attempt at securing himself breakfast, only to be blocked by Reno, who snickered and carted the box off, over to Rude's desk instead.

"Am I at least done for the first day?" he queried.

Saya chuckled and hauled her cousin out of Reno's chair. "Even if we knew, we couldnae tell yeh. But fact is, we're not privy ta Tseng's schedule. We're only let in on it when we're needed."

"'N so far, we haven't been needed," Sato added. "Damn Wutaiian bastard, keepin' all the fun ta himself..."

"It's only _just_ started, yeh idiot."

"Are you five going to stand around bickering, or are you going to report for morning briefing?" Remy asked as she paused at the door, clearly on her way to the conference room. Reno grabbed two more donuts and hurried past her.

"Why are _yeh_ in such a hurry?" Sato asked as the redhead slipped into the hallway.

"Tch... 'least I know I'm _safe_ at the briefing," he called back.

Kai snickered loudly as he disappeared. "Think we oughta tell him what happened at the briefing during _Shay's_ Hell Week?"

* * *

Reno had spent the better part of the day jumping at every little sound or movement. It had made training... interesting... to say the least. Rude had accidentally clobbered him more than once due to his permanent state of distraction. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of Tseng since the morning briefing... and the longer it went on, the more tense the rookie was becoming.

He'd been right... as soon as the first evaluation was over and done with, he'd calmed down almost immediately. Unfortunately, the longer things went with no further tests, the more on edge he was starting to get again. He'd even turned down coffee when it was offered at one point. He was jittery enough that he really didn't need the extra spike of energy.

But now... the day was _finally_ over. Luca had sent him off with an armload of requisition forms to deliver to the General Affairs department's main office, and now, he was on his way back up to collect Rude and go the fuck home. Hopefully, he'd be able to relax tonight and get some sleep. He didn't think another round of infomercials would work to his benefit.

Reno stepped aboard the elevator and pressed the button for fifty-eight. The doors closed and the car began it's journey upwards.

The redhead stretched his arms above his head until his shoulder cracked, and then rolled his head from side to side for a moment, releasing some of the tension that had built up in his muscles. If he was this bad after only the first day, he'd be one giant Ifrit-forsaken knot by the end of the week. He wondered if Izzy was free tonight. He could use the distraction... and the woman gave damned good backrubs. He wished he'd thought of that while he was down on her floor... Would've saved him a phone call.

Reno leaned back against the wall of the elevator and pulled out his PHS, opening up his contacts list, and scrolling through it until he got to her name. Before his could dial, however, the panel on the wall caught his eye. The numbers had already ticked past fifty-eight, for some reason failing to stop at its intended destination; instead it had continued on, passing the fiftieth floor... the sixtieth floor... the sixty-fifth...

At the sixty-ninth, it stopped. And sat there. No friendly chime. No swish of the doors opening to let him out. Nothing.

He groaned in frustration. Just how he wanted to end his day... stuck in an elevator. Reno jabbed at the button for his floor again several times, and waited. When nothing happened, he pressed the call button to let building security know he was stuck... and frowned when _it_ did nothing, either.

Suddenly, the elevator car was plunged into darkness, and Reno yelped in surprise before the emergency lighting came on. He glanced up at the orange-ish lights that now illuminated the cramped space and the camera in the corner. A tiny red light blinked monotonously beside the lens.

"Hey! Assholes!" he yelled, waving at the device. "Hellooooo..."

Nothing.

"Great... That's just _fuckin'_ great," he muttered, glancing back down at his PHS and canceling the call to Izzy in favor of calling Rude instead. Before he could dial, however, the car jolted downward a foot or two. Reno dropped the phone, his hands instinctively gripping the railing that ran around the interior of the car, eyes going wide. A moment later, his stomach lurched in response to the terrifying sensation of rapid, plunging descent.

And so he did the only thing he really _could_ do in that situation. He screamed.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh _fuck_!"

The floor numbers on the little LED screen above the door were practically a blur, but he could still tell that he was dropping like a stone past floor sixty... fifty... forty... It wasn't fucking stopping! Didn't these goddamn deathtraps have emergency brakes?!

Reno looked around wildly for some sort of escape. There was a hatch in the ceiling... but fat lot of good that'd do him. Even if he managed to open it and crawl out, where the hell was he gonna go from there? He spotted a small metal door underneath the control panel labeled "Maintenance". He forced it open, praying that the maintenance department had some way of locking an elevator in place for repairs and such.

A faint wave of relief hit him when he saw the lever inside labeled 'manual brake'. He yanked down on it as hard as he could, and cringed as the ear-piercing squeal of metal on metal filled the air. The falling sensation in the pit of his stomach began to abate as the elevator slowed and eventually jerked to a stop.

Shaking, and with his heart hammering so violently in his chest he was half-certain it might punch through his ribcage, he glanced up at the screen above the door. Fourteen.

He was only _fourteen_ goddamned floors away from certain fucking death.

Reno leaned back against the wall of the car. His hand tightened around the railing again as his knees gave out beneath him dropping him to the floor.

"... Okay. I'm not dead. I'm not _gonna_ die. I just gotta get the hell outta here," he said, breathlessly. But before he could make any further effort to free himself, the lights flickered back on above him, and, to his abject horror, the elevator started to climb again. "Oh... _fuck_! Not again!"

He watched in absolute dread as the numbers ticked up again... tried pulling on the brake, to no avail. When he reached the fifty-eighth floor, it stopped, and the rookie closed his eyes and braced himself for the inevitable drop.

It never came.

Instead, the doors swished open and the elevator chimed merrily to let him know that he'd arrived at headquarters. A faint snicker greeted him.

"Good thing Rude's the one drivin' the kid home tonight. He looks like he's about five seconds from passin' out," Tres' voice commented, and the redhead finally dared to crack open one eye. Most of the team was gathered around the elevators, grinning at him.

"Are you fuckers seriously tryin' to _kill_ me?!" he managed to shout as he staggered out of the elevator, prompting a laugh from most of those present. A hand gently squeezed his shoulder, and he looked over to find Tseng standing beside him.

"Not just yet..." the Turk lieutenant chuckled, "It's only the first day, after all."

* * *

"Rude, you don't fuckin' get it. I _seriously_ thought I was about to die. Ya know that whole cliché about seein' your life flash before your eyes? It's fuckin' real."

The redhead had been in rant mode ever since they'd left headquarters... which, considering he'd insisted on taking the stairs down to the parking deck, had be a lot longer than it would have been otherwise. Rude chuckled quietly and made the turn onto the freeway.

"I _do_ get it. They did it to me, too. They do it to everyone."

"Bunch of fuckin' _psychos_ is what they are..." Reno muttered. "What the _hell_ was that supposed to test anyway? My ability not to piss myself?"

"Tres said it tests your panic reaction. The sooner you stop the elevator, the better your score."

"... What happens if you _don't_ stop it?" the redhead queried, somewhat hesitantly.

"Saya told me it stops on the third floor if you don't realize the brake's there. She said most Turks figure it out somewhere between twenty and ten."

"Yeah? Where'd you end up?"

Rude flashed him a smug grin.

"... Thirty-eight."

The redhead blinked in surprise. "Thirty- _eight_?!" he repeated. The other rookie nodded, but kept his eyes on the road.

"Veld said it was a new all-time best. Broke the old record of thirty-two."

"Yeah? Tch... bet that was Tseng's score," Reno snickered. Rude shook his head and smirked.

"It was Remy's. Think she was kind of annoyed I beat it, actually. She went a lot harder than usual on me in the training room that afternoon."

Reno laughed and turned his attention to the passing scenery. "Wonder what Tseng's score was, then..."

Rude took the next exit, and slowed as he turned onto one of the main streets running through Sector 3. Trucks were out spreading salt over the streets. Apparently Midgar was expecting more snow. He'd been too fascinated by Reno's Hell Week to remember to look at the weather report. He made a mental note to check it as soon as he got home. They'd have to leave early tomorrow morning if the roads were bad.

"Hmph... no one I asked seemed to know. Tres was busy helping Veld torture me, so I never got the chance to ask either of them, and the only other Turk who was around when Tseng was still a rookie would've been Aaron... and _he_ obviously wasn't an option. I guess I just forgot about it later, with everything else going on."

Reno looked away from the window, focusing his attention back on his friend.

"Huh. Don't let me forget to find out. Now ya got me curious," he said. "You busy tonight? Wanna grab a pizza or something 'n hit the game room?"

"What? So I can lose at pool for a few hours?" Rude snickered.

"You can lose at chess instead, if ya want," the redhead replied, grinning.

* * *

"Move it, you two! Just two more laps to go!" Remy goaded him as she lapped him for the second time. Reno groaned and glanced over at Rude.

"Is she... serious?" he panted. They'd been at it for going on an hour now. "How... the fuck... is she still... running?"

He himself was barely moving at a stumbling jog at this point, and Rude wasn't doing much better. Endurance training was one of his least favorite on the Turk repertoire. He was _great_ at short bursts of speed, but over the long haul? He just didn't have it in him, and though he was greatly improved over his initial showing, the redhead seemed to have hit a plateau. He wasn't getting any better, no matter how much effort he put into it.

At least it wasn't as painful as it used to be. Twenty laps... roughly five miles on the track... at a dead run, with no breaks. Remy was one the very few who could actually do it without ever slowing to a walk, or even a jog – even Tseng usually had to ease off a bit around lap number ten. _And_ she was relentless.

Rude didn't answer. He was staring solely at the track in front of him, most of his attention focused on continuing to robotically put one foot in front of the other. Reno didn't blame him. The whole thing was an exercise in pain, and the only way to push through it was to ignore everything but the goal. His lungs ached, his calves ached... hell, even his fingers were starting to ache due to what the senior Turk called 'runner's edema'. Something about blood being forced into the extremities, particularly the hands, to help cool the body, causing them to swell slightly. He really didn't care for it. It felt weird.

They completed their next to last lap, and Rude began to drop back. Only by a few steps at first, but soon, Reno was well ahead of him. He was tempted to slow down some more, as well... but at this point, he was so close he just wanted it to end. About three quarters of the way around he pushed hard and sprinted that last of the distance, collapsing to his hands and knees at the finish line and pulling in long gulps of air. He was soaked in sweat. It was dripping off of him in a torrent, and he vaguely wondered if someone had cranked up the heat in the gym today. Nearly a minute later, Rude joined him.

"Alright. We're done," Remy said, calmly walking over to them. "Reno... good effort. Nice to see you go for broke at the end for once. Rude... you need push yourself more."

The pair merely groaned in response, neither rookie able to form a coherent sentence at the moment.

"Get some water and hit the showers," the senior Turk added. "I'm cutting you two loose early today. Take a break before your next session with Luca."

"You'd think... she'd go easy... on _me_ , at least..." Reno said, glancing over at his fellow rookie. "Hell Week... and all."

"That's _why_ I'm letting you leave a whole ten minutes early," Remy stated.

"So... generous..." the redhead gasped.

"Hmph... well, if you'd prefer, we can always run a few more laps instead."

He looked up, wide-eyed, vehemently shaking his head. "No... _anything_ but that."

"Then show a little gratitude and get out of here," she replied, smirking slightly. Reno didn't need to be told twice, and neither did Rude. The two rookie hauled themselves to their feet and staggered off toward the locker rooms before she could change her mind.

Reno pushed open the door and wandered over to one of the long benches that ran between the lockers, and laid down with a soft grunt.

"Ya think if I just stay right here, everyone'll forget about me for awhile?"

"Doubt it," Rude replied as he tiredly drifted past him, heading for the showers. Reno heard the water start running and forced himself upright. Exhausted as he was, the lure of hot water on aching muscles was far too much to resist. He stripped off as he went, leaving a trail of sweaty workout clothes in his wake and claimed a shower stall for himself, cranking it up to near-scorching.

He moaned in relief as it washed over him.

"Hey, Rude?" he called out over the sound of the spray.

"Yeah?"

"So... I'm halfway through the day. What dya s'pose the odds of me _not_ gettin' blindsided by a test today are?"

"Slim to none," the other rookie snickered. Reno sighed, bracing his arms against the wall, and bowed his head, letting the torrent massage the back of his neck.

"Come on, man. At least give me the opportunity to _hope_."

"It's Hell Week. There is no hope," he shot back.

"Way ta put a guy at ease, Rude..."

His friend snickered, but didn't comment further. The water in the other shower shut off and Reno heard the faint rustle of the curtain sliding across the bar. Normally, he was content to hose himself down, towel off, and get dressed. Today, though... he had some extra time to waste and the heat felt too nice to rush it.

"Hey..." Rude called to him few minutes later, "Wanna get away for awhile? It's almost lunch time anyway. New restaurant just opened four blocks down. My treat."

"Oh, _fuck_ yes. Food and not bein' _here_ sounds fuckin' _fantastic_ right now."

"I'll swing by headquarters and grab our coats. Meet you down in the lobby in ten?"

"Sounds _great_."

He lingered a moment or two after Rude took his leave, before finally shutting off the tap. The world around him cooled almost instantly and he shivered slightly. Bracing himself for the onslaught of room temperature air that was about to hit him, he sighed and pushed aside the curtain, grabbing a towel from the neat stack nearby and heading for his locker.

He glanced down at the floor as he went and noticed that his workout clothes had vanished while he was in the shower. The redhead snorted a soft laugh. Rude could be a real neat freak sometimes. Reno rubbed his dripping hair down until it was merely damp, and wrapped the towel around his waist before lifting the latch on his locker door.

"... The fuck?" he murmured.

It was empty. He turned in confusion, opening the one next to his, just in case he'd somehow managed to stuff his crap into the wrong one. It, too was empty.

"I'm afraid I've taken the liberty of temporarily emptying them all," a voice behind him stated, and Reno immediately groaned. Evaluation time. He slowly turned to face his mentor and sighed.

"What is it _this_ time?" he asked, resigned to his fate. Tseng chuckled softly.

"Something I doubt very much _you_ of all people will have any trouble with. But as it's a required area of evaluation for Hell Week, I thought I'd find out just to what extent that's true."

Reno crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the row of lockers. "Alright... So what do I gotta do?"

"Simply find your clothes," Tseng replied, a knowing smirk spreading across his lips. The rookie eyed him suspiciously.

"What's the catch?"

"They're located on the first floor concourse."

The redhead rolled his eyes. "You fuckin' serious?" he asked. "You're _really_ gonna make me go downstairs in a towel to get my clothes back and call it an 'evaluation'? Please."

"Of course not. The towel stays here."

Reno snorted in amusement. "Fine with me."

He unwrapped the towel from his waist and tossed it to the Turk lieutenant.

"Don't s'pose you've done me the favor of leavin' 'em all in one place..." he added as he strolled past him, heading for the door.

"That would be far too easy," Tseng replied.

" _'Course_ it would... Do me a favor and tell Rude I'm gonna be late meetin' him for lunch, will ya?"

"Already done," his mentor chuckled.

* * *

Reno was very nearly laughing by the time he finally stepped out onto the first floor. It was lunch time, and the elevator had stopped at nearly every other floor to let people board. Most had taken one look at the naked Turk casually standing inside the car and noped right the hell out of there to find an alternate route. Once brave soul had joined him and ridden down as far as the nineteenth floor with him before not so subtly checking out his ass and disembarking to meet with someone from legal.

It didn't particularly bother him. After spending so much time over the years with Lira – and the other girls she was acquainted with – nudity was _definitely_ not one of his hangups. It just... didn't bother him like it did some people. If Tseng thought he was gonna have any kind of problem doing this, his mentor was sadly mistaken.

The redhead paused just outside the elevator doors and took stock of his surroundings. The concourse was swarming with people, many of whom were probably avoiding the cafeteria and heading out for a bite to eat. It was so packed, in fact, that at first, no one even seemed to notice him.

Reno shook his head and strolled over to the information desk, grinning as he leaned on the counter and waited for the young woman on duty to turn around from the person she was currently helping. When she finally did, she squeaked in surprise and immediately went red.

"I-I... C-can I... er... help you?" she stammered. The rookie grinned warmly.

"Yeah... You happen to see a guy come down here a little while ago and start hidin' clothes all over the place? Wutaiian... long hair... black suit... no discernible sense of humor..."

"... I-I just started my shift..." she replied, and Reno tried not to laugh when her gaze began shifting rapidly downward and immediately jerked back up to eye level as soon as she realized it.

"Tch... Guess I'll just have ta hunt for 'em then," he sighed, and then offered her a wide smile. "Hey, you're not single by any chance, are ya? 'Cause... I mean, if ya like what ya see, I'm free tonight..."

"I have a boyfriend..." the girl said, a little too quickly. He had a feeling she was making that up, but Reno simply shrugged.

"Yeah? Oh, well... Sucks for me. You're pretty cute," he responded with a teasing grin. He turned and walked away from the desk, eyes scanning the concourse, and pointedly ignoring the looks – and a few leers, as well – he was receiving.

"Okay..." he breathed, "If I was an asshole who's pretendin' he doesn't think this is totally hilarious, where would I hide my shit?"

His gaze was drawn to the top of the large directory in the center of the lobby. He smirked as he spotted black fabric slung over one of the panels.

"Heh... Cute, Tseng."

The redhead made his way over and jumped, fingers closing around the garment and pulling it from it's perch. It was his jacket.

"Well, that's _one_ down," he said to himself. He folded it over one arm and resumed his search of the space. In short order, he'd located one shoe near the garbage can, his underwear draped over the bannister for the east stairs, socks tied to the handle of the security office door, and his shirt tucked beneath the leaves of a potted plant. He snickered as he finally picked up his second shoe, hiding in the shadow of the western staircase.

"... Pants," he muttered, looking around. "Where the fuck'd he put – Oh... you _bastard_."

There they were... on top of the huge Shinra Company sign that took up most of the central portion of the lobby. The damn thing was easily fifteen feet tall, and his pants looked to be folded neatly on top of the Shinra logo... the sign's highest point. He was going to have to climb it. With an annoyed sigh, he dropped his collection as the base of the sign, and hoisted himself up.

If he hadn't felt like he'd been on display before, he certainly did _now_... particularly since finding a decent foothold to boost himself up to the ledge required a little bit of awkward feeling around with one foot while the other supported his weight. Anyone walking by was certainly getting one hell of a view of his... _assets_. At last he found a position from which he could reach the ledge and pulled himself onto it. Grinning in triumph, he grabbed the last of his clothes and eased himself back down to the floor.

Reno gathered up the rest of his uniform and headed for the elevator... but not without flashing the girl at the reception desk a wide grin as he left.

The people getting off on the first floor scattered out of his way with varying expressions of shock, and the rookie jabbed the button for fifty-eight, strolling casually into headquarters a few short moments later. Kai was rounding the corner just as he arrived.

"Oh, for _Shiva's_ sake..." she muttered, rolling her eyes, "You were supposed to put them back _on_ , you little pervert."

"Where's the fun in that?" he asked, innocently, as he walked past her towards his own office. "Tch... _Little_. Trust me, Kai... Nothin' little _about_ it. It's just cold as fuck in this office today..."

"Whatever you say, Turkling..." she laughed. Reno grinned and stepped around the corner, making his way over to his office. Rude and Tseng were both waiting for him, as were Tres and Remy.

"Success!" he declared, setting the pile of clothes down on his desk. Tseng arched an eyebrow.

"Congratulations. Why are you still undressed?"

"I just figured... everyone _downstairs_ got a good look. Least I can do is offer my fellow Turks the same..." he joked.

"Heh... Already _got_ a good look, kid. We've been watchin' ya on the security cams the whole time," Tres snickered, pointing at the display on Rude's computer, which was currently showing video from the first floor.

"And Kai says _I'm_ the pervert," Reno shot back. He glanced over at Remy. "See anything ya like?"

" _Spare_ me," she replied, with a roll of her eyes.

"What's that?" he asked, smirking as he hopped up onto Rude's desk, "You said you want a _better_ look?"

He spun slowly, grinning maniacally the whole time as he gave the senior Turk a three hundred and sixty degree view. Remy didn't seem especially impressed.

"What in Leviathan's name are you doing?" she asked in exasperation.

"Strip tease? Ya know... without the havin' to strip part, seein' as Tseng already took care of that for me..."

"Oh, give me a break."

Tres snickered quietly. "Remy, hon... just cut your losses here. The more you profess indifference, the worse he's gonna get. You've got no limit to your snark and the kid's got no shame. We'll be here all day."

By then, the redhead was slowly swaying his hips back and forth, as he continued his slow turn on top of the desk. For whatever reason, now he _really_ wanted to see what it took to make Remy blush... and he was willing to go the distance to accomplish that.

"Come on, Remy... just admit it. You're enjoyin' this," he teased.

"What's goin' on in – Oh, dear Odin... Reno, put yer clothes back on," Saya groaned as she paused in front of the door to the office and took in the sight before her.

"Hey, it could be worse," the rookie replied, grinning, "It _could_ be Heidegger up here dancing around naked."

"Well, _there's_ a mental image I didnae need..."

" _Reno_..." a new voice called from outside, something undeniably insistent in its tone. The rookie was much too far gone by then, however, to heed the warning.

"Heh... hear he's been hookin' up with the new exec now that the President's sick of bonin' her. Think him 'n Scarlet are into the kinky stuff?"

"Reno, _shut up!_ " Luca hissed, peering around the doorframe. "Tseng... Veld needs you out _here_. Now."

" _That's_ gotta be some interesting shit. I mean... he's like four fuckin' times her size..." he added, oblivious to the shift in the room's atmosphere. Everyone had gone silent. By the time he realized that their eyes were suddenly focused elsewhere, it was much too late.

"YOU FILTHY LITTLE SLUM RAT!" a furious voice boomed, and Reno felt his blood run cold as the executive himself suddenly appeared at the office door, having apparently simply shoved Luca out of his way. It was only then that the rookie figured out that the older Turk had been trying to warn him.

"Oh, _fuck_... I –"

Any attempt to talk his way out of the situation was abruptly curtailed, as Heidegger's meaty fist closed around his throat. Reno struggled to free himself as he was lifted bodily from atop the desk by his neck and given an angry shake. He never would have guessed the fat, pompous son of a bitch was so _strong_!

"How _dare_ you?!" the irate man hissed, his face mere inches from Reno's. The redhead was dimly aware of the others scurrying to come to his aid, but by then, his vision was already darkening and all he could really focus on was the distinct lack of air entering his lungs. Anything else Heidegger may have said to him was lost to the effort it took to remain conscious. It felt as though his neck was being slowly crushed, and he couldn't breath no matter how hard he fought. Darkness started to claim him, and Reno felt his body go limp.

Unexpectedly, the pressure on this throat was suddenly gone, and he dropped to the floor, gasping. Arms wrapped around him, and though he was terrified they intended some _new_ punishment, he was strangely frozen to the spot, unable to fight them off.

A moment later, he was being rushed past the small gathering of faces, carried in a tight embrace. There was a soft, electronic beep and the sound of a security door sliding open, and suddenly, everything was silent save for his own harsh breathing and that of his rescuer.

"... You okay?" Rude's voice prodded him. The redhead managed a dazed nod as he felt the other rookie release him long enough to slip his jacket off and drape it over his shoulders.

"Rude?" Reno queried after a moment. His heart was still pounding in response to the adrenaline surge.

"Yeah?"

"How the _fuck_ do I manage to get myself into shit like this?" he asked, coughing softly as his vocal cords momentarily protested their usage. "I'm a fuckin' dead man."

Rude snorted a faint laugh, and leaned back against the tall filing cabinets that lined the room. It took Reno a moment longer to realize that he was sitting on the other rookie's lap, hidden away in a dark corner on the floor of the archives room.

"You can relax... Heidegger doesn't have direct access to the archives. Turks only," Rude said in answer to the unasked question. "Figured even if he saw where we went, the others would have time to... do _something_...before he could get in here."

"You're a fuckin' genius, pal," Reno said, breathing a sigh of relief and letting his head rest against the older rookie's shoulder.

"And you're a complete idiot."

"Can't exactly argue with ya..." He suddenly groaned loudly. "I am _so_ fucked..."

He wasn't getting out of _this_ one. It was one thing to tick off Tseng... or even _Veld_. But an executive? Fucking H _eidegger_?! He'd be lucky to walk out of here with his head still attached. Hell, if Rude hadn't grabbed him, it _might_ not be attached _now_. Even his biggest of screw-ups paled in comparison to what he'd just done. He was finished as a Turk. And this time, it wasn't merely paranoia or self-doubt talking. There was no coming back from something like _this_.

A part of him wanted to sob at the sheer level of idiocy that had brought him to this point. Somehow, though, the tears wouldn't come. If this was it for him, he was going to walk out of here with whatever dignity he still had left... which, given that he was currently naked and hiding in what was essentially a large closet, wasn't much.

His only consolation was that he knew Tseng wouldn't send him back to the Slums. He'd promised him that. He had no idea what Tseng _was_ going to do with him... but he'd make sure his former-rookie was alright. He'd promised.

* * *

Tseng was less than calm... though one would hardly know it from his outward appearance. Veld had ordered him out of his office, likely for his own good. Heidegger was livid and demanding blood. His angry shouts could still be heard, albeit muffled and incomprehensible, out in the hallway.

"Well?" a voice behind him queried, and he turned to find every member of the team, minus Reno and Rude, huddled together watching him. He must have been far more distracted than he realized not to have noticed the little gathering until now. His eyes fell on Kai, who'd been the one to break the silence.

"I don't know yet. Veld is... dealing with it. Where's Reno?"

"Dunno... After Rude snapped 'im up, he just took off runnin'," Saya replied, "No one's seen hide nor hair 'o either of 'em since. Tried callin' 'em, but Rude left his PHS on his desk, and... obviously Reno's not got _his_ at the moment."

"Tres?" Tseng prodded.

"I'll... go check the cameras. Can't've gone _too_ far."

"Let me know the _moment_ you locate them," the Turk lieutenant replied.

"Yes, sir." With that, Tres hurried off, leaving the rest of the group behind.

"The rest of you get back to work. Whatever is happening in that office, we still have assignments to see to," Tseng ordered. The remaining Turk reluctantly began to disperse, heading off in the direction of their own offices or wherever else they were needed at present.

Kai, however, lingered.

"If you're going to tell me that this was entirely _my_ fault... you needed bother. I'm well aware of it," the Wutaiian said after a moment.

"That's debatable. I'm pretty sure Reno's got some blame in this, too," she replied. "But if you're feeling so 'responsible', why don't you go _do_ something about it?"

Tseng scowled and turned to her, glaring. "And what would you suggest?" he demanded, angrily. Heidegger outranked even Veld. Tseng was little more than a fly to him. There were plenty of things that he _could_ fix, but this wasn't one of them.

"Well, for starters, go see that little shit we so lovingly refer to as a Vice President and call in a damn favor. The brat owes you at _least_ one by now. And I read your report from Kalm. He owes Reno, too."

Tseng blinked in surprise. "Kai... I can't just –"

"You can, and if you really care about that boy, you _will_. Beg if you have to."

He was silent for a moment. He'd never considered asking Rufus for anything before now... It simply wasn't his place. Rufus' friendship was hard-earned, and much of that came from the fact that Tseng had never once used the young man's favor for personal gain. He didn't want to give him cause to believe that had changed. But if he _didn't_...

"When Tres finds them, escort Reno down to medical and have Dr. Ward see to his injuries," he ordered as he began walking away from her. "Have them officially documented as well."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Reno flinched at the sound of the soft beep from the door, and prepared himself for the inevitable. The door opened and a pair of figures made their way inside.

"Smart thinking bringin' him here..." Tres commented, with a nod to Rude. He tossed a bundle of clothes to the redhead, which he dutifully caught. "Get dressed kiddo. Kai here's gonna take ya downstairs and have the doc check ya out."

The rookie silently handed Rude back his jacket and started pulling them on.

"... Then what?" Rude asked.

"Then... we wait. Heidegger's still on the warpath, but Veld's workin' on it. No reason to panic just yet."

"Where's Tseng?" Reno asked softly. "Is he mad?"

Tres snorted and shook his head. "Worried half to death's more like it. Not that you'd know it to look at him. He's... workin' his own angle on this one. Let's just get you down to medical and make sure that fat fuck didn't do any damage, huh? I can tell even from _here_ you're pretty badly bruised."

Reno paused in his effort to button his shirt and raised a hand to his neck, gently prodding the abused flesh, and winced when it responded with a dull twinge of pain. He hadn't even realized he was hurt until now.

Kai reached out and ruffled his hair. "Come on, baby Turkling. We don't have all day. And the farther away from Heidegger you are right now, the better."

The redhead nodded and shrugged into his jacket before following her cautiously out into the hallway.

"I'll make sure we got a clear shot to the elevators," Tres said, "Rude... hang back so that our asshole department head doesn't sneak around the back way on us."

Before he knew it, Kai had bundled him off into the elevator and pressed the button for the ninth floor.

"Hey... It's gonna be fine. Don't even worry, okay?" she said as they descended. Reno managed a weak smile... but in the back of his mind he'd already accepted that this was the last visit he was ever going to be paying to Dr. Ward.

~end chapter 44~


	45. To a Hell of a Week

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 45: … To A Hell of a Week**

 **by Desha**

Tseng had never been one to fidget. He'd always preferred to channel that sort of nervous energy into something more productive, like meditation. Or range practice. But at the moment, he was finding that his usual calm was slightly beyond his grasp. He sat stiffly on the edge of a plush chair, his hands resting on his knees as his fingers dug into his flesh through the fabric of his pantlegs.

Rufus was in a meeting. Tseng had informed his secretary that he'd wait... which was precisely what he'd been doing for the last sixteen minutes, forty-seven seconds. Silently waiting, silently creating several small, self-inflicted bruises around his kneecaps. It was rare these days that he felt so utterly powerless. Not so rare, though, that it was wholly alien.

The last time he'd felt like this, Reno had been lying in a hospital bed, waiting to be taken up for surgery on his shoulder, and he'd been stuck half a world away on the beach.

'Beg if you have to.'

That was what Kai had said to him, and, though it would be mortifying, that was precisely what he was prepared to do. If it meant saving Reno's position in the Turks, he would beg, plead, and offer himself up as tribute if he had to. He owed it to his ward.

This whole situation was Tseng's fault to begin with. The modesty evaluation was a requirement of Hell Week... but Tseng had known long before today that the redhead didn't have any issues in _that_ area. He'd largely done it because he knew the somewhat absurdly public nature of his chosen method would leave absolutely no cause for anyone to accuse him of going easy on Reno. Both Kai _and_ Tres had made comments to that effect to him in the days leading up to Hell Week. He didn't want his rookie's achievements overshadowed by their perceived – and, in some cases, it was admittedly justified – favoritism.

Now, it was becoming painfully clear that he'd taken it _too_ far.

The door to Rufus' office opened and a young man carrying several rolls of blueprints walked out. The receptionist glanced over at the Turk.

"The vice president will see you now," she said, smiling pleasantly. Tseng shot to his feet and strode swiftly into the office, closing the door behind him. Rufus was seated at his desk, looking decidedly bored.

"This 'project' my father has decided to assign to me is becoming tedious," he commented without looking up at the Turk. "I fail to see why so much _talk_ must be involved in securing a new reactor site."

"Sir..."

"Did you know he actually expects me to _visit_ that backwoods little village? _Personally_?" the younger man scoffed. "What a waste of my time. Write them a check and build the damn thing. The dissenters will be far more agreeable once their pockets are lined."

Tseng would normally have commented on the necessity of securing the support of the people over simply throwing money at an issue. Rufus tended to be far too convinced that money solved everything. But today, he didn't have time for a lengthy debate on the merits of diplomacy. When it became apparent that no response was forthcoming, Rufus seemed to sense that something was off and glanced up.

"... Tseng?" he queried, cocking his head to one side in vague confusion over the unexpected silence.

"Sir," the Wutaiian began again, swallowing sharply, "I... know it's not my place, but... I'm afraid I must ask a favor of you. A rather large one."

Rufus snorted a soft laugh, and glanced back down at the pile of paperwork on his desk and picked up a pen, scribbling down some notes. "I'm not generally inclined towards favors. What is it you want?"

"I need you to prevent Heidegger from terminating a member of staff."

"Heidegger's staffing decisions aren't my concern," Rufus replied, sounding bored. "It's _his_ department. If he feels someone isn't pulling their weight, it's his right to fire them."

"Sir... _Please_ ," the Wutaiian Turk persisted, "It's Reno."

Rufus' writing abruptly stopped, mid-word and the younger man looked up, an expression of surprise on his face.

"What in Ramuh's name did that idiotic slum rat do to get on _Heidegger's_ bad side? Not that Heidegger has a _good_ side that I'm aware of. But one would think you're precious rookie would have a better sense of self-preservation than _that_."

"It's... a rather convoluted story. And I'm afraid it was largely _my_ fault. Unfortunately, Heidegger isn't inclined to place the blame where it belongs, and Reno is going to pay the price for _my_ short-sightedness," Tseng explained, "Sir... I will do whatever you ask of me in return. But, please, help him."

Rufus pushed the papers off to one side and leaned forward, resting his elbows on top of his desk, and gestured for Tseng to take a seat.

"Before I even consider involving myself in this, I want to know _precisely_ what it is the little urchin has done."

Tseng sighed and shook his head. "Nothing detrimental to the company. It was more a matter of poor timing than anything else. Reno is currently in the process of being evaluated for the next stage of his training. It's a week-long process that has become something of a tradition for the Turks, and it can be rather... stressful. We had just concluded a session and he was blowing off a little steam. Unfortunately, it segued into some... _off-color_... commentary on Heidegger's personal life. A harmless joke, but undeniably unflattering toward the subject. We didn't realize Heidegger himself was in our offices at the time. He overheard."

"And reacted as he does to _anything_ that even remotely offends that moron, I suppose. With a great deal of yelling and threats of violence," the vice president replied with a snort of contempt.

"More than just threats," Tseng replied, darkly, "He had Reno by the throat and a foot off the ground before we managed to separate them."

Rufus' eyes narrowed. "He physically _attacked_ an employee?"

"Yes, sir."

"Was the slum rat hurt?"

Tseng sighed quietly. "I don't know yet. One of the others removed him from the situation entirely while the rest of us dealt with Heidegger. When I left, Tres and Kai were still trying to figure out where they'd hidden themselves. They have orders to take him to Medical immediately and document any injuries."

"I see..." Rufus replied, steepling his fingers before him. He was silent for several moments, in thought. "And if I do this for you, you're agreeable to _any_ request I might make of you? Even if it's something my father has explicitly forbidden?"

"Yes, sir." It was a somewhat dangerous agreement for him to make. Rufus could feasibly order him to do just about anything. The boy knew better than almost anyone outside the of the Turks themselves what Tseng was capable of.

"Very well. I'll save your obnoxious little trainee from his fate," the younger man stated, and Tseng breathed a sigh of relief. "In exchange, your time and undivided attention on a weekend of my choice is now mine. I will contact you later with the details."

"Thank you, sir," Tseng breathed. Whatever it was Rufus wanted from him, it would be worth it. Though, hopefully, it was nothing that would get _him_ fired. The vice president waved dismissively, and he obediently stood, heading for the door.

"By the way..." Rufus called after him, and Tseng paused, turning back to look at the young executive, "You _are_ my friend, Tseng. I would have helped, regardless, even had you not first offered a favor in return." He smirked. "But, as you _did_ offer, I'm hardly going to turn down such a valuable proposition. Something to remember for the next time your slum rat gets himself into trouble... as I'm sure there _will_ be a next time."

* * *

Dr. Ward clucked disapprovingly as she studied the hand-shaped bruises on the rookie's neck, gently turning his head this way and that, probing at the injury. At last she seemed satisfied with her examination.

"Yer _sure_ there's no pain when yeh move yer head..." she demanded, and Reno nodded. "Then I think yeh'll be fine. But yeh come and see me right away if yeh start hurting, or if yeh have any stiffness."

Reno sighed. He doubted he'd be able to, even if he needed to. He was _probably_ about five minutes from being escorted out of the building. If Ward noticed his sullen mood, she didn't comment. Instead, the woman scowled at the particularly dark band of bruising that crossed the area where Heidegger's thumb had dug into Reno's neck.

"If I ever get my hands on that... that... _man_..." she muttered, and shooed him off of her exam table. "Alright. Yeh take that shirt off, and yeh go and stand in front of the curtain," she ordered, "We'll get those bruises photographed fer yer file."

'What's the point?' the redhead thought, but didn't complain. The longer Ward drew this out, the longer he could stay. He wasn't looking forward to his final walk out the front door.

Reno had, however, accepted it. He'd known all along that this was never going to work out for him. It had been a nice dream, but it was inevitable. He wasn't meant to be a Turk. For awhile he'd let himself be lulled into a false sense of security, allowing himself to hope, but... somehow his present circumstances didn't exactly come as a shock to him. He was sad to give it up, but in a way, he felt as though he'd been subconsciously preparing for this moment since he'd first arrived.

At least he wouldn't have to go back to the slums. That was really the only thing that was presently keeping him from breaking down entirely. As long as he had that much to hold onto, he could handle everything else.

He flinched at the bright flash of the camera, and turned when the doctor told him to.

He _really_ wished Tseng would turn up, though. Tres had said he was 'working his own angle', whatever the fuck that meant. He couldn't imagine that there was any angle the Turk lieutenant could approach this from that wouldn't result in the redhead being stripped of his credentials and kicked the fuck out of the building. He'd rather just have him _here_.

And he _definitely_ wanted him to accompany him when he had to face Veld. The Turk leader _had_ to be pissed. He didn't want to deal with that level of anger and disappointment on his own... and he prayed Tseng didn't share it.

"I think that should about do it. Yeh can get dressed now," Ward said, setting the camera aside. She stepped out of the little examination room and turned to Kai. "I'll see ta it that Tseng gets copies as soon as possible."

Reno, meanwhile, slowly shrugged into his shirt, and pulled his jacket on. It didn't take long... All too soon, he was ready to go, and Kai was waiting for him, looking impatient. Dr. Ward smiled reassuringly as he emerged and pressed a sucker into his hand.

"Perk up a bit, my little headache. I'm sure that mentor of yers has things well in hand by now."

He forced a small smile. "Yeah. Thanks, Doc. I'll see ya..." he replied with little sincerity, and followed Kai to the elevator.

"... You sure it's safe to go up there?" he asked hesitantly, as the doors opened. Kai snickered.

"Yeah. It's safe. Tres let me know Heidegger left five minutes ago. Kicking and screaming, apparently. Got called into an urgent meeting with Rufus. Otherwise, he'd _probably_ still be laying into Veld right now."

"Is Tseng back yet?" he asked, and Kai only shrugged.

"Haven't heard." She shook her head and ruffled his hair. "Would you relax? You look like I'm taking you in for your own execution."

"Tch... Sure you're _not_?"

The woman laughed. "Veld's not going to _kill_ you. Might _feel_ like you're dying at some point, but trust me. There haven't been any fatalities during a formal reprimand in _years_." She paused for a moment and grinned somewhat sadistically. "Of course... that _might_ be because Tseng handles that sort of thing more often than Veld does these days..."

"Not funny," the redhead replied. "'Sides... what the hell's the point of reprimandin' someone you're just gonna fire anyway?"

"You _really_ like obsessing over the worst case scenario, don't ya?" Kai replied, rolling her eyes. "Believe it or not, firing a Turk isn't something that's done lightly. The company invests millions in training us. We're very valuable assets."

"Like Heidegger gives a shit?" he sneered.

"Probably not... but anything other than gross incompetence, he'll have to justify it to the executive board. Which to be fair, he could probably manage if he lies enough... but Tseng is working on putting a little stumbling block in his path on that."

Reno glanced over at her. "What dya mean, a 'stumbling block'?"

"He went to talk to Rufus. And I'm guessing that's why Heidegger was summoned so suddenly."

"Please. Rufus hates me even more than Heidegger does," Reno muttered. Except... he wasn't _entirely_ certain that was actually true. They were hardly on friendly terms, but after what had happened in Kalm, the Shinra heir _was_ a lot less openly hostile towards him. He wouldn't go as far as to say that Rufus _liked_ him, however. He was pretty sure the older boy still considered him something of a rival for Tseng's attention. And Reno still very much considered _him_ a dick.

Of course... if it was _Tseng_ doing the asking...

The faintest glimmer of hope sparked in the back of his mind. Maybe there was a slim chance that he wasn't quite as screwed as he thought. A _very_ slim chance, but... something was better than nothing.

The elevator chimed and deposited them on the fifty-eighth floor. Before he could say or do anything, however, Veld stormed around the corner, looking positively irate.

"Reno! My office! _Now_!" he shouted. The redhead was sure he must have gone pale at the demand, because Kai was suddenly holding onto him as though she were worried he was going to pass out. He, somewhat shakily, left her behind and followed the Turk leader down the hallway and into his office, swallowing sharply as Veld pointed to the chair in front of his desk. He immediately sat, feeling the nervous sweat already beading on his forehead.

"What in Hades' name did you think you were doing?!"

"I don't know, sir," he replied, fighting the urge to groan. "I... I don't think I _was_. Thinking, I mean."

Veld openly glared at him. "You've embarrassed Tseng. You've embarrassed me. You've embarrassed the _Turks_ as a whole. Can you give me _one_ good reason why I should bother defending you against Heidegger's demand that you be ejected from our ranks?"

Reno's mouth went dry and his mind went blank. He honestly couldn't think of anything worthwhile to say. And truth be told... if Veld didn't think he was worth keeping around, there probably wasn't much he could do to convince him otherwise anyway. Hell, _Veld_ hadn't even been all that enthusiastic about Tseng recruiting him to begin with. He'd told him as much the first time they met. Apparently, he hadn't gone up much in the Turk leader's estimation. Not that Reno could really think of much of anything that might have _made_ him look better. He didn't exactly have the best record.

"Well?" Veld demanded. Apparently, the question hadn't been rhetorical. He expected an answer. Reno's shoulders slumped in response.

"... No, sir. I can't," he said, quietly, as that glimmer of hope he'd felt only moments ago was viciously and unapologetically stamped out.

"Then you're _goddamned_ lucky that I can think of several. Now get out. We'll continue this after I've dealt with the mess you've created."

Reno looked up and blinked in surprise, not certain he'd heard the commander correctly.

"S-sir?"

"Out!" Veld repeated, pointing to the door. The redhead jumped at the sharp command and scurried out the door without another word, all but slamming it behind him in his haste to exit the room. He stood, his heart hammering as he leaned up against the door to Veld's office, for several seconds before Kai and Saya, who apparently had been lingering nearby, finally took hold of either arm and escorted him off to the lounge.

"Come sit yeh down before yeh _fall_ down," Saya said, chuckling softly as she pushed open the door.

"What in Leviathan's name has happened now?" Tseng asked in concern upon seeing the rookie practically carried into the room.

"Veld...er... had a word or two with him soon as we got back," Kai snickered. She and Saya pressed the redhead gently down onto the couch.

"Ah," was Tseng's only response. The Turk lieutenant relaxed and strode over to his ward. " _That_ would certainly explain the look of abject terror, then. Hell Week exercises have been suspended for the remainder of the day. Once you've recovered a bit, I think a little lunch is in order."

Reno glanced up at his mentor, somewhat dazed. "Lunch?! How the fuck can you be thinkin' about food right now when I'm liable to not even be a Turk anymore by the time we get back!?" he asked incredulously.

"That will not be happening," Tseng replied. "Rufus is handling it. Though... I think it would be for the best if you kept your distance from Heidegger for awhile. A very _long_ while."

"... So... I'm _not_ completely fucked?" the redhead queried, disbelievingly.

"Not today, no," Tseng replied with a somewhat teasing smile. Reno felt positively dizzy with relief. He let himself crumple back into the soft cushions of the couch, closing his eyes and slowly exhaling a long breath. He wasn't _quite_ ready to believe it yet... but hope had been rekindled.

" _Sooooo_... How much begging did it take to get Rufus to cooperate?" Kai asked.

"Virtually none," Tseng answered, and then sighed in defeat, "Though... I _am_ at his personal service for the entirety of a weekend of his choice, for an unknown task that may or may not be against his father's express wishes."

Kai snorted in laughter. "Oh. Would you prefer burial... or cremation?" she asked, jokingly.

"Cremation has always been the tradition in my family," the Wutaiian Turk chuckled, " _Hopefully_ , it won't come to that." He glanced down at Reno, and offered him a hand. "Come on. You must be starving by now... and I believe we have a few things to discuss."

* * *

A short time later, Reno found himself seated at a small Costan restaurant in Sector 4, enjoying an appetizer plate of tropical fruits while he and Tseng waited for the arrival of their entrees. For a while, the pair sat in companionable silence, neither quite willing to broach the topic at hand just yet. It was Tseng who finally spoke first.

"I've decided to postpone the remainder of Hell Week. I realize we're only two days in, but I think the circumstances warrant it. You've... had enough."

"No."

The senior Turk looked up, an eyebrow arched in curiosity.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Okay, yeah... I'll admit, today's been kind of a nightmare, but now that _that's_ over, I'd rather just keep goin'."

"Are you sure?" Tseng asked, "No one would hold it against you, and it certainly wouldn't have any impact on your scores. You don't _have_ to."

"Boss... I about drove myself nuts last week knowin' it was comin', and that was just a few extra _days_. I'll lose my fuckin' _mind_ if I gotta go through that again. I mean... I got nothin' against takin' the rest of the _day_ off," he said, and then grinned faintly, "Heh... Honestly, I think anymore scares today _might_ traumatize me for life. But yeah. Tomorrow, I wanna get back to it."

Tseng returned the smile. "As you wish. I can certainly understand the desire to be done with it."

"Um... I wouldn't complain if we could postpone the formal reprimand with Veld, though. Indefinitely would be good," the rookie added.

His mentor chuckled quietly. "Somehow I don't think Veld will agree to that."

Reno sighed and picked up a slice of pineapple. "Well... worth a shot." He bit into it, savoring the tangy sweetness of the fruit. "... You _sure_ Rufus is really gonna get me outta this mess?"

"He promised me he would do so. And Heidegger cannot override the vice president. He would have to go to Rufus' father to make his appeal, and I very much doubt that President Shinra would openly undermine his own son in such a manner. It would set a very unfortunate precedent. Rufus is, after all, set to one day take over the company. Calling his judgment into question, especially so soon after his promotion to vice president, makes them _both_ look bad to the executive board."

Reno considered that for a moment.

"So... basically, I'm not gettin' canned 'cause if I did it'd make _Rufus_ look like an idiot for stickin' up for me."

Tseng chuckled softly and helped himself to a piece of mango.

"I suppose that's another way to put it, yes," he replied, "Company politics can be... complex. And rather frustrating at times. I suppose if anything good can be said to have come from this, it's that you're getting a very in-depth lesson in them. They're something that even we Turks have need to navigate from time to time, and it pays to understand them."

"Hey, Tseng?" Reno queried somewhat hesitantly, "... How come _you're_ not ticked off at me over all this? Veld's _beyond_ pissed..."

The Turk lieutenant sighed and shook his head.

" _Veld_ will be dealing directly with Heidegger's anger over this for some time to come. It probably won't be overly pleasant. I, on the other hand, am just glad not to have lost you. Particularly given that it was _my_ evaluation of you that led to the situation in the first place."

"It was my own stupid joke that led to it," the redhead snorted. Tseng smiled slightly.

"I won't deny that your actions were foolish. And I hope you'll be a bit more inclined to censor yourself in the future. But I won't allow you to shoulder _all_ of the blame for this, either. It is _my_ job to keep you safe during your training period. I failed at that today. Those bruises around your neck are proof enough of _that_."

"Tch... I'm still a Turk, aren't I?" Reno replied. "Think ya did okay in the end." He glanced down at his plate and swallowed awkwardly. "Boss... You take better care of me than anyone has in a long time. I'm still not sure what I ever did to deserve it... 'specially since I don't seem to do much in return other than fuck shit up... but I'm _way_ past grateful for it. 'Cause I know it woulda been a hell of a lot easier for you to just say fuck it and let me sink."

Tseng gave a quiet laugh, shaking his head.

"Reno... That wouldn't have been easier for me at all. Frankly, I think would would have been quite impossible."

* * *

When Reno woke the following morning it was to an increasingly familiar feeling of uncertainty and dread. For a brief moment, he wondered why in Ifrit's name he hadn't just accepted Tseng's offer to put off the rest of Hell Week for awhile. And then he remembered the nervous wreck he'd been all last weekend. With a loud groan, he dragged himself from his bed, glancing over at the clock as he did so.

It was early. Still dark, in fact, and his alarm wouldn't even be going off for almost another hour. But though he normally wouldn't mind lazing about a little, somehow, laying in bed wide awake and staring at the ceiling wasn't overly appealing this morning. That thought in mind, the redhead yawned widely and made his way out into the kitchen. Might as well get breakfast out of the way. At least he _felt_ like eating this morning. He must have been getting used to living in a state of constant paranoia.

Mornings were probably when he missed living with Tseng the most. He could always count on coffee being ready and waiting for him, and usually breakfast as well – even if Tseng's idea of breakfast was oatmeal, toast, and fruit. Day after day, ad nauseam, save for the relatively rare occasions he treated his houseguest to donuts or they went out for food. Still... it was nice that he took the time. He knew that Reno was more than capable of feeding himself.

The redhead supposed he'd let himself get just a little spoiled by it.

He dug through one of the cabinets and pulled out a box of cereal... one that Rude had introduced him to, not long after he'd moved in upstairs from his fellow Turk. Mooglebits were little more than candy masquerading as a breakfast food. It was mostly made up of hard little marshmallows and cocoa-flavored bits of puffed rice. Apparently, it was something of a guilty pleasure for the older rookie, and one of the few exceptions he made to his 'no processed foods allowed in his kitchen' rule. He'd been eating it since he was little.

The redhead poured out a large bowlful of the stuff and headed over to the fridge to see if he had any milk left. To his relief, he did... though not much. Milk, as it turned out, was one of _his_ guilty pleasures. He remembered not liking it much as a kid, for some reason – when he got it at all, that is – but damned if he didn't down it by the gallon now.

He was just about to pour it over his cereal when a loud explosion rocked his entire apartment.

"What the _fuck_?!" he yelped, dropping the carton and heading for the door to see what in Shiva's name was going on. As he opened it, he was hit by a thick cloud of smoke that forced him to retreat back inside, coughing.

Well... _that_ probably wasn't anything good.

Reno grabbed his coat from the hook by the door and pulled it on, somewhat glad he'd taken to at least wearing sweat pants to bed in the icy weather, before making a second attempt at exiting his apartment. The smoke was so thick, he could hardly see his hand in front of him as he felt his way down the hall. He bypassed the elevator, opting for the stairs instead. Even if it _was_ only one floor down, the thought of the power going out and trapping him inside to be slowly cooked to death was more than enough to dissuade him from attempting it.

Besides... he quite frankly wasn't on good terms with elevators this week, anyway.

If anything, the smoke was thicker still in the stairwell, and he found himself having to breath through the fabric of his coat sleeve to avoid choking on it. It wasn't long, though, before he emerged on the first floor, and made a run for the nearest exit.

He was halfway there, the light from the streetlamps little more than a pinprick in the smokey darkness of the building, when he tripped over something lying across the otherwise empty hallway. The redhead went down, hard, and winced as he pushed himself to his knees, swearing loudly. He glanced back, trying to make out what the hell it was that had tripped him up... and froze.

"Rude?!" he coughed, easily recognizing his friend now. He shook him hard, looking for any kind of response, but received none. The smoke was rapidly growing thicker around him, more of it flooding into the first floor from the stairwell he'd just vacated. He needed to get out. But he couldn't leave his friend.

"Goddammit, Rude... why the _fuck_ do ya gotta be so _fuckin'_ heavy?" he groaned, hoisting the unconscious man as best he could and pulling one of his friend's arms over his shoulder. Rude was almost twice his size... and about three times his muscle mass. And at the moment, he was nothing but dead weight. The effort was making him pant, and panting was making him cough... and coughing was making this one giant fucking pain in the ass.

"Oh, _fuck_ this..." he finally muttered, setting Rude back down as he realized he'd never move him as far as he needed to doing it like that. "You're gettin' your ass _dragged_ outta here, ya over-muscled asshole..."

Still coughing, he grabbed Rude's ankles and started dragging him bodily down the hallway, towards the doors. It took far longer than he would have liked, but after what felt like an eternity, he finally stumbled out into cold, fresh air...

… And was greeted by the familiar figure of Tseng, a stopwatch in hand.

"Six minutes, twenty-three seconds," he stated simply. "The maintenance team should have the building aired out shortly. I'll see you at the office."

Reno could only blink in shock as the Turk lieutenant turned and walked back to his car, climbing inside and heading off into the pre-dawn darkness.

"Over-muscled asshole, huh?" Rude snickered, and the redhead turned to find his not-so-unconscious friend, now sitting up, grinning at him.

"You _gotta_ be fuckin' kiddin' me..." he groaned, and wondered again why the hell he hadn't just agreed to postpone this Hell Week shit when he'd had the chance.

* * *

"Hey, Reno... I need you for a minute," Shay said, poking his head into the rookie's office. Reno glanced up from the email he was reading and frowned.

"... For _what_ exactly?" he queried, eying him suspiciously. After the evaluation earlier this morning, he no longer trusted any _one_ or any _thing_. Every order, request, or suggestion that he leave the relative safety of his desk was potentially the beginning of another round of psychological torture. And unfortunately, there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

Shay grinned widely and stepped fully through the door.

"Relax. I'm not an eval setup," he laughed.

"Tch... And just why should I believe you?" the redhead shot back. "In fact... that's _exactly_ what someone who was tryin' to set me up _would_ say."

"Paranoid much?" Shay snickered, walking over to his desk. "But seriously... this has nothing to do with Hell Week. I just need to borrow your arm for a couple minutes."

"Sorry... I'm _kinda_ attached to it."

Shay rolled his eyes. "Would you just help me? Please? Before Kai finds out I dropped her knife into a heat vent and murders me with the other seven she keeps on her person at all times? I can't quite reach the damn thing, but _you_ probably can. Your arms are longer than mine. And skinnier. And I know you won't rat me out like Remy would if I asked _her_."

Reno folded his arms over his chest and looked up at the other Turk with an incredulous expression.

"Tch... So let me see if I'm understandin' you. Ignorin' the fact that you basically just told me I have arms like a girl... _You_ want _me_ to stick my arm in a vent to get back a knife you conveniently happened to drop _into_ said vent in the middle of fuckin' Hell Week," he replied, his voice dripping with skepticism, " _And_ you want me to believe this _isn't_ a setup?"

"Yes," Shay said, smiling warmly. Reno scoffed, not buying a word of it. But... even if it _was_ another evaluation, it's not like he had much of a choice. If he outright refused, Tseng would just find another way to get him later. At least right _now_ he could see it coming.

"... Fine. Where's the damn vent... ?" he sighed.

"In the lounge," Shay replied, sounding surprisingly relieved. Maybe he was telling the truth after all. _Reno_ sure as hell wouldn't want to be responsible for losing one of Kai's knives... rumor had it, the woman even slept with them. Though that begged another question.

"Just how'd you manage to get one of Kai's blades to begin with, anyway?" he asked not bothering to hide the fact that he still found this all very suspicious.

"Would you quit looking at me like you think I'm going to turn on you?" the slightly more senior Turk chuckled, "I lost a bet, okay? Actually, _you_ lost me a bet. I didn't think you'd actually go through with Tseng's little scavenger hunt yesterday. Kai bet me you would. Now I'm stuck sharpening and re-doing the wrappings on all her throwing knives for her. _All_ of them. Do you have any idea how many she's _got_?! I'll be at it for days..."

Reno smirked. "Serves ya right for bettin' against me," he sniggered.

The pair stepped into the lounge, which was unusually empty for this time of day. Normally, that might have made the redhead even more wary than he already was... but today there was a legitimate reason for headquarters to be largely abandoned. Some of the executives... including Rufus... were meeting with town leaders in the little mining village of Corel to begin talks on the building of a new mako reactor. As Tseng was otherwise occupied with Hell Week, Veld had gone with the vice president personally. He'd taken Luca, Saya, and Sato with him.

Tres, meanwhile, had taken Rude and disappeared into the slums shortly after arriving in the office this morning, so that left only Remy (who was likely still sequestered in her office, transcribing the interrogation she'd conducted earlier), Kai, and Shay manning the fort while Tseng plotted whatever cruel test he planned to inflict next on his rookie. He didn't know where Kai had fucked off to, but he _did_ know she had an assignment of her own to deal with... so she was probably off working on that.

Assuming this wasn't just one big setup for Reno's next test, that is.

For all he knew, Tres and Rude had just been hanging out elsewhere in the building for the last few hours, waiting with Kai and Remy to jump out of the shadows and scare him half to death with some ridiculous scenario.

Shay led him over to the floor vent in the corner of the room. The cover had been shifted aside, leaving a two foot by six inch dark hole that led fuck only knew where. Reno sighed and dropped to his knees peering into the opening.

"Seriously, man... I'm not gonna stick my hand in there and have somethin' grab me or some shit, am I?"

"It's _not_ an exercise. I swear," the other Turk replied, shaking his head in amusement. He grinned. "Good thing it only lasts _one_ week. Only three days in and you're already starting to think everyone's out to get you."

"Shay, I damn near got strangled to death and _then_ fired by Heidegger yesterday. You'll have to fuckin' excuse me if I'm just a _little_ over-cautious after that."

"Well, not to be pedantic or anything, but _technically_ , you probably wouldn't have been fired if he'd actually succeeded in killing you..." Shay pointed out. Reno folded his arms over his chest, staring the other Turk down. Shay cleared his throat. "You know... because... it'd be a little redundant to fire a corpse, and all."

"... Do you want my help or not?" Reno asked.

"Yes! Please..." the senior Turk said, somewhat sheepishly. Reno snorted softly and leaned down sliding his arm down into the vent. It was an awkward task. The shaft started straight down, but then took a sharp turn and angled downwards before finally leveling out. The rookie had to force his arm into the bend and feel around blindly. After a few seconds, his fingers encountered the familiar shape of a knife. It took a little effort to nudge it close enough to him that he could grab it, but eventually, he had the object of his search in hand.

"Got it," he said, and moved to pull it out... only to find himself stuck firmly in place, his elbow wedged in tightly against the vertical section of the vent, while his forearm remained trapped by the angled portion. He couldn't seem to bend it enough to pull himself free. "... Shay, I'm gonna fuckin' kill you."

"W-what? Why?!" the young Turk asked, clearly caught off-guard by the dire pronouncement.

"'Cause I'm fuckin' stuck in this goddamn vent. That's why," he replied, his voice calm. He twisted to look up at the senior Turk. "GET ME THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!"

"Um... Okay, okay... Hang on. Just... Here, I'll pull."

Reno felt Shay's arms encircle his waist and without much more warning than that, he was roughly jerked upwards. Unfortunately, his arm didn't budge... though his shoulder cracked loudly enough that Shay dropped him in a panic a split second later. The redhead yelped, more in surprise than in pain.

"Are you alright?!" the other Turk asked, wide-eyed.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Reno muttered, "It's been doin' that ever since I hurt it on the gauntlet. Just... give it another shot, 'kay? Maybe don't try 'n rip it _off_ this time, though?"

Shay gripped him again, and pulled... a little more smoothly this time, rather than simply attempting to jerk the rookie out of the hole.

"Ugh... Come _on_!" he said through gritted teeth, but the redhead didn't budge.

"For Ifrit's sake, Shay, put some fuckin' effort into it!" Reno said, as he tried to twist his arm into a more accommodating position. It didn't seem to be helping. He was well and truly stuck. Shay paused a moment before shifting position and tightening his grip on the rookie's waist. He pulled again, and something started to give.

"Almost... there," Shay grunted.

"Harder, dammit!" Reno replied. He could feel it coming loose now. Just a little more and he'd be free. He leaned forward, lowering his head to the floor in the hopes of getting better leverage as he pushed against the edge of the vent with his other hand. At last his arm popped free, and the redhead landed in a heap on the floor, moaning in relief.

"... You two... uh... need a minute to clean up, or what?" a voice snickered from the direction of the door. Reno looked up to find Kai watching them, leaning casually up against the doorframe.

"Tch... fuck you, Kai."

"Listen, I appreciate the offer, but I keep _telling_ you, you're just not my type. Besides... it _kinda_ looked like Shay's already taken care of things in that department," she laughed.

Shay flushed slightly and hurriedly stood up.

"I-I... I wasn't... We _definitely_ weren't... I'm not..." he stammered, looking back and forth between the rookie and the senior Turk. Reno grinned widely and tossed him the knife he'd successfully retrieved.

"Heh... Hope it was as good for you as it was for me," he sniggered and walked out of the room, brushing past Kai with a shared smirk. Reno could still hear Shay attempting to stutter out an explanation as he made his way back to his office.

* * *

Thursday. He just had to survive two more days. Then this would all be a bad memory. He could make it that long...

But as the clock ticked ever closer to five, Reno found himself wondering if he'd still be sane by the end of it. There had been nothing all day. In fact, there had been nothing since yesterday morning, when Tseng had smoked him out of his apartment. _Something_ had to be coming. _Soon_.

He jumped when the door to the locker room opened, spinning to face the new arrival... and relaxing – though only slightly – when he saw that it was Rude, who'd just finished up his sparing match with Remy. The other rookie chuckled and stripped off his sweatshirt.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Hell no, I'm not alright. Tseng's gettin' ready to do Shiva only knows what to me. And it's _gotta_ be somethin' big. It's been over a day, for fuck's sake."

Rude smirked and grabbed a towel before heading for the showers. "Want me to see if I can track down Shay for you? See if he can calm you down? Hear you two have something going now..."

"Heh... Been talkin' to Kai, huh?" the redhead snickered. He had to admit... that little encounter was turning out to be pure gold. And Kai was being so relentless with the poor guy, Shay could hardly look him in the eye at the moment. "Dunno why he's lettin' it bother him so much. I mean... A, she's just messin' with him 'cause she knows it wasn't what it looked like, and two, who gives a shit anyway? Kai fucks chicks, and no one gives her grief about _that_."

The other rookie paused, folding his arms over his chest and fixed the redhead with a look.

"So _you_ , one of the biggest womanizers I've ever met, aren't even a _little_ annoyed with Kai joking with everyone about how she 'caught' you and Shay hooking up in the lounge? She's not exactly leaving your part in the story out of every retelling, you know."

Reno merely shrugged. "Actually, I think it's pretty hilarious. She's gonna run the joke into the ground eventually, she keeps bringin' it up so much, but 'til then I don't see why I can't enjoy watchin' Shay squirm. Asshole got me stuck in the damn floor, after all."

Rude laughed and shook his head.

"Better hope it doesn't go any farther than headquarters. You get enough propositions from the _women_ in the building."

"Heh... For the record, I get propositions from a few of the _guys_ , too," the redhead replied, with a teasing grin, "Seriously... if I _really_ swung both ways, I'd never be dateless again."

Rude simply snorted in silent laughter and shook his head before heading off to the showers.

* * *

"So you're giving him a break today, huh?" Kai asked, softly closing the previously open door behind her and taking a seat in front of Tseng's desk. The Wutaiian Turk looked up from his present task. Though entertaining, Hell Week had put him seriously behind in his regular work. He was using the current downtime he'd built into Reno's schedule to catch up a bit.

"My timetable for Hell Week is no one's concern but my own... but as you're so _very_ curious... No, as a matter of fact. I am not," he replied with the barest hint of a smirk.

"Ugh... You know, this is why I can't stand you sometimes, Tseng. You act like you're above that sort of petty shit, and then you get all smug because you're keeping secrets," she said, grinning. "You can be a real pain in the ass."

"Is there a reason you're interrupting me? Or are you merely here to belittle me?" Tseng asked, setting his pen aside. Truthfully, though, he was a little glad for the interruption. Hell Week had left him decidedly on his own for most of the week. And though he was greatly enjoying seeing his rookie prove himself, he missed his regular interactions with his fellow Turks. Yes... Even Kai.

" _Actually_ , I do have a non-rookie-related reason for bugging you," Kai stated with a soft laugh. "Tres just called. He wants Rude and one other Turk to join him. Needs a couple more sets of eyes down in Sector 5. Apparently that counterfeit materia ring's a little bigger than he realized. You want _me_ to go, or should I see if Remy or Shay are available?"

"Is there some reason you're not-so-subtly looking for an excuse to stay topside?" the Turk lieutenant responded, having no problem gauging the real purpose for the question, and fighting back a laugh. He didn't _really_ need to ask. Kai adored everything about Hell Week now that her own was long-since over, and watching Reno squirm had to have been the highlight of her month. Rude's certainly had been. Hence her opening question regarding his plans for the rookie.

"Tseng, for _once_ in your life don't be an ass. You _know_ how much I love Hell Week."

The Wutaiian Turk snorted quietly. "Calling me an ass is hardly make me feel more generous towards you..." he said, an annoyed frown on his lips. A moment later he shook his head. "Fine... send Shay. He doesn't get below nearly enough, anyway. He could use the practice."

Kai cackled in delight and shot to her feet.

"You know... Reno's really bringing out your softer side, Tseng. You're _almost_ tolerable these days," she teasingly replied, and hurried out the door to track down the younger Turk. A moment later, however, she stuck her head back into his office. "By the way, any chance you could give me a heads up before the next eval? I want to be sure to get a good seat."

"It's already in progress," Tseng answered, turning back to his reports.

"Wait... What do you mean it's 'already in progress'? You've been sitting in here since lunch time!"

The Wutaiian Turk chuckled softly, more to himself than at Kai. "Precisely. And _he's_ been walking around for hours, in perpetual and escalating terror, just wondering what's going to happen to him next. Consider it a stress management evaluation."

Kai rolled her eyes and laughed. "What I said about Reno bringing out your softer side? Forget it," she snickered, "You're nothing but pure evil incarnate, Tseng."

* * *

Friday morning found Reno jumpy and paranoid. Twenty-four hours. It had been over twenty-four _hours_ since the last test, and every instinct in his body was positively screaming at him that whatever was coming was going to be _huge_. When Tres plopped down next to the pair of rookies on the couch in the lounge, the over-stressed redhead actually shrieked out loud.

Tres, meanwhile, broke down in hysterics, as did Rude.

"Oh, for _fuck's_ sake... It's the last day. Relax a little, will ya? You're gonna give yourself a heart attack before it's over," Tres finally said, still snickering unabashedly. Reno glared at him.

"Tch... Easy for _you_ to say. You haven't been sittin' around, _waitin'_ for hours and hours for your sadistic torture to continue..."

Rude comfortingly patted him on the shoulder.

"Nope," Kai broke in as she poured herself a cup of coffee from the communal pot, "But watching _you_ do it really has been a treat. I'm kinda sad to see it end."

The door to the lounge swung inwards just then, admitting Tseng, who smiled entirely too widely for Reno's taste and strolled over to him.

"But end it must," he said. "Later. Right now, I have a task for you. And Kai as well. If you'll come with me, please..."

Kai shrugged and tossed back the remains of her coffee. Rude chuckled at the expression of distrustful suspicion that came over the redhead's face, and hauled Reno to his feet, nudging his reluctant friend towards his mentor. A few short moments later, he was boarding the elevator with Tseng, who pressed the button for one of the basement floors.

"Uh... Where are we _goin'_ exactly?" he queried.

"The basement," Tseng replied, "It's long past time you sat in on a more... difficult... interrogation. And as it happens, the opportunity has presented itself this morning. Kai, I believe you remember Mr. Wellerby?"

"Ugh... _That_ asshole again? Why do _I_ always get stuck with him?"

"Because your technique is very effective with his type," the Turk lieutenant replied with a faint smirk. "And because I know how fond you are of him."

Kai sighed in annoyance and leaned back against the wall of the elevator car.

"So what am I trying to dig up _this_ time?"

"Information on possible Wutaiian agents operating out of the Sector 3 warehouse district," he replied, handing her a folder. "We've had a number of reports, but no solid lead on their base of operations. It's far too large an area to search manually. By the time we found it, they'd have likely caught wind of it and moved elsewhere. Wellerby, on the other hand, knows that area quite well."

Kai flipped through the documents, scanning the more important points as the elevator arrived and they stepped out into a dull-looking tiled hallway. Reno had never actually been in this section of the building, save for a very brief stop during his tour when he'd first been recruited. At the time, Tseng had merely glossed over it, saying that it was largely storage. He'd learned, later, that the Turks also used parts of it... Usually for particularly intense interrogations.

And judging by his surroundings, he could understand why. The place had an isolated feel to it – like... if you screamed, there wasn't a soul in Midgar who'd ever hear you.

Kai shrugged and tucked the folder under an arm. "Shouldn't be too hard. Come on, baby Turkling. Let's get this over with."

"Tch... would you _seriously_ quit callin' me that?" Reno muttered as he trailed after her, leaving Tseng to return to headquarters. He wasn't _entirely_ certain of it, but he thought he hear a faint chuckle in response to his demand as the doors were closing, and shot an annoyed glare back in his mentor's direction. Kai snickered.

"Maybe when you grow up a little," she said, grinning. " _Maybe_."

The redhead scowled and followed the senior Turk down the hallway. Some distance from the elevators, they paused outside of a heavy, but otherwise nondescript, door.

"Okay, listen up, kiddo. You're here to _observe_ ," she said, "I handle the interrogation. You stand in the corner, making no noise and pretending you don't exist. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," Reno replied with a snort of contempt. Seriously... he might have been the youngest of the Turks, but he wasn't a goddamn kid. He could really do without Kai constantly treating him like one.

"Good. You armed?"

Reno opened his jacket to reveal the EMR clipped to his belt, but Kai shook her head.

"No good. If you gotta act, it's going to be because he took _me_ out. And you're gonna want to do it from across the room. This asshole's a lot more dangerous than he looks. Especially at close range. Hand it over. Last thing I need is him getting his hands on it somehow."

The redhead hesitantly unhooked the mag-rod and passed it over to Kai. In return, he was handed her spare sidearm. The senior Turk shook her head.

"You know... If you were _my_ rookie, I'd make carrying a gun mandatory for you. An EMR's great for close quarters and all, but you should _always_ have a backup. Just in case," she said, ruffling his hair. Reno rolled his eyes.

"It's _really_ fuckin' annoying when people do that, ya know..." he groused. Kai's grin only widened and she reached for his hair again. Reno scowled and ducked out from under her hand. " _Really?_ "

Kai giggled maniacally and set the EMR on a nearby shelf, before she turned to the door. "Okey dokey... Ready?"

"Tch... Yeah," Reno replied.

"And _what_ will you be doing while I'm interrogating the subject?"

"Standing in the corner, making no noise and pretending I don't exist," he parroted back, annoyed.

"Good Turkling," Kai grinned, and pushed open the door.

Inside was an unnerving sight... though at first glance, Reno wasn't entirely sure why it struck him as such. The room was long and windowless and gleaming white. It took him a second to figure out that the gleam was due to every surface being covered in shiny porcelain tile. The floor, the walls... even the ceiling. Near the center of the room was the chrome-plated cover of a large drain.

Reno couldn't help but shudder slightly at the images that room suddenly conjured up, and vaguely wondered if maybe he'd been watching a few too many horror movies over the last few months.

At the far end of the room, there was a pair of chairs; one empty, the other occupied by a stout, balding man in his forties or early fifties. He had a thin mustache and a jagged scar along his jawline that was partially obscured by a patchy beard. He smiled obnoxiously when he spotted Kai, revealing a large gap between his two front teeth.

"Well, hey there, little lady," he said, in a disturbingly pleased tone of voice, "You know... _You're_ the whole reason I let you Turks haul me in here to chat every so often."

His smile quickly became predatory. If Kai noticed – and frankly, Reno didn't know how she couldn't have... it was giving _him_ the creeps, and it wasn't even directed at him – she pointedly ignored it.

"Who's the kid?" he continued, "Got yourself a little Turklette to look after now?"

The redhead's scowl deepened noticeably. As if 'Turkling' wasn't bad enough. He sincerely hoped Kai didn't think 'Turklette' was a better alternative. It sounded _way_ too girly.

"Oh, don't mind him. He's just here to watch," Kai replied, taking a seat in the empty chair. The man snickered loudly, and turned his gaze directly on the rookie.

"Like to watch, do ya?" he asked with a leer. He nodded towards the ceiling and the unobtrusive camera mounted there. "Good thing they always tape these little sessions. You can watch it again later. Have yourself some fun."

Reno rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall, folding his arms over his chest... and had to bite down hard on his tongue to hold back the snappy comeback he'd had ready. His orders were to stay quiet and watch. Not let himself be provoked.

"Alright, you know the drill. You're gonna tell me what you know about the Wutaiians in Sector 3. And maybe that nice white shirt of yours will stay clean," Kai replied, drawing his attention back around.

"You're always such a flirt..." Wellerby chuckled, smiling back at her.

"Oh, honey... If I were flirting, you'd know it," Kai replied, and in one swift movement, stabbed a blade into the arm of his chair, in between his fingers, narrowly missing the flesh. She withdrew the knife and tucked it back into the sleeve of her jacket before leaning back in her chair. "So... about those Wutaiians..."

It had happened so fast, Reno was half convinced he'd imagined it. And when the man laughed, he could only stare. He was pretty sure if Kai had done that to _him_ he'd have probably been swearing at her for the next five minutes. After the urge to shit his pants had passed, that is.

"Think that probably scared your little Turklette over there more than it scared _me_ ," Wellerby guffawed, and Reno felt a slightly humiliated blush creeping into his cheeks. Kai snorted softly and turned to face him.

"Thought I told you to just stand there pretending you don't exist..." she chastised him.

Before he could answer, however, Wellerby was on his feet. Reno didn't even have time to shout out a warning to the senior Turk. The man landed a brutal punch to her gut, driving the air from her lungs and then dragged her to her feet by her hair, wrapping an arm around her neck, and reaching with his free hand into her jacket. He pulled out one of her own blades and pressed it to her side, between her ribs.

"I stick her here, she'll bleed out before you can even call for help," Wellerby stated calmly, as Reno – somewhat shakily – raised his gun and took aim in response. His formerly almost jovial tone was now gone, and in its place was only cold indifference. "So... how good a shot do you think you _are_ kid? Think you can hit me without hitting her? _Before_ I gut her?"

Kai was tiny... but not _that_ tiny. She made for a more than adequate human shield. And to be honest, Reno _really_ wasn't that great a shot. Sure, this was pretty close range... twelve feet max. But his target had a hostage. One that the redhead most assuredly didn't want to kill in the process. All of the _good_ targets on Wellerby's body were hidden _behind_ said hostage. Reno needed to outright disable him, not just hit him... or he'd retaliate by killing Kai.

"Yeah... You know how this is gonna play out," Wellerby said with an icy laugh. "You just lower that gun now. Me and this pretty lady are gonna take a little walk."

The way Reno saw it, there were only two choices. He could either take the shot and pray that it hit home without fatally wounding Kai... or he could let the son of a bitch walk out of here with his hostage and hope that Kai would be alright until he could call for backup.

He frowned slightly as another possibility occurred to him. A moment later, Reno slowly began to lower his weapon, and Wellerby grinned.

"Good choice, Turklette," he sniggered.

Reno fired... and Kai screamed.

* * *

"I can't." _Smack._ "Believe." _Smack._ "You _did_ that!" _SMACK!_

A moment later Reno darted towards the opening door, desperate to avoid the furious female Turk who seemed to be intent upon pummeling him into dust. Upon seeing his mentor entering the room, he hurriedly sought shelter behind him.

"It _worked_ didn't it?!" Reno shouted back, peering out from behind the relative safety of the Turk lieutenant's body.

Kai stormed – well, limped, really – towards him, her right thigh spattered in dark blue paint. Across the room, 'Wellerby', similarly painted across the chest and torso, was laughing uproariously.

"Kai –" Tseng began, only to be cut off by the angry Turk.

"He _shot_ me!" she screeched. "The little turd _shot_ me!"

"It was only a paint round..." Reno declared in his defense, which earned him a glare from the woman.

"Which you didn't _know_ when you shot me with it!" she growled, "You got any idea how much those things _sting_? Just you wait... You're back in regular training next week. I'll get my revenge on the gauntlet." With that, she brushed past Tseng and his rookie and hobbled off towards the elevator, muttering under her breath about bruises and how next time Tseng could find someone _else_ to help him with Hell Week.

The Turk lieutenant chuckled, shaking his head.

" _She_ was the one who said she wanted a front row seat to you next evaluation..." he said, ushering the rookie over to the chairs and settling him into one of them. He turned to Wellerby, and nodded. "Thank you for your assistance, Marshall."

"... So I'm guessin' this guy's _not_ someone we'd really be interrogatin'..." the redhead surmised, and Tseng smiled.

"No. This is Marshall Wellerby. Soldier, second class, retired... and an old friend of Veld's."

"Glad to meet ya, kid," he piped up, a smirk stretching across his face.

"So this was all a set up. The file. The story about Wutaiian agents. Kai makin' sure the only weapon I had was the one _she_ gave me. All of it?"

"Yes," Tseng confirmed, "And I have to admit, I was rather impressed with your solution. Shooting the hostage to remove her from the equation is not something that most people would consider."

Reno shrugged. "It was the only way I could get a clear shot. Figured if she couldn't walk, he couldn't walk off _with_ her. And if _I_ was the one doin' the damage instead of _him_ , worst case scenario is Kai's laid up for a couple weeks. Ya know... unless I managed to miss."

"Heh... Kid's got some brass ones, I'll giving him that..." Marshall snickered. He glanced down at his shirt, which showed no less than six widely spaced blobs of blue paint. "Marksmanship could use a little work. Terrible grouping."

"Tch... _I_ thought I did pretty damn good considerin' I was about five seconds from pissin' myself the whole time," the redhead muttered. He glanced pleadingly up at Tseng. "Please, for the love of Ifrit, tell me this is finally over..."

Tseng's hand gently squeezed his shoulder, and he chuckled lightly.

"Yes, Hell Week is over," he said with a smile. Reno groaned in relief, sagging back into the chair.

"Thank _fuck_."

* * *

"Reno? Can I see you in my office for a moment?"

The redhead paused in his bid for his own little office, where Rude was almost certainly waiting for him, wanting to hear all about what had happened. Especially, since Kai was probably still cursing up a storm.

"Thought Hell Week was officially over," he replied, cautiously. Tseng laughed.

"It is. I... have something for you."

The redhead followed his mentor inside and paused in front of the Turk lieutenant's desk. Tseng rounded the desk and reached into the drawer, pulling out a small box wrapped in plain, pale blue paper.

"We'll discuss your scores in detail on Monday, but... you did very well. This is for you," he said, holding it out to the rookie. Reno reached out and took it, pulling the wrapping off and lifting the lid of the little box.

A miniscule silver dragon stared up at him with aquamarine crystal eyes, it's claws poised to strike. Reno picked it up, holding it in his palm. The detail work on the egg-sized figurine was impressive. He could see every last scale on the reptile's body.

"It was a gift from Veld... to me at the conclusion of my own Hell Week," Tseng explained. "I was _born_ in the year of the dragon, in case you were wondering why he chose that particular visage. He was very proud of me when I made it through Hell Week. I'd like you to have it now... because I'm _just_ as proud of you."

Reno looked up from his gift and grinned, before throwing his arms around his mentor in tight hug. Tseng laughed, and stroked one hand along the teen's back.

"Very proud indeed..."

* * *

Early Monday morning, Tseng was still catching up on his neglected paperwork. Thankfully, he could now see a light at the end of the tunnel... and he was beginning to rethink the wisdom of his request to take responsibility for this _particular_ chore. It really should have been a red flag when Veld hadn't even attempted to talk him out of it.

"Are you busy?" a voice asked, and Tseng glanced up to discover the man himself peering into his office. He smiled and shook his head.

"Not with anything I wouldn't be glad to take a break from, sir..."

Veld smirked knowingly. "And _now_ you know why I didn't protest when you all but begged to take over responsibility for department requisitions..."

"... Yes, sir," the Turk lieutenant somewhat sheepishly admitted.

"You can fill me in on the specifics of his scores later, but I have to admit... I've been dying all weekend to know how your rookie did on the strategy evaluation on Friday."

Tseng chuckled and leaned forward on his desk, steepling his fingers in front of him.

"Extremely well. I placed him in the situation we discussed, giving him two obvious choices."

"And which did he pick?"

The Wutaiian Turk smiled widely. "The third option. He shot the hostage."

"He... he _what_?!" Veld sputtered in surprise, and Tseng couldn't help but laugh at the reaction.

"He shot Kai in the leg, forcing her captor to drop her and attempt to flee. Then he shot Marshall, as well. Several times. Really... it was a rather ingenious, if unconventional, solution to a situation with an otherwise uncertain outcome."

Veld barked a short laugh. "Well, that would explain the death glares she kept shooting at him during the morning briefing. Try not to sound so absurdly pleased with him, Tseng. That rookie of yours doesn't need his ego stroked." He shook his head. "But you're right. It certainly was... _creative_. And effective. Hmph... that settles it. I _definitely_ want his IQ tested."

"Yes, sir. I assumed you would. I've already made the appointment."

"And tell him to report to my office immediately after lunch. For his reprimand," Veld added. Tseng visibly cringed. He'd somewhat been hoping that Veld might have forgotten about that after being out of town for the last few days. Apparently Reno wasn't _that_ lucky.

"Yes, sir."

"By the way... I hear tell that you were forced to sell your soul to Rufus in exchange for Reno's job. Just what does that entail these days?" the Turk leader asked, teasingly.

"When I find out... assuming I survive it... I'll let you know, sir," he replied with a faint groan.

~end chapter 45~


	46. Cars and Trains

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins –** **Chapter 46: Cars and Trains**

 **by Desha**

It was Saturday... a day that Tseng typically spent in the exact opposite manner he spent most other days of the week. He slept in. He ate a leisurely breakfast. He caught up on his reading. If Viridia happened to have some time in _her_ schedule as well, he trekked to see her in Junon, or occasionally met up with her in Kalm. He forgot, temporarily, that he was a Turk with a hectic schedule and a young rookie to train, and simply enjoyed the relative peace and solitude of the weekend.

That was how he _typically_ spent his Saturdays.

Unfortunately, as he pulled out into traffic, he sighed as the realization that this _wasn't_ a typical Saturday settled over him and he resigned himself to fulfilling his promise to a certain vice president. Tseng still didn't know what it was that the young heir had in mind. Rufus had merely bade him arrive at the Shinra estate promptly at seven o'clock in the morning, in his car, prepared to pay his debt.

He took the exit into Sector 3, and headed for the large manor near its center, and wondered just how much trouble this was going to be. Rufus had mentioned going against his father's wishes... and while Tseng was more than willing to turn a blind eye when the young executive engaged in some of the more harmless things the elder Shinra had declared forbidden, if it was something the man had a good reason for prohibiting, he would be forced to put his foot down. Promise or no, Rufus' safety came first... no exceptions.

Luckily for the Turk lieutenant, the younger Shinra had never been much of a risk taker... at least not in terms of activities that might _physically_ injure him. He was utterly fearless when it came to monetary ventures.

At last, Tseng pulled into the long driveway and stopped at the large, wrought iron gate, nodding a greeting to the security guard. He was here often enough the security staff knew him by sight, and he was let inside immediately. He made the short drive towards the front of the house, pulling up in front of the large entryway that led into the mansion.

He barely had time to put the car in park and unlock the passenger door. Rufus climbed in beside him, settling in and pulling the seatbelt across his body.

"The edge of the Plate, if you please, Tseng," Rufus said by way of greeting. Tseng cocked an eyebrow, but obeyed, proceeding back out the way he'd come and making a quick left to get back to the freeway.

"Are you planning on telling me what it is you have in mind, sir?" he asked, "Or am I expected to guess?"

Rufus smirked and leaned back in the seat, making himself comfortable.

"You mean you don't already know?" he replied, and gave a soft snort of derision, "I was hoping to see the psychic abilities you're so famous for on display this morning."

The Wutaiian Turk rolled his eyes.

"Oh, for Leviathan's sake... I'm not –"

He protest was cut off by a sharp laugh. "I'm only teasing, Tseng. For now, just drive. I'll explain when we get there."

"And just where is 'there', sir?" Tseng queried. "The 'edge of the Plate' is a rather vague destination. Nevermind that there's very little out there besides the reactor and its support buildings."

The vice president grinned mischievously. "Precisely. No witnesses."

"Witnesses to _what_?" Tseng prodded, suddenly concerned. Rufus only smirked. The car flew down the interstate, and he came very close to purposefully missing the exit that would deposit them near the Plate's edge. At the last moment, he went through with it, turning onto the off ramp, and gliding out into the noticeably empty streets of the edge of Sector 3.

It was the weekend. The reactor personnel would be working on their weekend schedules... which was essentially a two shift skeleton crew. The area would be largely devoid of activity until noon or so, when the shift change happened.

Rufus turned his gaze out the window, watching as the silent buildings drifted by.

"Right here will do nicely," he said after a few more blocks. "Pull over."

Tseng slowed and pulled to the curb, shifting into park.

"Sir..."

The young executive snickered loudly.

"I swear you get more paranoid with every passing year," he said. "We're not here for anything illicit. Now get out. We're switching seats."

"... We're _what_?!" Tseng choked, in horror.

"You heard me correctly, Tseng," Rufus replied, the grin on his face widening, "We're switching seats. Today, you are teaching me to drive."

The Wutaiian Turk groaned aloud... and began to seriously question whether or not saving Reno's career was _really_ worth this level of torture.

"But... sir –"

"There's no sense in stalling. You agreed to this. I am _tired_ of being treated like something that might break should I dare step out into the real world for more than two seconds, Tseng! Give me one good reason for my father's prohibition on driving."

"My sanity?" the Turk muttered under his breath before sighing and opening his door. To be fair... Rufus had a point. The boy was twenty years old, after all. There was really no _valid_ reason he should be banned from it. President Shinra was merely overly protective of his sole heir in certain matters. Rufus was the future of Shinra Company... and the President wasn't as young as he used to be.

Leviathan help him if the President ever found out it was _Tseng_ who'd done the teaching, though.

With no small sense of dread, the Turk lieutenant climbed out of the car, walked around to the other side, and switched places with his passenger, memories of Reno's not-so-long-ago driving lessons flashing through his mind. He glanced over at Rufus as he scrambled behind the wheel.

"You might have at _least_ let me know your intentions ahead of time, sir..."

"Why?" Rufus snorted, "So that you could go and collect that beat up piece of junk you taught those lunatic twins in? Please... I have no intention of being _seen_ in such a vehicle, let alone _driving_ it. No. I will learn in _this_ car. It's far more suited to my position in society." He smirked slightly. "Besides... I know full well that you don't let anyone else anywhere _near_ the driver's seat. I'm looking forward to rubbing it in the slum rat's face come Monday morning."

Tseng came dangerously close to informing him that Reno had, in fact, driven his car on one occasion... albeit without his permission, and without a license, resulting in the teen's arrest and subsequent punishment. But the thought of Rufus attempting to somehow outdo the redhead's earlier transgression quickly silenced him and he made a mental note to tell Reno to _never_ mention that little misadventure to the vice president.

"Well?" Rufus prodded at the overly-long silence that followed his proclamation. Tseng sighed and pulled the seatbelt across his body... and then reached for the other two pieces of the customized five-point harness and clicked them into place, effectively securing himself to the passenger seat. The restraints may have been something of a small joke when Rufus had insisted to the build team they be installed... but at the moment, he was grateful for them.

He took a calming breath and turned to his charge.

"Left foot on the clutch, right foot on the brake," he replied, a note of resignation in his voice.

* * *

Reno yawned widely as the Blue Line snaked its way through the tunnels below the Plate's surface on its way to Sector 5. It was much too early to be awake on a Saturday... but Lira was working this afternoon, and if he wanted to spend some time with her today, it was going to have to be now. And he _wanted_ to spend some time with her. He hadn't seen his friend since Christmas. He'd missed her company... and he'd missed her bed.

Besides... he wanted to tell her all about Hell Week and his new apartment and talk her into coming Plateside for a visit. Hopefully _more_ than just a visit.

Sure, his place was a little small, but they could manage for awhile, until he could get her settled somewhere. Hell, he was gone all day, anyway. Lira'd have the place to herself. He could give her the kind of life she really deserved. One where men didn't pay for her body and she wasn't under the thumb of that son of a bitch, Corneo.

The more Lira had told him about Don Corneo, the more Reno had decided he hated the old fucker. He shuddered slightly. Apparently, part of her interview for working at the Honeybee had required her to spend the night with him. Corneo liked to 'sample' his new merchandise before he turned the customers lose on the girls. Just the mental image of that was enough to make him queasy.

He would never think less of Lira for how she chose to make a living. He knew first hand how hard just getting by could be down in the slums. You did what you had to do. But... Lira deserved better than that. She was a good person. Kind, and patient, and caring. She was his first real friend, and, for awhile, she'd been the only person who actually gave a damn about him. She was family to him.

As the train rattled into the Sector 5 station, the redhead yawned again and stood up, stretching his arms over his head. Speaking of family... he wondered briefly what Tseng was up to this morning. Now that he didn't have the rookie for a roommate anymore, the Wutaiian Turk suddenly had his freedom back. It had always struck him as just a _little_ odd that Tseng never seemed to have many visitors in the months that Reno had lived with him. But then... he supposed that someone as rigidly professional as his mentor _probably_ wouldn't be too keen on inviting, say, his girlfriend from Junon over for a little raunchy sex while Reno was hanging out in the next room. He shook his head and laughed softly, wondering just how many dates his presence had canceled before they'd even been made. If it'd been _him_ , he was pretty sure he'd have chucked said roommate out long before Tseng had.

Though to be fair, if it'd been _him_ , fucking someone with his roommate listening in from the next room over wouldn't have bothered him all that much. Hell, he'd have done it in the _same_ room if he'd had to.

The redhead followed the small throng of other commuters as they disembarked, and made his way across the station towards a different platform. The train to Wall Market wasn't due for about another ten minutes, so rather than joining the somewhat seedy-looking collection of individuals gathered there, he wove his way through the crowd towards a food vendor's cart on the mezzanine. Reno grinned widely as he spotted the huge pretzels hanging in the warmer, and bought two of them.

He downed one as he made his way onwards towards his platform, and then started in on the second at a slightly more sedate pace. It was warm and soft and doughy, and deliciously salty. He took a seat on one of the benches near the platform and leaned back in content.

In all honesty, Reno couldn't remember ever being quite so happy. Up until Tseng had recruited him, he'd always felt as though he was just surviving. Sure, there were moments of happiness. Even long stretches of it. But always, there was the looming shadow of cold reality. Would he have a place to stay next month? Would he have food tomorrow? Would he make it to his next birthday?

Now, though... he wasn't surviving. He was living. It came at the cost of endless training and hard work, but... he finally felt like he had a purpose. And a future. Barely a week ago, he'd seen it nearly come crashing down on him. Something about that moment during Hell Week when he'd been all but certain that he'd be out on his ass had changed him. _He'd made it through_. And he wasn't afraid anymore. Every last one of his fellow Turks had rallied around him. Even Veld, in his own... extremely loud and shouty... way. It wasn't just that they were putting up with him. They really _wanted_ him there. And that meant more to him than he'd ever realized.

He wanted Lira to have that, too.

The train to the slums clattered into the station, slowing to a stop, and people began to board. Reno hurried to slip into the crowd and find a seat before they were all taken. Weekends were Wall Market's busiest time of the week. The trains always seemed to be packed. He planted himself on a seat near the back of the car. It wasn't long before it started moving again.

* * *

Tseng cringed as his car crept forward a foot or two from the stop sign, and then jerked to a sudden stop when Rufus let up on the clutch a little too quickly and stalled it. Again.

" _Slowly_ , sir..." he reminded him.

"I _did_ it slowly. This car of yours is entirely too temperamental!" Rufus shot back. Tseng couldn't help the faint snort of laughter that escaped him.

"Then you have no one but yourself to blame, sir... after all, _you_ were the one who commissioned and helped to design and build it."

In reply, Rufus only ground his teeth and scowled before making another attempt at shifting into first. It went far smoother this time.

The car had been a gift some four years ago, in honor of Tseng's promotion to second in command. It was also Rufus' way of saying thank you for all he'd done for the boy over the years... something he seldom did either openly or in private. The Shinra heir preferred to show his gratitude in other ways. The grander the gift, the greater his appreciation. Many people mistook it for unrepentant materialism on his part.

Tseng knew better. Rufus loathed any show of weakness... and over the years, the simple words 'thank you' seemed have become too difficult for him, most of the time. Even when he did manage them, it often came out sounding forced and insincere. And the Turk lieutenant was quite certain the young man was aware of it... which made him avoid it all the more.

Which was also why Tseng was so protective of his vehicle. It was tangible proof that behind the Shinra heir's cold and aloof exterior, there was a heart.

He _was_ getting better, Tseng mused silently as they circled the block. His starts and stops were more controlled now, and shifting to the next gear was smoother... though his downshifting still needed work. Still... the Turk was grateful for the lack of other cars on the road. He didn't think Rufus was quite ready to drive in traffic just yet.

Speaking of which...

He glanced at his watch. It was getting dangerously close to noon, and the next shift of reactor workers would be flooding the area any minute now.

"Sir, take the next right and pull into the parking lot, please," he instructed as they neared an intersection.

"Why? I'm _finally_ getting the hang of this," Rufus protested, somewhat petulantly.

"Because it's nearly time for the reactor shift change, and the roads are going to get quite a lot busier in the next few minutes."

Rufus paled slightly, and quickly made the turn. Tseng smirked. Apparently the new driver wasn't _quite_ as confident as he'd let on. Sure enough, just moments after he'd put it in park, the first few cars began to trickle into the area, heading for the Number Three reactor.

"I suggest a lunch break, sir," the Wutaiian Turk chuckled softly. "I'm sure you're getting hungry by now. I know _I_ certainly am.. and by the time we're finished, the roads in the reactor district will have cleared out again."

"... Yes. Yes, that _does_ sound rather appealing," he agreed, and unfastened his seatbelt before slipping out of the driver's seat. Tseng hurried to take his place at the wheel. "The Juniper Well, I think. I haven't been in some time. Father... doesn't care for it."

"Yes, sir," Tseng replied, and started the engine, heading for the little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Sector 2. He was intimately familiar with it. It had been one of Rufus' favorites when he was younger. One of his mother's favorites as well. Following her death, he asked to dine there frequently, and Tseng was fairly sure it was because of the happier memories of her that it held. He found it comforting. For the elder Shinra, however, it seemed to have the opposite effect. After the first few trips, he had refused to join his son at the restaurant any longer... and so it had fallen to Tseng or one of the other Turks to accompany the boy.

Bertrand Shinra, president of Shinra Company, and easily one of the most influential men on the planet, preferred to pretend that his wife had simply never existed. Tseng believed he understood why. Most people regarded the marriage as one of convenience. It was common knowledge that Annisea Shinra was one of several women the President had been seeing at the time, and it was rumored that it was Rufus' conception that had nudged his father into marriage. And that was probably true to at least some extent. But Tseng had seen them together. It was obvious to anyone who spent time with the family that, regardless of the circumstances that had made them a couple, the two were now very much in love. Annisea's death had devastated Rufus' father. He was a much changed man afterward.

To cope with the loss, he had thrown himself into his job almost entirely, and largely erased the woman from his life, eventually refusing to even speak of her. He also became far more protective of his son... but at the same time, far more distant.

They reached restaurant in short order, and Tseng escorted Rufus inside. They were quickly shown to a table. The Juniper Well was little more than a cafe, really. Most of its seating was outside in an enclosed patio area, which made it even smaller when the weather turned cold and snowy and patrons were forced indoors instead. The interior only had seating for around ten people. That, and its out of the way location, left the place nearly empty in the dead of winter. When they arrived, the only other diners were a young couple off to one side, and an elderly woman sipping hot chocolate in front of the large picture window at the front of the dining area.

"I must admit... how this place survives with so little business is a mystery to me," Tseng commented.

Rufus smirked. "Oh, that's quite simple. I bought it six years ago and have simply not allowed it to close. Actually, it does well enough in the spring and summer that even with the winter lull, it typically breaks even... more or less. It would even turn a decent profit were I to only open it seasonally... but then I wouldn't be able to indulge at my leisure, now would I?"

Tseng smiled and shook his head.

"That's a bit more than an 'indulgence', sir," he chuckled. Rufus simply shrugged and picked up his menu.

"It's merely a matter of scale," he replied. "For you, indulgence is that horrid imported tea you're so fond of that you ration out over the course of an entire year before buying more. For me, it's purchasing a failing restaurant so that I may dine there whenever I like."

"My tea is far from 'horrid'..." the Turk said, irritably. Horridly expensive, perhaps... but it was by far his favorite, and not exactly easy to obtain outside of Wutai, as the trees only grew in one very tiny region of the island nation... meaning that the crop was limited. It was pricy in Wutai... but the cost of importing it was utterly ridiculous. He generally had his sister purchase it for him. She then held his prize hostage until he returned home for the cherry blossom festival in the spring.

Rufus snorted softly from behind his menu. "You're right. Horrid is being much too kind." He peered over the top at the menu. "Don't comment on my vices, I won't comment on yours."

"... Fair enough, sir," Tseng conceded, smiling faintly. Rufus was in an almost shockingly good mood today. Far more relaxed than he'd been the past couple of weeks. He suspected it was because the trip to Corel had gone well. Veld had told him that _most_ of the town leaders had been very receptive to the idea of building a mako reactor nearby and the vice president had returned home with solid support for the project from the locals.

"So tell me... has the slum rat managed to get himself into any _further_ trouble in my absence? I haven't missed the opportunity to see him fall afoul of Hojo, yet, have I?"

He shuddered slightly. Professor Hojo, in Tseng's opinion, bordered on unhinged at times. A genius, perhaps, but... notably disconnected from reality. He was also, however, one of the company's most valuable assets. He wasn't looking forward to formally introducing _either_ of the team's rookies to the man. Hojo and the Turks didn't have the best of histories.

"I pray he will _never_ afford you _that_ opportunity, sir," he responded, to which Rufus only laughed.

* * *

Reno tightened his grip on his lover's waist, pulling her firmly against him as she tried to slip out of the bed.

"Mmm... don't go yet," he murmured against her soft skin. Lira giggled and rolled over, looping her arms over his shoulders and pulling him in for a kiss.

"Sorry, sweetie. I gotta be at work in less than an hour... and after _that_ little workout I'm gonna need a shower." She pulled back slightly and grinned at him. "Join me?"

Reno leaned in and stole another kiss, returning the mischievous smile. "Sure... but in a minute. I like just layin' in bed with ya."

She giggled again and nuzzled his chest with her cheek. Her hand crept to the back of his neck, gently fondling his ponytail.

"Ya know... I really like your hair long like this," she purred, and then tugged it slightly. "It's _sexy_."

Reno laughed. "Do me a favor and tell that to Kai. _She_ says it makes me look girly." He cocked his head to one side and stared at her for a moment. "So what's it gonna take to get you to come spend the weekend at _my_ place some time soon?"

"Well, let's see..." Lira began, teasingly, "First, you have to promise me dinner."

"Done," the redhead agreed.

"... That you _didn't_ cook yourself," she added, nipping lightly at his earlobe and reveling in the faint shiver she received in return.

"Pizza it is," Reno declared, grinning. Her hands traveled lazily along his bare skin, making their way down his body at an almost painfully slow pace. Her lips trailed behind them at an even more agonizingly slowly.

" _And_ you have to take me to that zoo you told me about. I wanna see the chocobos..."

Reno groaned... both at the thought of those oversized, phone-chomping turkeys, and at the sensation of Lira's tongue lavishing attention on his left nipple.

"... 'kay."

"And most importantly," Lira began, a sultry smile spreading over her lips for a moment before she ducked beneath the covers. Reno moaned as those lips made contact with an extremely sensitive region of his anatomy, and let his eyes roll back in his head as he enjoyed everything she was doing to him. It abruptly stopped a moment later.

"Most importantly," she repeated, with a laugh, "You have to come and join me in the shower. Right. Fucking. Now."

"If I _gotta_..." he snickered, and let her pull him from the warmth of her bed.

* * *

The streetlights had begun to flicker on overhead by the time Rufus finally called an end to the day's lessons. He still needed a lot more practice, but Tseng was quite impressed that he'd picked it up so quickly. As they made their way back towards the Shinra manor, Tseng at the wheel once more, Rufus stared silently out the window.

"Tseng... May I ask you a serious question?" Rufus suddenly queried, breaking the long silence.

"Always, sir."

"Would you have agreed to this had I not forced you into it?"

"Sir?" he replied, an eyebrow rising. Rufus tore his gaze away from the passing scenery and looked over at the Turk.

"Had it not been a matter of saving that redheaded idiot, would you have done any of this if had I simply requested it?"

Tseng hesitated a moment before answering. "Your father _did_ deny you permission the last time you requested driving lessons, sir," he pointed out.

"That's not an answer."

"I... would likely have refused," he replied, and Rufus nodded, as though that were the answer he'd expected all along, and turned to watch the streetlights passing them by once more. "At least initially," Tseng added.

Rufus glanced back around, a surprised look on his face. The Turk lieutenant laughed softly.

"Provided it's not placing you in danger, I'm not... _entirely_...adverse to bending your father's rules a bit. You may not have noticed, but it's actually quite rare that I outright tell you 'no'. I even allowed you to drive my car today. Even Reno would not receive permission for _that_." He shook his head. "Not the way _he_ drives," he added under his breath. Rufus snickered slightly at that.

"Sir," Tseng continued, "If I may be blunt... you are not in competition with Reno. I don't prefer his company over yours, nor vice versa. And if I seem to be spending less time at your personal service these days, it is simply because my job demands it. It's not meant as a slight against you."

Rufus didn't answer. Instead, he awkwardly looked away. But Tseng did notice some of the tension in his posture ease as he did so.

They exited the freeway, and shortly afterward arrived at the imposing mansion. Rufus slipped out of the car.

"I'll expect you at the same time tomorrow," he said, a faint smirk on his lips. "In _this_ car again."

"Yes, sir," Tseng chuckled.

* * *

It was late by the time Reno made his way back topside. After he'd escorted Lira to work, instead of returning home, he'd spent some time down below.

He'd stopped in to see Wilfred at The Lonely Dragon, for starters. To say that the old bartender was shocked to see him was an understatement. When the redhead had simply stopped showing up for work, he'd assumed the worst. Especially after some of the regulars had reported that _no one_ had seen him around. He'd hung out for awhile, catching up. And drinking. It was nice to be able to get a beer and not have to worry about fake IDs or getting arrested.

The he'd made his way over to Sector 2, as well... mostly just to see what his friend Kel was up to. He didn't find him. His old apartment was occupied by new tenants, and one of the neighbors had informed him as he was leaving that Kel and his mother had moved out shortly after his grandmother had passed away about six months ago. They weren't sure where they'd gone.

Against his better judgment, he'd paid a brief visit to the cemetery while he was there. He didn't like the place... but for some reason, it felt wrong to be down in the slums just screwing around and not say hello. It wasn't as if his mother ever got any _other_ visitors. In the end, it really wasn't as bad as he'd expected. Seeing her reduced to nothing more than a cold stone marker had always been hard for him. But today, it hadn't seemed quite so depressing.

By the time he'd made it back to Wall Market, he was exhausted. He considered just turning up at Lira's place again and spending the night... but she'd been working all afternoon. She was probably just as beat as he was by now, and he didn't want to impose. The train ride up to the Plate was surprisingly relaxing, and he soon arrived in the mako-lit train station in Sector 5.

Reno yawned as he stepped off the train and walked across the station, glancing briefly at the schedule the display board to make sure he had the routes straight. Weekend routes were different from those during the work week, and though he had plenty of experience with them by now, he really didn't want to wind up half asleep in the wrong sector tonight.

He ran his train pass through the scanner at the platform gate for the Yellow Line and took a seat on one of the benches to wait. The station was largely empty. Several platforms away, another train arrived, and a small flood of passengers disembarked. Reno blinked in surprise, wondering where they hell they were all going... until he realized that it was just after midnight. The reactor crews would have just had their shift change. Must have been the second shift going home for the night.

Indeed, most of the passengers quickly made their way out to the street. A handful headed for other platforms, on their way to different parts of the sector or other sectors entirely. No one joined him on the Yellow Line platform. The redhead shrugged. He certainly didn't mind having a train car all to himself.

A few minutes later, his own ride rumbled into the station, and he hopped aboard.

As expected, the car was empty. Reno flopped down and stretched out along the seats under one window, folding his hands behind his head and gazing up at the ceiling. The train started up again and soon he was flying though the tunnels beneath Midgar, bound for home. It wouldn't be a long ride... especially this time of night. There might be a few people getting on or off between here and the station near his apartment, but none of the throngs of people the city's public transportation saw during the day.

He yawned and let his eyes close for a moment, blocking out the harsh fluorescent lighting above him, as he considered what to do with the rest of his weekend. Hell, maybe he'd just spend Sunday doing nothing. He could sleep in 'til noon, order some pizza, play some video games... and be completely un-fucking-productive and lazy. He'd earned it, hadn't he? He'd survived Hell Week.

He grinned at the thought. As nightmarish as it had been, he couldn't help but be a little proud of himself for getting through it. And Tseng had been proud, too. Hearing him say so had felt... good. No one ever had before. Not that he could remember, anyway.

The train made its scheduled stop in midtown Sector 5. Just another fifteen minutes or so, and he'd be home. Someone stepped on board, and the redhead sat up to take a look, one hand instinctively dropping to the weapon holstered on his belt. Not that the trains were particularly dangerous in general... but it _was_ the middle of the night, and he _was_ alone. He wasn't about to get jumped just because he'd gotten too comfortable.

He almost laughed at his own defensiveness when he saw who had joined him. A young... and _very_ pregnant... blonde woman. Judging by the way she waddled over to a seat and awkwardly lowered herself onto it, he didn't think she was going to be much of a threat. She eyed the redhead with some amount of trepidation, likely making the same assessment of danger he'd just done... but didn't say anything. The train started forward again, and she wrapped an arm protectively around her large belly.

A few minutes later, he heard her moan softly.

* * *

Tseng's phone rang late Saturday night... so late, in fact, it was technically Sunday morning and he'd been in bed for hours. He forced his eyes open and rolled over, groping for the device. He noted the caller ID on the screen before answering and sighed. It figured.

"What have you done now and how much trouble are you in?" he asked, running a hand through his hair. Whatever answer he'd been expecting from his young rookie, it certainly wasn't the shrill, pained scream his PHS suddenly emitted. Tseng was instantly wide awake. "Reno?!"

The Turks second-in-command dragged himself to the edge of the bed, nearly tripping over the covers he'd knocked to the floor in his surprise.

"I... uh... Tseng? I got a problem... A really _big_ problem..." the younger man's voice said, trembling slightly. He sounded terrified. The screaming in the background had stopped for the moment, but had been replaced by a loud, keening moan. It sounded like a woman's voice.

"Where are you?"

"The fuckin' train! I was headin' home for the night."

Tseng spared a few seconds to zero in on the bedside clock. "Reno... it's nearly one in the morning..."

"Fuck, _fine_... I was headin' home for the mornin', then! Point is power's out, train's stopped, and I'm stuck in this fuckin' tunnel with –" The teenager was cut off by another scream. Whatever was happening, the woman sounded like she was in pure agony. "... Her. Oh, dear Ifrit... what the hell is that? Uhh... O-okay, wait! Seriously, wait!"

"Reno... calm down, and tell me what's going on," the Turk leader said, concerned. He was already dressing... though he had no idea where he thought he was going to go. If Reno was trapped on one of Midgar's trains, he could be just about anywhere in the city right now, depending on where he'd departed from.

"What's goin' on?! This lady's havin' a kid and I'm the only one in here with her, that's what's fuckin' goin' on!" his rookie replied, the seventeen year old's voice gradually rising a full octave. "Tseng... _help_..." His tone was pleading and desperate... he sounded utterly lost. The senior Turk could hear the woman nearly sobbing. She seemed almost as frightened as Reno did.

"Alright... just relax."

"You're fuckin' kidding, right?" Reno replied, with a slightly manic laugh, "I'm not sure you fully grasp the situation here, boss. There is a _kid_ comin' out of her. Like right _now_."

If the situation hadn't demanded an absolutely serious response, Tseng might have laughed at that statement.

"I'm perfectly aware of where babies come from... Now will you please _try_ to calm down and focus?" He couldn't help feeling just a little hypocritical saying that. Tseng was fairly certain 'calm' wouldn't have been _his_ state of mind in Reno's shoes either. Turks trained for a variety of circumstances... childbirth wasn't one of them.

"Just _tell me what to do_!" he pleaded.

"There's very little you _can_ do besides try and help her through it. Can you see the baby yet?"

"Well, I can see _somethin'_ anyway... Wouldn't swear it's human..."

"Reno... please be serious..." Tseng said, shaking his head. The woman was crying out again.

"Look, I'm tryin' my best here, man... Oh, god... I think... Oh, fuck, it's comin' _out_... Is there s'posed to be blood? 'Cause there's kinda a lot of blood..."

"Just let her push and support the baby's head as you guide it out... Do you have anything to wrap it in?"

"Uh... yeah. Just... H-hang on, I gotta..." There was a soft clatter, and Tseng assumed Reno had been forced to set the phone down. He could still hear him faintly over the mother's cries, talking to her, though it was hard to make out what he was saying. It was several tense minutes before anything changed. Suddenly, the distinct sound of an infant's wail echoed over the line, and Tseng smiled.

"I-it's... um... yeah... There's a kid now," Reno managed, picking the PHS back up, "For the love of Ifrit, Tseng... get someone who knows what there's doin' down here before anything _else_ happens... _Please_..."

"Just sit tight... I'll get ahold of someone who can get you out of there," he replied.

* * *

Reno had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to be doing now. He'd always heard that it took ages for a baby to be born. Hours. Sometimes even a day or more. Apparently this one had been in one hell of a hurry, because it couldn't _possibly_ have been more than fifteen minutes. He glanced down at his hands, which were still coated in a layer of blood and various other fluids and wiped them on his pant legs with a grimace.

The redhead shifted his gaze to the exhausted mother and the squirmy creature nestled in her arms. It was a little girl. He'd never seen something that looked so delicate so close-up before. He'd been utterly terrified of dropping her before he finally managed to get her tiny body wrapped up in his shirt and – rather shakily – hand her off to her mother.

One thing was for sure... he _never_ wanted to see that again. Sure, he known for years what happened when a woman had a kid. You know... more or less. But knowing the basics and watching it happen were two very different things.

'Miracle of childbirth, my ass...' he thought to himself. The whole thing had looked horrifying on _his_ end. And _painful_. He'd seen a lot of things, but he'd had no idea a woman could... _stretch_... like that.

Reno leaned back, still sitting on the floor of the train, and rested his back against one of the seats. He glanced over at the other two occupants.

"S-so... Is she okay?" he ventured, somewhat cautiously. Because if anything else went wrong tonight, he _really_ didn't know how he was gonna handle it.

"I think she's just fine... thanks to you," the woman replied with a tired smile. Reno nodded and closed his eyes, letting his head fall back onto the seat... only to raise it once more at the sound of distant voices. A moment later, he was on his feet, peering out the window into the dark tunnel. He could see lights making their way toward the train from the direction of the upcoming station. Help.

"Oh, thank Shiva..." he breathed.

* * *

Tseng had been waiting patiently at the station for nearly twenty minutes before medical personnel and someone from the transportation department finally managed to restore power and extract the trapped passengers. When the train finally pulled in, he watched as a young woman and a newborn were rolled away on a gurney to a waiting ambulance. It was a few moments more before a very pale... and shirtless... rookie emerged as well. The redhead spotted Tseng and all but ran for him, eyes wide.

"Are you alright?" the senior Turk asked, vaguely amused by the teenager's rather shellshocked expression.

"I'm not sure," the redhead said faintly, and Tseng chuckled. Reno glanced up at him, dazed. "It's a girl..."

"What happened to your shirt?"

"Needed somethin' to wrap her in..." he replied, still staring somewhat blankly. Tseng gently pried the coat his rookie was clinging to out of his hands and draped his over his bare shoulders before guiding him towards the stairs leading up the the street.

"Come on... I think you need to go home and go to bed."

" _I_ think I need a drink first."

"We'll see," he replied, smiling indulgently.

When they reached the top of the stairs, the rookie paused, fixing his mentor with a very serious look.

"Never again, man. This shit ever happens again, _you're_ dealin' with it... Not me. I do _not_ need to see that shit a _second_ time. _Ever_. Did you know that _more_ shit comes out _after_ the kid? 'Cause I sure as fuck didn't. Looks like a goddamn murder scene in there..."

Tseng laughed softly and led the somewhat traumatized rookie toward his waiting car.

~end chapter 46~


	47. Oops

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 47: Oops...**

 **by Desha**

"So can ya do it?" the redhead asked in a hushed, conspiratorial tone, the grin on his face widening. Sato smirked.

"'Course I can," he replied, "Just gimme a few days ta put her tagether fer yeh."

" _Awesome_... Best prize _ever_." He handed over the small envelope – the very one he'd received the morning after the Christmas party – and hurried back to his own office. He'd been holding onto it for over a month now, debating how to make use of his prize... and, more importantly, _who_ to use it _on_.

His first instinct had been Rufus, of course. It had been ages since he'd pulled any kind of prank on the obnoxious executive. After Hell Week, and his run-in with Heidegger, the last thing he wanted to do was run afoul of anyone on the board of directors again, but the vice president was _such_ a pain in the ass. Apparently he'd suckered Tseng into letting him drive his car. For an entire weekend. His mentor had preemptively forbidden him from mentioning his own little joyride in the tricked out automobile... and Rufus hadn't been the least bit shy about lording his supposed triumph over him. It was infuriating.

But... what he presently had in mind would inevitably be traceable back to Sato, and he didn't want to get anyone _else_ in trouble for the sake of a stupid joke, so he'd quickly dismissed the Shinra heir as a target. For now.

The idea of pulling something on Tseng was just as quickly abandoned. While the Wutaiian Turk would probably find it amusing in the end, Reno was fairly certain he'd still get in a shitload of trouble for it. Besides which... he'd put Tseng through enough lately. It needed to be someone deserving of the prank.

That someone had presented themselves Friday afternoon.

He and Rude had made plans to check out a new activity center that had recently opened. Trampolines, climbing walls, bungee jumping, zip-line racing... all in a convenient indoor arena over in Sector 8. Reno had been looking forward to it all _week_. And the son of a bitch had canceled on him just hours before they'd gotten off work on Friday. Apparently _Margaret_ had unexpectedly invited him for a weekend in Kalm.

And honestly, he _could_ have let it go. He really could have. Since Christmas, Rude had been really good about not pulling that shit on him anymore. The redhead could forgive accepting a last minute invite for a romantic weekend. Hell, if _he'd_ been in that position, he might have done the same thing. But it was the smug, smarmy look of triumph on Margaret's face when she'd stopped by Rude's apartment to commandeer him on Friday night, as well – putting their plans on hold a seconds time – that had clinched it for him. She hadn't outright said it... but Reno was more than capable of reading between the lines. She'd _known_ they had planned to go to Sector 8 tomorrow and purposefully muscled him out.

Margaret... didn't like him. He was well aware of _that_ fact. At first, he'd just thought it was because he pulled Rude's attention away from her. But the more time he spent in her company – which, admittedly, wasn't much since she tended to make things awkward when the _did_ all hang out together, even when Reno brought his own date – the more he was convinced that it ran a little deeper than that. And when he'd heard her call him a 'slum rat' under her breath at one point, he was all but certain of it.

And even _that_ he could live with. She seemed to make his friend happy, and he wasn't about to get in the way of that. But he didn't appreciate her intentionally trying to stop Rude from spending time with him. That was taking things too goddamn far.

And that was why, come Monday morning, the redhead had furtively waited for Saya to head off on her own before slipping into the office she shared with her cousin, and presenting Sato with the little certificate he'd given the rookie as a prize once he'd sobered up on Christmas morning and declared him the winner.

"Outta curiosity, who'd gonna be on the receivin' end?" Sato snickered.

Reno's grin widened. "I'd tell ya... but then I'd have ta kill ya," he joked. The Mideelian Turk laughed.

"I'd like ta see yeh try, yeh little misfit..."

* * *

"Hey."

Reno dropped into the seat next to Rude, and leaned back.

"Hey. Good weekend?"

Rude flashed him a slight grin. "You could say that," he replied, "... Sorry again about –"

"Quiet down," Veld said, cutting the rookies' conversation short as he strode purposefully into the briefing room. "I have news."

Every Turk in the room immediately turned their attention on the leader, curious about what was so important.

"It was a long time coming," he began, "but Heidegger has _finally_ approved the new Junon division of the Turks." The announcement set off an excited murmuring amongst those present, but Veld hurried to regain their focus again. "And, I'm sure it comes as no surprise, Remy will be heading it." He turned his gaze on Remy and smiled faintly. "Congratulations."

Remy blinked in surprise, apparently too shocked to speak. Tres clapped her on the back, grinning widely.

"'Bout damn time," he said. The others quickly joined in congratulating her until Veld motioned for them to calm down once more.

"As _such_... We're going to need to _fill_ those new ranks. I certainly don't intend any of you to relocate permanently. Unless, of course, you'd like to volunteer. The ultimate goal is to have two new rookies join Remy's team. Now... obviously, I can't just ship them off to Junon and expect her to turn them into Turks all her own... so we'll _all_ be working on a revolving schedule for awhile. Remy will be in Junon on a semi-permanent basis, of course, but we'll also be rotating two Turks from Midgar for a week at a time to Junon to staff the new division."

Kai clapped her hands together excitedly. "New Turklings?!"

Veld, chuckled slightly. "Yes, Kai. New Turklings. Evaluations are under way as we speak and Tseng and I should be making our final decision in about two weeks."

The diminutive Turk squealed gleefully in Reno's ear. "Finally! You two have gotten _so_ boring lately..." she teased, ruffling the redhead's hair. Reno glared at her. "Oh, quit pouting. You can't stay a baby Turkling forever you know," she added, with a smirk.

"Tch... If this means you'll _finally_ quit callin' me 'baby Turkling', bring 'em on," he shot back.

Kai giggled maniacally and pinched his cheek. "Never gonna happen, my little baby Turkling. You're _still_ going to be the youngest, I bet."

"Thought you just said I can't stay a Turkling forever," he muttered, annoyed, and jerked his face away from her grip, scowling.

"Any chance you're going to tell us who's on the shortlist?" Luca piped up, interrupting the little feud before it could escalate. Veld shook his head.

"Not just yet. Rest assured that all of the candidates we're considering are exceptionally well-qualified, and I'm confident that any one of them will be an excellent addition to our ranks," he replied, "But... that's a matter for another day. For now, we have work to do. Assignments..."

* * *

"Ahhhh!"

Reno landed with a thud, flat on his back, several feet away from where he'd been standing just moments ago. He sat up with a groan and rubbed his shoulder.

"Fuck, Remy... I know you're excited 'bout the promotion 'n all, but take it easy, will ya?"

"Take it easy? Your hand to hand score for Hell Week was abysmal. You need to be pushed harder... not coddled. We've got two new rookies coming in from the recruitment program, with all the training that entails, and you should be _at least_ at their level by now. Now get up."

The redhead staggered to his feet and prepared to defend himself against her next attack.

"They can't be _that_ much better than me," he snorted, and dodged to the right... only to be creamed by his opponent's fist from the opposite direction. Remy smirked.

"From what I've heard, one of the candidates being considered trained with the pagoda masters of Wutai. And at least two others hold black belts in various other martial arts," she replied, and swept his legs out from under him, sending the rookie to the mat again. "Unlike _you_ , most Turks don't come in with zero experience. You've been here nearly a year now, and you're still playing catch up."

"Ouch," Reno replied from the floor. Remy snorted softly.

"Oh, please... I didn't hit you _that_ hard."

"Tch... No, but that comment sure as fuck hurt," he muttered, picking himself up again. He sighed, dejectedly. "Come on, Remy... Ya think I don't _know_ I'm no match for the rest of you guys? I know _exactly_ how much I suck. I get reminded of it every time one of you kicks my ass in here. I'm _tryin'_ to learn... but... I'm not a natural like the rest of you."

The senior Turk paused for a moment, a sympathetic expression settling over her features. "Reno... I didn't mean –"

Without warning, the redhead surged forward, ducking past her lowered defenses, and knocked her onto her back. A moment later, he had her pinned.

" _Reno_!"

The rookie snickered. "Like I said. Fightin' doesn't come naturally to me. Doesn't mean I can't pull one over on ya once in awhile, though. Playin' dirty has its advantages." He let her up, grinning smugly as she glowered at him. A moment later, she smiled.

"Not bad. But you still need to learn how to take down someone who's trying to kill you head-on. Now let's see if you can do that again. _Without_ manipulating me into feeling sorry for you, this time."

"If I pin ya again, can I go to lunch early?" he asked, still grinning.

"You may," Remy agreed, and then smirked. "But if you can't, we continue practice _through_ lunch and then you can eat at your desk while you fill out requisition forms for me. With the promotion, I suddenly have a lot of them."

"... Hold on. If I win, I get a lousy twenty extra minutes of down time. If _you_ win I'm your office slave for half the afternoon? How the fuck is _that_ fair?" the redhead asked, eying her challengingly.

"Consider it motivation to improve your performance," Remy chuckled.

* * *

Reno flexed his fingers, working out the stiffness that had settled into the muscles of his hand and wrist. When Remy had said she had a lot of requisitions, she hadn't been kidding. Worse, she kept making him redo them when she judged his handwriting to be 'unacceptable'. He'd been starting to feel like he was seven again, and back in that cramped little classroom at the orphanage. But at least Remy didn't make a habit of smacking his knuckles with a ruler when his work was sub-par, like he'd endured as a child.

"By the way," the senior Turk said, as she collected his latest pile of forms, "Tseng was unexpectedly called to Fort Condor. He asked me to take over for him after lunch as well."

The rookie groaned. Today was flight simulator day. The last time he'd done that under Remy's supervision, she'd rigged the program so that he'd do nothing but crash.

"Will I actually get off the ground this time? Or are you just gonna set the thing to explode on takeoff?"

She laughed and shook her head. "If you can't take as good as you give, then I suggest you behave yourself."

Reno glanced up at her incredulously. "Tch... Why do you think I haven't tried to pull anything on ya _since_ then? If one little comment at the morning briefing gets me put through all _that_ , I'd hate to see what you'd do to me if I actually played a prank on you... I kinda _enjoy_ havin' all my limbs still attached to my body."

"Good. Keep that thought in mind and they'll remain so," she smirked. "I'll finish these up. Go take a break. We'll head up to the simulator in fifteen minutes."

"Oh, thank Ifrit. Thought my hand was gonna fall off..." he muttered, hurrying to get to his feet and out the door before she could change her mind. He drifted down the hallway towards the lounge, where he found Shay stretched out on the couch. The rookie and quickly gravitated towards the coffee pot on the table near the back wall.

"Rough day?" he asked, as he poured a cup and doused the drink with sugar.

"Not _yet_. I'm just taking advantage of a lull in my schedule to prepare myself for tonight. Stake out duty," the other Turk sighed, "With Remy."

Reno snickered and joined him a moment later.

"Heh... Have fun with that."

"'Fun' isn't the word I'd use," he replied, blandly. "But I do have to admit... I'm going to miss having her around. I mean... I'm happy for her and all. She's _really_ wanted this command posting for a long time now. But with her down in Junon, we're hardly going to get to see her anymore."

"Yeah..." Reno sighed. "Hey... I've been meanin' to ask. Why _is_ Remy so big on this whole promotion thing, anyway? Seems like she's been waitin' for it since before Tseng even recruited me."

Shay grinned. "That's because she _has_ been. She and Aaron _both_ wanted it. But then... well, we lost Aaron, so we were down a Turk, and Heidegger kept dragging his feet on the approval, and... I think Remy was probably starting to think it was never going to happen," he said, "Remy's in sort of an awkward position. She desperately wants the chance to prove herself as a leader, but command jobs are pretty limited in the Turks... and the position of Second is already filled. About the only way she'd ever have a shot at promotion without the Junon division is if _Tseng_ were promoted first. And the only way _that'd_ happen is if something happened to Veld."

"... Which is somethin' _none_ of us would ever actually _hope_ for," Reno said with a nod of understanding.

"Exactly. So... yeah. She's pretty happy about this. It's kind of been her dream since she was a rookie," Shay replied, and snickered softly, "But... um... just between you and me, I'm glad it's the new rookies that are going to be down there with her once it gets going. As much as I love her, I don't think I would last long with Remy on my case twenty-four seven."

Reno grinned. "Yeah... I know what you mean. I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to live up to her standard of what a Turk should be... but at least here, I only have to hear about it in the training hall."

* * *

By mid-week, the initial excitement over Monday's announcement had died down a bit, as more immediate concerns took precedence. Reno had been tapped for interrogation duty with Tres and Rude for most of the time he wasn't training. He didn't see much of Tseng until Wednesday when they unexpectedly had another round of simulator training. It was a little rare that he got into the thing twice in one week. The simulator was on Soldier's floors and required their director's permission to access.

"So... what's the deal?" the redhead asked as they made their way back upstairs afterwards. Tseng chuckled quietly.

"The 'deal' is that the weather is beginning to improve. The daytime temperatures are already rising and in a few more weeks there won't even be any snow left on the ground. I wanted you to reach your minimum required simulator time," he replied, "Which you just _have_."

Reno blinked. "W-wait... Minimum for what?" he asked, hoping that the answer was what he _thought_ it was.

"The minimum required to be allowed to move on to the real thing," Tseng stated, smiling. "We start next week."

" _Seriously_?! I get to _actually_ fly?!"

Tseng laughed at the downright giddy response.

"... Provided you don't simply explode from the sheer level of excitement first... Yes."

" _YES_!" the redhead whooped, just as the elevator doors opened. The small crowd that was gathered, waiting to board, collectively jumped, startled, and opted to wait for the next elevator. Reno giggled somewhat madly as the doors slide shut again.

"And provided you're not placed on a psych hold before then," Tseng snickered. A short ride later, they were stepping out into the hallway on the Turks' floor. Reno was still grinning as they made their way towards the lounge. As they approached, the door opened, and Saya and Sato exited, arguing between themselves.

"I dunnae _care_. Yer not bringin' any more of yer half-arsed contraptions inta the apartment! We're bloody lucky the whole block hasn't been blown sky high as it is."

"Aw, yer a right pain in the arse. I'm just storin' 'em temporarily," Sato replied, rolling his eyes. Saya snorted in contempt.

"Oh, _temporarily_ , eh? Temporarily like that bloody still o' yers yeh were goin' ta 'relocate' soon as yeh found a place fer it? The one that's _still_ in the Odin-be-damned bathroom almost a two years after I told yeh ta get rid of it?

Sato scoffed loudly and stomped off in the direction of their office.

"Don't yeh go turnin' yer back on me! It's _my_ bloody home, too, yeh know... and I'm sick of worryin' that I'm goin' ta step on a goddamn landmine every time I get up in the mornin'! No. More. Explosives."

"Bah..." Sato muttered with a dismissive wave, before disappearing around the corner. Saya looked utterly livid.

"What's he done _now_?" Tseng sighed. The Mideelian Turk spun to face them, apparently only then realizing anyone else was there at all. She shook her head in disgust.

"I've asked him again and again... Stop bringin' home shite that's goin' ta blow us up. But does that little rat bastard ever pay me any mind? O' course not. Yeh mark my words, Tseng... one o' these days we're goin' ta get a call that Sector 2 has been wiped clean off the face o' the planet, and I guarantee yeh, ground zero'll be our apartment. Soon as I find someplace decent, I'm movin' out on my own."

Tseng frowned slightly. "... Perhaps it's time for a bit of an intervention in this matter. Come with me. We'll go and speak to Veld." He glanced over at the rookie. "And I believe _you_ are expected on the gauntlet in a few minutes. I wouldn't keep Kai waiting. You know how she gets."

"Yeah, I know," the redhead sighed. The last time he'd been late for one of Kai's training sessions on that damned obstacle course, she'd made him run it in his underwear. Which, up until the shooting gallery at the end, hadn't been all that big of a deal. The lack of padding when those Ifrit-forsaken balls started hitting him, though... He shuddered.

Tseng and Saya turned and walked off in the direction of the Turk leader's office. The redhead, meanwhile, moved to make a quick side trip into the lounge to see if there was any coffee left before his scheduled torture session... only to whirl back around when something small and hard smacked against the back of his head. He spun back, eyes narrowed in annoyance, and spotted Sato lurking at the end of the hall, grinning. Reno glanced down at his feet and saw a small bolt on the floor. He picked it up and stormed over to him.

"What the fuck'd ya do that f– " he began, only to be shushed by the senior Turk.

"Don't yeh go drawin' attention, yeh daft idiot. Yeh want 'em ta come back and catch yeh with this?" Sato said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a short plastic tube with a fuse dangling from one end. Reno's frown immediately turned to a grin that matched Sato's. His Christmas party prize. One free explosive, customized to his specifications. He took the device, looking it over.

"Yeh said yeh wanted somethin' nice 'n loud... Well, they'll hear _this_ clean over in Kalm if the wind's blowin' right," Sato chuckled.

"It's _just_ gonna make a lot of noise, though... Right? It's not gonna destroy half the city..."

The older Turk snorted in derisive laughter. "Yeh've been listenin' ta that cousin o' mine bitchin' about me too much. Just yeh trust me. I know what I'm doin'," he replied, and then paused. "But, eh... if yer plannin' on lightin' it _inside_ yeh might wanna open the windows first. Concussion from the blast won't hurt the room, but it _might_ shatter glass."

"Gotcha," Reno said in acknowledgment. "Thanks Sato!"

"Heh... Lemme know how it goes." With that, he gave him a wave and hurried off towards his office. Reno quickly tucked the device into his jacket and raced off to stow it in his desk before reporting to the gauntlet.

* * *

Friday evening couldn't come soon enough. Reno was practically bouncing off the walls in anticipation as the minutes ticked down. Rude had been more than a little curious what had his friend so excited, but the redhead had dismissed it as nothing more than having a hot date combined with the prospect of getting to pilot something _other_ than a virtual aircraft starting next week. The other rookie had bought it. They'd parted ways in the lobby of their apartment building just barely an hour ago, and Reno had spent the last several minutes quietly moving furniture off to the periphery of his living room.

Not that he didn't _trust_ Sato... but if the damn thing could potentially shatter windows, he really didn't want to see what it might do if he set it off six inches from his TV.

"And now, we wait," Reno snickered quietly as he settled himself on the couch.

Sato's timing couldn't have been more perfect. Rude had told him Margaret was coming over for dinner tonight... and that almost _always_ meant she was planning on staying the night. All Reno had to do was be patient.

In a decidedly fortunate twist of fate, Reno's apartment was directly over Rude's... just reversed. His living room capped Rude's bedroom. And said bedroom was the eager redhead's target tonight. He laughed softly to himself as he studied Sato's little creation. He hoped it was as loud as the demolitions expert claimed. If it was, it was gonna scare the _crap_ out of both of them.

Sure, Rude was probably gonna kick the shit out of him on Monday for interrupting his evening... but it'd be worth it for a little minor revenge on Margaret. And he and Rude would have a good laugh about it later, he was sure. A knock at his door interrupted his musings, and Reno hurried to answer it. As he opened it, he was met by the mouth watering aroma of fresh pizza.

"Seventeen fifty," the delivery guy stated.

"Keep the change," the rookie, said, handing him a twenty and relieving him of his burden. Pizza... and a prank. What more could a guy ask for?

* * *

Reno plucked a piece of pepperoni off of his shirt and popped it in his mouth before reaching for the box. His fingers encountered nothing but cardboard, and he swore softly under his breath as he sat up.

"... _Knew_ I shoulda got three..." he sighed. He'd been alternating between munching on pepperoni and sausage and listening intently with his ear pressed against the carpeted floor for any sounds from below for a couple of hours now. It was going on nine o'clock, and whatever Rude and Margaret were up to, they weren't up to it in the bedroom. He was starting to wonder if they'd decided the couch was just as good as the bed and were going at it in the other room instead. Fuck knows _he'd_ been known to do that on more than one occasion.

If so, he'd have to put his plans on hold. He supposed he could have set it off anyway... but it just wouldn't have the same oh-god-the-building-is-collapsing, shit-your-pants-terrifying _boom_ he was hoping for if it wasn't directly above them. And no way in hell was he putting his waterbed at risk, setting it off in his room.

On a whim, he dropped to the floor one more time, holding his breath as he listened for any sounds from below... and grinned evilly when he heard faint, muffled laughter.

"Yes!" he whispered, and crept as silently as he could over to the kitchen counter where Sato's little noise-maker was sitting. He set it on top of the now-empty pizza box on the floor in the center of the room and waited. He'd give them a little while to really get into it, and then...

Reno snickered quickly and pulled a silver cigarette lighter out of his pocket. It had been Lira's Christmas gift to him, and he'd quickly found that he much preferred it to matches. He kept it with him constantly, now.

After about ten minutes, he decided the pair had had plenty of time to get comfortable. He flipped open the lighter and lit the fuse before retreating across the room, to the kitchen, and plugging his ears. A mischievous smile spread over his lips as he watched it slowly burn down towards the tube, before disappearing through the small hole drilled in one end.

And then... Nothing.

Reno groaned. Just his luck, it'd be a dud. Apparently Sato's boasts of 'knowing what he was doing' were a little exaggerated. He sighed in disappointment and took a step towards it.

Which was went the damn thing finally went off the the loudest _boom_ the redhead had ever heard in his life. The shock wave knocked him on his ass with a crash that was drowned out by the reverberating sound of the explosion, and sent several of the smaller pieces of furniture he hadn't bothered to move tumbling end over end. The windows, along with the sliding glass door leading to the balcony were immediately blown out and smoke was rising from the center of the blast zone.

Dazed, Reno staggered to his feet, shaking his head in an attempt to rid himself of the ringing in his ears. He winced as he took in the destruction.

"Yep... I'm in trouble," he sighed, looking down at the large burnt section of carpet. He could see the wooden flooring underneath, and even _it_ looked scorched. He glanced upwards and spotted matching burn marks on the ceiling. He was going to have one hell of a time explaining this to his landlord.

The redhead stepped forward and smothered a bit of smoldering carpet under his shoe. As he did, he heard an ominous creak. Before he could even _consider_ reacting, he was falling. He landed with a loud thump on something soft as bits of wood and plaster showered down on him. Coughing slightly in the dust cloud, he hesitantly looked up... at the six foot wide hole above him that looked into his apartment.

Suddenly, he heard a scream mere inches from his right ear.

"... _Reno_!?" a voice angrily demanded from his left, and the rookie Turk's attention snapped back to his more immediate surroundings. Rude was glaring at him, a look of barely repressed rage in his eyes. It took him a moment to realize that he'd landed directly in between his friend and his guest. In their bed. Margaret was clinging tightly to the sheets, doing her best to cover herself.

"... Uh... Heh. In the mood for a threesome?" Reno asked, forcing a laugh. He... was _pretty_ sure Rude was going to kill him. Painfully.

Rude pulled himself from the wreckage of his bed, seized his friend by the collar of his shirt, and frog marched him out of the bedroom, through the living room, and straight to the door.

"Get out," he demanded, before shoving him bodily into the hallway.

"Rude, man, I'm _really_ –" The door slammed in his face. "... sorry."

Reno groaned loudly and made his way over to the elevator, hoping that once Rude calmed down a little he'd let him apologize before he murdered him. Hopefully, he'd wait until _after_ the redhead murdered Sato first.

"Noise-maker my ass," Reno grumbled as the elevator carried him upstairs. "Asshole coulda _killed_ us with that thing!"

He stepped out onto his floor and cringed as he heard the sound of sirens fast approaching. As he reached his apartment, he found his door unlocked and standing open, and hesitantly peered inside... only to find one _very_ irate landlord there holding a recently discharged fire extinguisher, and waiting for him. The man's eyes narrowed at him.

" _You_..." he hissed. "What did you _do_?"

"... Uh..." Reno stammered. He was saved from having to answer by the sudden arrival of several firemen and police officers. The redhead shook his head. "... I'm not gettin' my security deposit back after this, am I..."

His landlord turned to the police as the firemen made their way into the room to see to the still-smoking furniture.

"I want him arrested," he demanded. "I'm pressing charges. Destruction of property, attempted murder, whatever you can throw at him!" He glowered at the redhead. "Consider _that_ your eviction notice, you little slum rat!"

"W-wait... You're throwin' me out?!" Reno stammered as the police officers forced his arms behind his back and snapped a pair of handcuffs on him. He wasn't _entirely_ sure why he found the idea so surprising. Maybe because he'd come to believe that Turks were largely above the law. After all... none of his _previous_ arrests had ever resulted in anything worse than a slightly annoyed Tseng.

He received no answer as he was led away and unceremoniously stuffed into the back of a police car. He glanced back at the building and spotted Rude and Margaret looking out from one of the windows, watching the spectacle as a small crowd gathered in the parking lot. Reno sank down in the seat, and closed his eyes as he wondered how in the _hell_ this had ever seemed like an even remotely good idea.

~end chapter 47~


	48. Ups and Downs

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 48: Ups and Downs**

 **by Desha**

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _In resp_ _onse to a comment on the previous chapter... yes, this story is AU to everything but the original game (and Advent Children, more or less)._ _I started writing the original Taking Care of Reno LONG before Crisis Core and Before Crisis Core came out, so I had to largely fill in that information based on the trailers and character profiles available at the time. It wasn't intended to be more than a few chapters long back then. And then we ended up with the Compilation filling in a ton of backstory that conflicted with a lot of what I'd written, so I opted to stick with my personal head-cannon instead of scraping it and starting over. :)_

* * *

Reno's hands curled around the bars of his cell, and he watched nervously as his jailer escorted a familiar figure down the corridor. The pair came to an abrupt halt outside of his cage.

"Tseng, I –"

"I don't even want to hear it right now. I didn't get home until nearly ten. I'm exhausted and _very_ angry at the moment. You can explain this idiocy in the morning," the Wutaiian swiftly cut him off. The police sergeant unlocked the door, releasing the redhead into his guardian's custody, and Tseng firmly gripped him by the elbow, marching him out of the station.

Reno remained silent until they were on the freeway.

"... So I should probably tell ya that I got evicted..." he said, and then flinched as if expecting a physical blow.

"I'm aware."

"... And that I kinda destroyed half of _Rude's_ apartment, too."

Tseng said nothing. He simply took the turnoff into Sector 1, and Reno easily recognized the route back to the Turk lieutenant's apartment.

"I'm grounded for life, aren't I..."

Tseng sighed as they pulled up to a stop light, and roughly pinched the bridge of his nose. "We will discuss this in the _morning_ , Reno. I spent most of the afternoon and this evening personally evaluating the hand to hand combat skills of _sixteen_ potential new recruits. It has been a _very_ long day for me and I simply don't have the energy right now."

Reno guiltily sank down in his seat and didn't say a word for the remainder of the trip. When they reached Tseng's apartment, he followed him inside.

"Go and clean up and then some sleep," Tseng said, "I'll see you in the morning."

"... 'Kay." Reno headed off towards Tseng's bathroom. He could feel the itchy plaster dust still clinging to his skin, and a shower sounded pretty good to him at the moment. Still, though... he was uneasy. Normally, when Tseng was angry with him, he made it known. Tonight, his mentor seemed subdued almost to the point of disinterest. Even if it was just because he was tired, it was unnerving, and he couldn't help but worry that maybe he'd finally crossed a line.

Back when he was a kid, the worst little shits in Sector 2 weren't kids like _him_ – the ones with no one looking out for them... They were the ones who's parents let them get away with anything; who just didn't give a crap what their obnoxious little hellspawn got up to. He remembered Kel's mother telling him once that she felt sorry for them... because _most_ of them did it in a misguided attempt to get just a little bit of attention. But their parents had already put up with so much from them, they were beyond caring by that point.

He suddenly understood how those kids must have felt... because the idea of Tseng suddenly considering him too far gone to even bother yelling at him inexplicably terrified him.

He stepped into the shower, rinsing the grime from his skin and hair, and forcibly dismissed the thought. He _had_ to stop thinking the worst every time something went wrong. Sure... he knew he could be a pain in the ass sometimes. But Tseng was like... the most patient person on the planet.

Still... his latest fuck up _was_ pretty bad. He didn't think it _quite_ came to the same level as what had happened with Heidegger, but... it was definitely up there. And if Tseng hadn't called it quits over _that_ mess, he wasn't going to do so over a little thing like blowing up an apartment. Right?

Rude, though... _he_ might still kill him. Reno had a feeling it was gonna take a whole lot of effort – and possibly some begging, pleading, and bribery – to get off of his friend's shit list. Not that he could exactly blame him. The redhead hadn't just fucked up his evening. He'd obliterated his ceiling... and fuck only knew how much other damage he'd done to the apartment. And his friend's relationship. He was just lucky no one had gotten hurt.

He sighed as he let the water wash over him. There wasn't a damn thing he could do tonight. Hell, he didn't even have his PHS at the moment to call Rude and apologize. It was – at least he hoped it was... he hadn't exactly had a lot of time to survey the full extent of the damage to his _own_ place, after all – still sitting on the kitchen counter in his former apartment. And that was assuming Rude was even speaking to him at the moment. On second thought, maybe it was betterhe _didn't_ have his phone. Getting screamed at, either by Rude or by his girlfriend, wasn't likely to help much.

At last, he twisted the faucet handles and shut off the water. The redhead dried himself down and trudged off towards his room for the night... and groaned softly as he realized that he was, essentially, homeless. Hopefully Tseng wasn't so peeved with him that he'd kick him out before he found a new apartment. Reno shut off the light and flopped naked into the bed, dragging the covers over himself, suddenly feeling very tired.

"You are a _fucking_ idiot, Reno..." he muttered to himself.

* * *

It was still dark when the redhead woke to the sensation of a hand stroking his hair. He gasped softly, eyes going wide as he looked around the darkened room, his heart pounding in his chest, pleading words still on his lips. He swallowed, his throat abnormally dry, as he realized that he wasn't where he'd thought he was.

"Reno?"

His half-awake gaze finally focused on the source of the gentle touch, and he blinked several times, trying to clear the sleep from his vision.

"Are you alright?"

He breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, not quite able to formulate a coherent sentence just yet. Tseng was frowning thoughtfully at his bedside, a vague look of concern in his eyes. Reno groaned internally as he realized what must have happened.

Just a moment ago, he was being collectively – and brutally – reamed out by Rude, Margaret, Veld... and an assortment of other familiar faces. The only one _not_ screaming at him had been Tseng, and only because the Wutaiian Turk had turned his back on him and walked away despite the rookie's desperate pleas for him not to go.

A dream. A _nightmare_. One that, not unexpectedly, had seemed entirely too real. His dreams _always_ felt real. Most of the time, it was quite enjoyable... except when they turned less than pleasant. And of course, it just figured that he'd managed to wake up the _real_ Tseng, to boot.

"... Sorry," the rookie eventually managed to murmur, looking away.

The worried frown remained firmly in place as the Wutaiian Turk turned his ward's face back towards him. Tseng shook his head and sighed.

"I really should know better by now than to let matters like this lie until morning where you're concerned..." His fingers trailed along the redhead's cheek for a moment. "Though, as far as that goes, I would hope that _you_ know me well enough by now to realize that I'm not about to reject you. Incidentally... you talk in your sleep."

Reno could feel an uncomfortable heat rising in his cheeks in the darkness, more than a little embarrassed considering what he recalled calling out after his mentor in the dream, but a moment later relaxed a bit and leaned into the touch.

"You are _indeed_ in trouble, however," Tseng continued, "and we _will_ be discussing your transgression in excruciating detail after we've both gotten some sleep. For now, though, just rest. There's no need to worry yourself to the point of nightmares."

Tseng untangled the teen from the sheets, and carefully smoothed the covers out over him, tucking them tightly around him. He let his hand rest on Reno's chest for a moment.

"Go back to sleep."

The redhead's eyelids seemed to weigh a ton, and he found himself complying with Tseng's command in spite of the strong desire to do the exact opposite. He was asleep again well before his mentor left his side.

* * *

Tseng could have kicked himself... had he not been so dead on his feet. He stayed, unmoving, crouched beside the rookie's bedside until he was absolutely certain he was asleep again, and then silently crept out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

He was a little surprised Reno had woken him at all. Tseng had been out as soon as his head had hit the pillow, and had expected to remain so until well after sunrise. He'd been more than a little mystified when he'd found himself awake barely two hours later. He hadn't even been entirely sure what had roused him. He was only aware of the impossible to ignore need to check on his ward.

He'd found him tangled in the sheets, fingers twisted into the fabric of his blanket, tormented by his dreams, and begging him in a quietly desperate voice not to go.

Tseng had wasted no time in waking the teenager... though he was surprised at how difficult it had been. Normally, it took almost nothing to jar the young man from a sound sleep. Whatever he was experiencing in his slumber, however, seemed to have had a strong grip on him.

The Turk lieutenant sighed and climbed back into his own bed. He'd overestimated the confidence his ward had gained over the past several months. It was a little disheartening to realize that Reno still harbored such doubts... though, in retrospect, his own behavior tonight might have contributed to that. Rookies needed a great deal of attention and occasional hand-holding even at the best of times. Reno had the added burden of having already been utterly unwanted and abandoned by virtually everyone who'd ever been in a position to be responsible for him. That was, Tseng suddenly realized, something that could take a person _years_ to move past completely. Simply being told that his life was different now and expecting that to be enough to undo a lifetime of neglect was... unforgivably naïve on Tseng's part.

A part of him wondered if these incidents were Reno's way of proving to himself – albeit probably on an entirely subconscious level – that his life _was_ different now and he wasn't disposable to Tseng or any _other_ Turk.

Another part of him wondered if, perhaps, in his exhausted state, he was over-analyzing his young ward, and it was just the somewhat irresponsible mindset common to teenagers that was to blame. Regardless of the truth of the matter, he resolved to pay more attention to the cues of distress, which in hindsight were rather obvious, that Reno tended to exhibit in such situations.

But for now... he desperately needed to sleep.

* * *

The following morning, Reno woke long after the sun was already up. He found clean sweats folded neatly on top of the dresser for him, and realized that Tseng must have left them there sometime that morning. He was relatively sure they hadn't been there last night. He sighed as he slipped into the fresh clothes and yawned before quietly making his way out of his room.

Last night had been... less than restful. His first nightmare hadn't been the only dream he'd had, though those that followed hadn't been nearly as bad. By the time he'd awoken, however, he was half-convinced that the conversation he'd had with his mentor was among them. He cautiously stepped into the kitchen, finding the senior Turk enjoying his breakfast.

"You made the morning paper," he commented as Reno approached, and offered him the document, open to one of the interior pages. The article made note of the police response to an explosion in Sector 5. The redhead cringed as he skimmed through it. "Sit down," Tseng added, his tone leaving absolutely no room to disobey. Reno sat.

"It was just s'posed to be a joke. On Rude. I was just tryin' to freak him out a little. Sato said it'd just make a lot of noise. It wasn't s'posed to... ya know... _actually_ blow shit up," he said, preemptively explaining before Tseng had to go to the trouble of asking. 

"Hmm... I suppose _that_ answers my _next_ question, as well. I was _wondering_ where you got your hands on a bomb. It seems the conversation Saya and I had with Veld on Friday regarding Sato's inappropriate use of explosives was a bit overdue. Just what did you tell him it was for?"

"... I didn't really get into specifics," Reno admitted. "I just told him I wanted to play a prank on someone and I needed somethin' that'd make a lot of noise but wouldn't be... er... dangerous."

Tseng sighed in exasperation. "And I expect he made little to no effort to dissuade you."

"Well... no. But it was my prize."

"Prize?" the senior Turk asked, an eyebrow rising.

"Ya know... from the Christmas party. That's what was in the envelope he gave me. It said it was good for one free 'Custom Sato Special'."

The Wutaiian Turk stared at him for a moment. " _That_ is what that _lunatic_ considers an appropriate gift for a seventeen year old!?" he groaned in disbelief. He shook his head, as though trying to come to grips with an idea so moronic it defied all logic and common sense. Reno gave him a few more seconds to ponder their fellow-Turk's sanity before asking the question that was at the forefront of his thoughts.

"... So... how mad at me _are_ you?"

"Not as mad as I would probably be _justified_ in being," the Turk lieutenant said with a sigh, "Your recent run-in with Heidegger puts this in a slightly different perspective for me than it might be viewed otherwise," he replied, "Even so... I'm certainly not pleased. And you _will_ be punished, beginning with spending your weekend cleaning up the mess in Rude's apartment as best you can and replacing anything that can't be salvaged. I've already spoken to him. He's expecting you after lunch."

"How mad is _Rude_?" the redhead hesitantly queried, dreading the answer.

Tseng shook his head, smiling faintly. "It's difficult to say... though I _didn't_ get the impression that he has plans to immediately eviscerate you."

"Heh... maybe not _immediately_. He'll probably let me clean shit up first. _Then_ he'll kill me. Or turn Margaret loose on me... I'm actually not sure which would be more painful."

"There's also the small matter of your living situation," Tseng continued, ignoring the commentary. "I'm afraid your former landlord is quite adamant about you not returning. He's given you three days to remove your belongings from the premises and turn in your keys. I _did_ ,however, manage to convince him not to pursue criminal charges."

"How the hell'd you do that? Guy wanted 'em to charge me with everything under the fuckin' sun," Reno replied, somewhat shocked. Tseng chuckled.

"Being a Turk has certain... benefits... when it comes to city law enforcement. I simply made him aware of who you were and that attempting to have you prosecuted would be to no one's benefit. I don't suggest you make a habit of relying upon that status, however. Both Veld _and_ myself take a dim view of Turks who abuse their authority. I trust I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I kinda feel like I'm gettin' off _way_ too easy here. Aren't you gonna yell at me or tell me I'm back on an eight o'clock curfew or... fuck, I dunno. Take away my video games? _Somethin'_?"

Tseng smirked. "This may well be the first time a subordinate has ever complained that I was being too _lenient_ in his punishment," he replied, clearly amused, "Rest assured... you're not getting off quite _that_ easily. I have something particularly unpleasant in mind for you on Monday."

"Oh... great. Now I feel _much_ better," the redhead groaned, wondering what the hell had ever possessed him to say something like that.

* * *

By Monday, Reno had done his best to fix the results of his 'prank'. It had, in the end, involved helping Rude move to a recently vacated apartment on the sixth floor of his building. In addition, he'd had to move his own stuff out, and back over to Tseng's apartment... though _most_ of it had ended up in a storage unit he'd had to rent with money which came out of his car fund, meaning that, combined with anything he had to spend on replacing what he'd broken at Rude's place, it would be awhile longer than he'd originally hoped before acquiring a vehicle of his own.

For most of Saturday, Rude had refused to speak to him, save to give him instructions. By Sunday, though, he'd forgiven his friend at least enough to resume conversation... though, as Reno discovered while they were sitting at his kitchen table enjoying Wutaiian take-out from down the street, Rude hadn't been angry enough even immediately after the ill-fated joke to _completely_ fuck him over. Apparently, Reno's former landlord had been hellbent on simply chucking all of the redhead's worldly possessions out into the dumpster after the police had hauled him off. Rude had quickly put a stop to that.

As Reno and Tseng made their way up to Turk headquarters, though, he couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. His mentor had made it quite clear that additional punishment was looming on the horizon, but had neglected to inform him what it was or when to expect it. The thought was pushed from his mind temporarily, however, when they stepped out onto the fifty-eighth floor, only to encounter Sato strolling merrily along the hallway. He grinned at the redhead as he approached.

"Good weekend?" he asked. Tseng glowered and before Reno could answer, he'd seized the Mideelian Turk by the ear and begun to drag him off in the direction of Veld's office.

"Let me _tell_ you about Reno's weekend..." he hissed, angrily. The rookie watched them disappear around the corner, and then hurried off to the lounge. Saya greeted him with a warm smile.

"Good weekend?" she asked, echoing her cousin's earlier query.

"Tch... Not exactly," he said, shaking his head. He heard a snort from behind him, and turned to see that Rude had followed him in.

"To put it mildly," the other rookie concurred. Saya eyed the pair of them in curiosity.

"And just what's that s'posed ta mean?"

Reno sighed and sat down on the couch by the window. "Oh... nothing. I just got it in my head that Sato _wasn't_ completely insane and ended up blowin' up Rude's apartment. And... _my_ apartment. And gettin' arrested. And now I'm homeless 'n Rude's still kinda pissed at me."

Saya choked on the sip of tea she'd just taken and stared at him incredulously.

"... Yeh did _what_?!"

"Don't make me say it again," Reno groaned. "I feel stupid enough as it is."

The senior Turk set her mug down on the coffee table with a loud thunk and stood up, storming off in the direction of the door.

"That _bloody_ idiot," she muttered as she went, "It's not bad enough he's gotta drive _me_ nuts, now he's draggin' the wee rookies inta his madness..."

Reno blinked. "... I think Saya's kinda ticked off."

"What was your _first_ clue?" Rude asked. Reno snickered and sat up, looking up at his friend.

"So am I still on your shit list?"

"... You blew up my bedroom ceiling," his fellow rookie stated blandly.

"Yeah," Reno sighed.

"You know I'm gonna beat the crap out of you in the training hall today, right?"

"... Yeah."

Rude nodded. "Lunch at The Happy Moogle after?"

"Heh... Long as ya leave me with some teeth," the redhead snickered.

"No promises. And you're buying," Rude replied with a small smirk. "Come on. Briefing's starting soon."

Reno flashed him a smiled and got up, following him out into the hallway.

"So's Margaret still pissed, too?" he asked.

"Hmph... Let's just say I don't think you're going to be invited on any more double dates for awhile. For your own safety."

* * *

His fellow rookie hadn't pulled any punches. Reno made his way back to his office with an exaggerated limp following his training session with Rude and Luca and lunch out at little cafe a few blocks from headquarters. Rude snickered and elbowed him as they stepped off of the elevator.

"Knock it off. The others are gonna think I tried to kill you," he teased.

"You sayin' you _didn't_?" Reno retorted, grinning. "So... just in case I haven't said it enough yet, I'm _really_ sorry about Friday night."

Rude shook his head. "Quit apologizing. We're even. Time to move on."

The redhead shook his head. "Ya know... I _really_ can't believe how easy I'm gettin' off over this. _You're_ not pissed... _Tseng's_ not pissed... I'm mean, not _really_. Not like... hate-my-guts-forever level pissed."

The other rookie snorted quietly and looped an arm over his shoulders.

"Can't hate your guts _forever_. You're my best friend," he said, "Even if you _are_ a giant pain in the ass most of the time."

" _Hey_!"

Rude merely paused in the middle of the hallway and folded his arms over his chest, staring at him, an eyebrow rising to challenge him to refute the claim.

"... Yeah, okay. I'm a giant pain in the ass," Reno laughed.

"So long as you admit it..." Tseng's voice interjected as he rounded the corner, walking towards them. He came to a halt mere feet from the pair. "There's been a change of schedule for you, Reno. You'll be skipping your afternoon range practice today, and joining me on the roof instead."

"Uh... heh... I'm not gettin' thrown _off_ the roof, right?"

"Tempting... but no," Tseng chuckled, "Actually, you're finally going to be putting all that time you've spend in the flight simulator to good use."

Reno froze, eyes going wide as a wide grin spread over his face. "R-really? Now?!"

"Yes, now..." the senior Turk confirmed, "Unless you've changed your mind about your pilot's certification?"

"Not a chance in hell... Let's go!"

Rude snorted in laughter and shook his head. "You'd almost think he was _excited_ about this or something..." he teased.

* * *

A short elevator ride later, Reno found himself seated in the co-pilot's chair of the Turks' helicopter on the roof of the Shinra Building, eyes roving the controls in front of him. It was a little different from the simulator... but after a little study, he was able to pick out the important instruments. Tseng strapped himself in beside him.

"The wind around the building can be tricky to deal with this time of day... so I think _I'll_ handle the takeoff," he said, as he flipped several switches in sequence to start the engines and set the rotors spinning. Reno watched the rooftop slowly slip away as the aircraft climbed higher and higher, above even the large communications array on top of the building.

Midgar was incredible from the air. It was pretty fucking impressive from the _ground_ , too, but from above, you could see the true intricacy and beauty of the suspended city. It left the redhead breathless every time he saw it. It was hard to believe that underneath it all was a whole _other_ city. One of dim twilight and decay.

Tseng aimed the helicopter out towards the city's eastern edge, flying towards the lowland plains between Midgar and Kalm. Reno spotted a small pack of animals racing across the ground in pursuit of a bright yellow chocobo, hunting it, and was a little surprised when the bird unleashed a series of violent kicks that sent two of its harassers flying before fleeing towards the mountains. He pulled his gaze away from the scenery, and turned it on his mentor instead.

"Come _on_ , Tseng... When the hell do _I_ get to fly it?"

"When we're safely away from anything you might crash into," Tseng responded.

"Tch... For fuck's sake. I _know_ what I'm doin'. I've been in that damn simulator for ages. I'm a goddamn expert by now." The helicopter was simply hovering now on autopilot, easily a thousand feet in the air, and the Turk lieutenant looked over at him.

"Oh, really?" he replied, and Reno nodded. Tseng suddenly smirked and flipped the switches to disengage the autopilot and transfer control to the co-pilot. "All yours, then, Mr. 'Expert'."

He calmly released his own grip on the stick and leaned back in his seat. The redhead sat frozen for a split second before the copter began to move of its own accord, and he reached for the controls out of sheer self-preservation.

He swallowed, panicking and feeling as though every last shred of knowledge he had about piloting a helicopter had suddenly drained from his mind. What the _hell_ was Tseng doing?! He was just goddamn kid! He didn't actually know how to _fly_ this thing!

Reno looked around the cockpit, desperately trying to orient himself to the system, but he couldn't concentrate on anything but the very real possibility of ending up a large, bloody smear on the ground. A gust of wind rocked the craft and slowly began to nudge them back towards the city. His deathgrip on the control stick tightened until his knuckles went white. What the _fuck_ was he supposed to do?!

"Calm down," Tseng's voice prodded over his headset, breaking through the haze of panic. "Level out and correct for the wind."

"I-I... I can't..." Reno stammered, his mind still a blank.

"Yes, you can. You know how. Calm down and focus."

Taking a somewhat shaky breath, the rookie eventually managed to do as his mentor commanded, stopping the slight spin the helicopter had begun, and easing forward against the wind that was blowing them backwards. As he regained control of the aircraft, he began to regain control of himself as well, his lessons in the flight simulator filtering back into his conscious mind. Once they were stable, he reached over and turned on the autopilot.

"... What... the... _HELL_... was that?" he demanded, turning to face Tseng. The Wutaiian Turk chuckled softly, and gave him a patient smile.

"That's what you get for being cocky. I won't apologize. This is something you need to take very seriously, and not allow yourself to get over-confident. Unlike the simulator, this craft has no reset button, should something go wrong twelve hundred feet in the air. You will simply die. Don't act as though you possess an expertise in something when you're barely more than a novice. Am I clear?"

"... Yes, sir," Reno replied, chastised. He took a slow, calming breath before switching off the autopilot and taking back control of the helicopter. "Couldn't you have just _told_ me to stop bein' a dick?"

Tseng smiled.

"I suppose I could have. But it wouldn't have left nearly the same impression. Now... take us towards Kalm."

The redhead angled them toward the little village, and eased them into a steady clip forward.

"So... was _that_ what you meant the other day when you told me you had somethin' 'particularly unpleasant' for my punishment?" he asked. His mentor snickered.

"Hardly. You'll find out what _that_ is after we return to headquarters."

* * *

The helicopter touched down once more on the roof of the Shinra Building, and Reno breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Piloting the thing had been amazing... but he was _kinda_ glad to be back on solid ground again after Tseng's little 'reminder' that he didn't know as much about flying as he'd thought he did. Even so... he was still eager for his second lesson.

The redhead trailed Tseng back into the building and stepped aboard the elevator. It was almost five. Time to head for home... or... Tseng's place, he supposed, seeing as he was presently apartmentless... get some dinner, and relax. He grinned silently to himself. Given that it was nearly quitting time, whatever Tseng had in mind to teach him a lesson about setting off explosive devices indoors was going to have to wait until tomorrow.

Tseng glanced over at him and seemed to read his mind.

"I wouldn't start planning your evening just _yet_ ," he chuckled. "I told you there would be consequences for your ill-conceived prank... and there are going to be. You're going to be working late tonight, as is Sato."

Reno groaned and leaned back against the wall of the elevator car.

"Shoulda known..." he sighed in resignation, "So? What's it gonna be?"

"Guard duty. You and Sato may work out the shifts between yourselves, but you will _both_ be here for the next forty-eight hours. One of the biologics labs is undergoing an unplanned security upgrade to accommodate a new specimen. The system must be disabled to make the necessary changes, which means a round the clock guard will need to be stationed outside as a precaution for the next two days. And nights."

"Man... When you said 'unpleasant' you weren't fuckin' around," the redhead replied, cringing slightly. Guard duty. Two fucking _days_ of it. Two days of basically doing nothing but standing at attention and checking IDs to make sure no one entered who wasn't supposed to be there. He'd only ever done it once before, and _that_ time, it had only been for a couple of hours outside of board meeting. And he'd at least had Kai to talk to. It sounded like this time, he and Sato were going to be switching off to accommodate the longer timeframe.

Tseng smirked as the elevator arrived at their floor.

"I trust you'll think twice before blowing up your _next_ apartment after this..." he replied in a somewhat teasing tone. He shook his head. "And with any luck, _Sato_ will think twice before supplying improvised explosives to minors... though I'm not going to get my hopes up."

~end chapter 48~


	49. Guard Duty

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 49: Guard Duty**

 **by Desha**

When Reno walked into the lounge, Sato was already there... sulking. He sat at the little table in the corner, arms crossed angrily over his chest, staring at the wall. Saya stood nearby, already bundled up in her coat, ready to head home for the night.

"Ahh... It's goin' ta be such a nice, _quiet_ evenin'," she needled her cousin, grinning from ear to ear. "No whinging 'bout what I'm makin' fer supper... No havin' ta listen ta the bloody chocobo races on TV... No explosions... Just me 'n a nice soothin' bath 'n maybe a good book, while I think about yeh stuck here, standing outside one o' Hojo's labs all night."

"Ah, shut it," Sato muttered. Saya snickered, and turned to the redhead.

"Serves yeh right, too. The only downside is yeh had ta go 'n drag poor Reno inta it." She drifted over to the rookie, and ran a hand gently through his hair with a sympathetic smile. "Poor thing... I sent Rude off ta that nice Costan place on 3rd Street ta get yeh somethin' ta eat, just in case _this_ lout decides ta stick yeh with the first shift tanight."

Sato suddenly sat up.

"What about me?! I'm hungry, too!" he demanded. His cousin rounded on him, and prodded him sharply in the chest with her index finger.

" _Yeh_ can go 'n scavenge the cafeteria dumpsters fer yer supper fer all _I_ care, yeh bloody menace." She turned back to Reno, smiling again. "Yeh _try_ 'n have a good night, alright? I'll see yeh later."

"'Night Saya... Thanks," Reno called after her as she headed for the door. Sato glared after her.

"Snubbed by my own _kin_..." he muttered, and then sighed. "Well... no two ways 'bout it. We're stuck here tanight. Pointless ta be mopin' over rotten luck... Since _yer_ gettin' fed, _yeh_ can take the first shift. I'll take over 'round midnight. Yeh can come 'n relieve me at six."

Reno shrugged. "Fine."

To be honest, he'd _rather_ have the first shift anyway. It was too early to try and fall asleep. He'd much prefer to stay up late. Speaking of food... the aroma of spiced beef and tortillas suddenly caught his attention. Moments later, the door to the lounge swung open. Rude made his way over to him and set a paper sack, with the familiar Delivery Cactaur logo on the front, on the table.

"Got your usual," he said.

"Heh... thanks, pal," he grinned, and dug into the bag, pulling out one of the burritos and inhaling deeply through it's paper wrapping. "Mmm... Food..."

Rude snorted quietly in laughter. "Later," he snickered, "Have fun tonight."

"Oh, I'm sure I won't..." the redhead replied in a mock-cheerful tone, before unwrapping his dinner and sinking his teeth into it. Rude's only response was a wave as he headed out the door without looking back.

"Hmph... Don't s'pose yer in a sharin' mood..." Sato said, reaching for the bag. The rookie quickly snatched it out of his reach.

"Hell, no. I'm basically homeless 'cause of you. Get your own."

Sato laughed softly.

"Aye... I s'pose I deserve that," he chuckled, "Fer what it's worth, I'm sorry 'bout what happened. Guess I got a wee bit carried away with the mix."

"Tch... ya _think_?" the redhead mumbled around a mouthful of meat and beans and cheese.

"Tell yeh what... Ta make up fer it, I'll help yeh find a new place. Hell, I'll even help get yeh settled in."

"As I recall, I've already _ordered_ you to do just _that_ ," Tseng cut in, and the Mideelian Turk jumped in surprise at his unexpected arrival.

"Uh... heh... Did yeh, now? Must've slipped my mind. Yeh _were_ shouitn' an awful lot o' abuse at me, after all..." Sato awkwardly replied, caught out in his apparently rather exaggerated charity. Reno rolled his eyes and finished off the first of the burritos, licking the remains from his fingers before reaching for the second.

"I trust you've come to an agreement on splitting up your shifts by now?" Tseng continued, ignoring Sato.

Reno forced down the large bite he'd just taken and nodded. "Yeah. I'm up first. Just lemme finish this."

He wolfed down the rest of his dinner. Tseng shook his head, but said nothing as he led the rookie back to the elevators and down to the fortieth floor... the medium security biologic labs. Nothing highly classified down here, but from what Reno had been told, there were a lot of live specimens kept within its confines. As they stepped out, the strong scent of of unnatural cleanliness hit him almost immediately.

"So... what exactly's _in_ this lab I'm guardin', anyway?" the redhead asked.

"A number of living experiments. Mostly rats and mice and other small animals used in testing, I believe... none of which are to be removed from the lab by anyone but employees with level six lab clearance or higher. As the security system is down for upgrades, the head of the department has decided that, for the time being, no one who doesn't have at least level six clearance is allowed in at all. Which makes your job far simpler, as you'll only need to check IDs upon entry."

"Sounds exciting..." Reno deadpanned. Tseng chuckled and motioned him down the hallway.

"Mmm... I don't expect you'll be seeing much in the way of excitement on this assignment."

They stopped outside of a large security door. The scanner, which normally would control access to the room, displayed a large 'OFFLINE' message on its screen. Reno glanced around and sighed.

"I don't even get a chair?" he asked, plaintively. Before Tseng could answer, however, the large electronic door to the lab opened and a slightly hunched, bespectacled man with long and somewhat greasy-looking hair emerged. He paused in front of the two Turks, looking at them appraisingly.

"Hmm... Genetic mutation for red hair," he said, stepping up to Reno and apparently talking more to himself than to either of them. "Interesting..."

He reached out and roughed seized the rookie by his chin, sharply turning his head to get a better look. A moment later, he was unabashedly poking and prodding his 'subject'.

"Fair-skinned, good muscle tone... I've been _looking_ for a potential breeding specimen for project seven twenty-one..." he muttered, and then looked up at the rookie. "You're not impotent, are you?"

Reno took a slightly shocked step back and opened his mouth to vehemently deny _that_ , but Tseng quickly intervened.

"Whether he is or not is immaterial. He is a Turk, and will not be participating in any experiments at this time. He's here to guard your lab."

"Hmm..." was all the man said, before shuffling off down the hallway toward the elevators. Reno eyed him suspiciously as he went, and once he was out of sight, he turned to his mentor.

"... Who the fuck was _that_ weirdo?"

The Turk lieutenant gave a long-suffering sigh. "That was Professor Hojo."

" _That's_ Hojo?" Reno replied. "Fuck, man... everyone keeps tellin' me the guy's a little out there, but... Who the fuck just walks up to a guy and asks him somethin' like that?"

Tseng laughed softly.

"Frankly, it seems like something _you_ might say, if only for the shock value," he snickered, "but besides you... not many people, I would surmise. Hojo is very dedicated to his work and doesn't care much for social niceties. He views almost everyone in one of two lights. As a potential specimen, or... expendable. You get used to it after awhile. To some extent."

"Uh... I'm not gonna have to be dealin' with him much tonight... am I?" Reno nervously asked. Something about the guy – more than just his suggestion that he _breed_ as part of some sort of science experiment – made him uneasy.

"I doubt it," said Tseng. "He generally works in the high security labs on sixty-seven and sixty-eight. I suspect he was only down here to ensure things in the lab remained undisturbed until we arrived." He paused for a moment. " _Should_ he give you any trouble, though, contact Sato immediately. Hojo can be very persistent once he latches onto an idea, and I'd prefer not to come in tomorrow and find that you've been... harvested for breeding."

"Ugh... I'm not gonna try _very_ hard not to think too much about that..."

Tseng smiled. "Likely a wise decision. I'll check in on you tomorrow. Good night, Reno."

"Yeah... 'night."

Tseng retreated to the elevators himself, leaving the redhead on his own. Reno leaned back against the wall and let his gaze roam over his surroundings. Just down the hall was the little lobby that housed a small reception desk and the elevators... but for the most part, he was just standing in a hallway full of doors, each labeled with the purpose of the room. Having little else to do, he started reading the signs on the doors. 'Supply', 'Lab 003', 'Lab 004', 'Biohazard Disposal'... and on and on until he couldn't make out the lettering at the far end. It killed all of a minute and a half.

Reno sighed and let his head thump back against the steel-paneled wall behind him.

"... It's gonna be a _long_ two days."

* * *

Reno glanced at the clock on his PHS and yawned. Midnight. Sato was supposed to be relieving him any second now... and the senior Turk couldn't arrive too soon, as far as the redhead was concerned. Aside from a couple of scientists leaving late around seven-thirty, and the security patrol at nine, he hadn't seen another living person all night. Standing around for hours on end with no one to talk to sucked.

In addition to being bored out of his mind – he'd counted the ceiling tiles in the hallway seventy-three times, and the floor tiles an additional sixty-eight – he was getting sleepy. He was looking forward to crawling into one of the beds in the Turks' sleeping quarters. Plus, he _seriously_ had to pee.

As the minutes ticked by, the rookie grew more and more impatient. _Finally_ , seven full minutes after he was supposed to have been there, Reno heard the elevator chime in the lobby. A moment later, Sato rounded the corner into the hall, yawning widely as he made his way towards him.

"I miss anythin' excitin'?" he asked.

"Oh... just the strippers and beer," Reno shot back, "You're fuckin' late."

Sato held up his hand in surrender. "Not my fault, kiddo," he replied, "Got cornered by a lass from security on the way ta the lab. Likes ta gab somethin' fierce, that'un. Took a bit ta get away."

Reno snorted derisively, and gestured to the door.

"All yours," he said, "Enjoy. I'm goin' to bed. Oh... and If Hojo shows up 'n tells ya he's lookin' for 'breeding specimens' feel free to take him up on the offer. I'm not interested."

Sato let out a loud cackle, and slapped his knee. "Met our resident genius, did yeh?"

"Yep. And I'm hopin' it was the last time," Reno called over his shoulder as he started towards the elevators, leaving Sato to handle the lab.

"No Turk's ever been _that_ lucky," he heard the other man laughingly reply. "See yeh at six!"

Reno boarded the elevator and hit the button for headquarters. When he arrived, the first thing he did was hightail it to the restroom, groaning in relief. Nearly seven goddamn hours was a long fucking time to hold it. Thankfully, the overnights were the only time he'd be stuck there _that_ long. Standard procedure was to switch off every _three_ hours when no one needed to sleep.

That taken care of, he headed for the sleeping quarters, set the alarm on his phone for twenty to six, and stripped down before he flopped into bed, planning on being dead to the world for the next six hours or so.

* * *

Five seconds after Reno's head hit the pillow – or what felt like five seconds, anyway – the painfully loud blaring of his alarm unceremoniously jerked him back to the land of the living. Groggily, he rolled over, groping blindly for the phone. When his fingers at last encountered the accursed piece of technology, he forced his eyes open and stared blankly at it for a moment before finally silencing it.

"There's no way in hell it's mornin' already..." he groaned, and sat up, rubbing tired eyes and yawning. He looked at the clock on the phone again. "Ugh... somebody just kill me."

It _was_ time to get up. Sato was expecting him to take over in twenty minutes, and he wanted to grab something to eat before heading back to his post. The redhead unenthusiastically staggered out of bed and into his uniform before dragging his still half-asleep carcass down to the restroom to clean up a bit. He very nearly walked directly into Tseng.

Reno yelped in surprised, coming dangerously close to tripping over his own two feet and quickly backpedaling to avoid the collision. His mentor eyed him with a thoroughly amused expression.

"I supposed that's _one_ way to greet someone in the morning..."

"If you moved any fuckin' quieter, I'd swear you fuckin' _hovered_ instead of walkin'. The fuck are you _doin'_ here so early, anyway?"

The Turk lieutenant held out a small cardboard box stamped with the name of a nearby bakery.

"You're punishment does _not_ entail starvation. And as I suspected you wouldn't be awake until the last possible moment, I thought I'd spare you the building cafeteria's idea of 'breakfast'. Besides which, I'm due in Junon at eight this morning and it's a forty-five minute flight." 

"Which still puts ya like an hour and a half ahead of schedule."

"... Not that I have any reason to offer an explanation of how I use my personal time... but Viridia's duties begin seven-thirty."

Reno smirked slightly. "Heh... _Ooooh_. _That_ explains it. Don't let _me_ keep ya, then..."

"I trust there were no issues last night?" Tseng asked, pointedly ignoring the innuendo dripping from the redhead's words.

"Aside from me slowly losin' my mind down there all by myself? Nope. All quiet."

"Good," he said with a nod. "Incidentally, I'll be back later this afternoon. If there's anything you need from home, I can retrieve it for you then."

"Yeah... Actually, about that..." the redhead said, somewhat awkwardly. "Could you just bring that whole bag of stuff with ya? I... um... I'm gonna stay here 'til I find a new place."

The Wutaiian Turk glanced up in surprise. "May I ask why? If you're concerned that I'm still upset with you –"

Reno quickly shook his head. "Nah... It's nothin' like that. I just... kinda had a lot of time to sit around 'n think last night, and it's not fair that I'm always relyin' on you to fix shit every time I do somethin' stupid. This was _my_ fuck up. I should be the one fixin' it. And, I mean, it's not like I'm gonna be livin' under a bridge 'til I find a new apartment. The sleeping quarters are actually pretty comfy."

"You're sure that's what you want?" Tseng asked.

"... Yeah. I like stayin' with you. A _lot_ , really. But... I think it's maybe time I stopped actin' like some dumbass kid 'n took some responsibility. Or at least _tried_ to."

Tseng chuckled quietly. "As you wish. I'll bring your things back to headquarters for you."

"Thanks," Reno replied, and then grinned. "Heh... Ya know, if you're plannin' on gettin' it on with Vir before you two gotta go to work, ya might wanna get movin'. Don't wanna have to rush _that_ sort of thing..."

"... And there goes any shred of maturity I may have thought you'd acquired overnight," Tseng replied with a sigh, before turning on his heel and walking off, back down the hallway.

"Don't do anything _I_ wouldn't do!" Reno teasingly called after him.

* * *

Some time later, Tseng breathed a contented sigh against his lover's hair. It was going to be a painfully boring morning... first getting the preparations underway for the new Turk offices in Junon and then acting as security and escort for an arriving VIP en route to a meeting with the President in Midgar. But it was worth it to be here right now, the early morning light peeking through the curtains, holding a warm and willing body close to him.

"What are you thinking about?" Viridia murmured as she curled against him.

"Absolutely nothing for a change... and it's wonderful," he replied, smiling. She laughed in her pleasant, but no-nonsense way.

"Ever the romantic..." she teased.

"Says the woman who considers a one-on-on materia-based sparring match to be a suitable first date..."

"And don't you forget which of us _won_ that date," she snickered.

"How could I? I still have a scar from where you skewered my shoulder with that ice spell," he chuckled.

"Just a _little_ scar..." She tenderly kissed the site of the old injury. "And it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been so intent upon trying to recruit me for Veld instead of paying attention to your blocking."

Tseng laughed, and left his fingers trail along her bare arm.

"You know... if you finally _did_ take me up on that, we could do this a lot more often..."

Viridia looked up at him, smiling, and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"Tseng, I'm a military brat through and through. My place is in Junon. I couldn't leave it anymore than _you_ could leave Midgar."

"Mmm... I know. But that's never going to stop me from asking. Maybe one day you'll finally break down."

Viridia snickered. "Then maybe _I_ should start asking _you_ to transfer to this new Junon office of yours..."

Tseng couldn't help but grin. "I... very _briefly_...considered it, you know." He sighed softly and shook his head. "But you're right. My place is in Midgar." He snickered and rolled onto his back, bringing her with him. "Besides... I think Remy would legitimately begin plotting my untimely demise were I to take this away from her."

Viridia leaned in and kissed him. "And poor Reno would be all alone. Or were you planning on bringing him along?" she giggled.

"And listen to his ceaseless innuendo every time he saw us together?" Tseng snorted, "I get quite enough of that in Midgar any time I so much as _mention_ visiting Junon."

"First rookie proving to be more trouble than you thought?" Viridia teased.

" _Far_ more. But... it's oddly satisfying to watch him progress. He has so _much_ potential. And I want so badly to see him realize it. Even when he does something ridiculous... like blowing up his apartment and getting thrown out on the street in the middle of the night."

"I _hope_ that's a hypothetical..." the woman replied.

"No... Unfortunately, _that_ was last Friday."

"That redhead is quite the little handful..." she laughed.

" _Little_ handful? I'll be lucky to still be sane by the time he's promoted to full Turk status..." Tseng grinned, as he raised her hand to his lips and gently kissed each of her knuckles. "Given that he's begun working on his pilot's certification, even _survival_ isn't entirely guaranteed..."

Viridia giggled softly and leaned down, claiming his lips with her own.

"You complain... but you love that boy like your own family. I can tell from the way you talk about him. You'd do just about anything for him."

Tseng sighed as her kisses trailed down his throat and along his collar bone.

"Just now, I'd willingly give him up in exchange for a bit more of your undivided attention," he replied.

"No, you wouldn't," Viridia snickered, "But... Lucky for you, I've never been the jealous type."

* * *

Mid-morning found Reno, once again having completed his shift and left Sato in charge of their post, calmly stripping out of his clothes in the men's locker room outside of the building's swimming pool. Because of his 'assignment' and because he was technically on-call in case Sato needed backup, Veld had given him leave to direct his own training today... and the first thing he wanted to do was jump in the water.

He enjoyed swimming... possibly more than any other form of exercise his training had thrown at him. It was soothing and relaxing and peaceful... but it still let him burn off some of the excessive amount of energy singing through his veins at any waking moment. Plus... just hanging there, suspended and weightless above the bottom, sort of made him feel like he was flying. It was a fleeting sense of complete and total freedom. He could lay back and just float for hours, if he had the time.

He started out with laps, racing against himself back and forth across the pool, until he was out of breath. It was a good kind of tired when he finally stopped and rolled over onto his back, floating silently and staring up at the ceiling. Reno leaned his head back into the water and closed his eyes, letting the water hold him up. He'd swear he could easily fall asleep like this.

His near-zen-like state was unexpectedly interrupted as a shriek loud enough to reach him even half-submerged jarred him back to attention, and a split second later, a small tidal waved doused him from above. The redhead sputtered and struggled for a moment to right himself, wiping chlorinated water from his eyes, and glowering in the direction the attack had come from.

A dark shape lingered beneath the surface, only to shoot upwards almost as soon as he spotted it.

"Wakey, wakey, baby Turkling!" Kai cackled, grinning widely as she appeared from the depths. Reno rolled his eyes.

"Fuck you, Kai... Can't a guy swim in peace?"

The diminutive Turk paddled over to him, still grinning.

"Not when he's being disciplined..." she snickered. "But actually, I'm here to exercise, too. Did a hell of a number on my ankle yesterday and decided to forego the track for a bit. So... how's guard duty? I hear you met the professor."

Reno snorted in contempt and somersaulted in the water.

"Yeah... I met the weirdo," he said when he resurfaced. "What a nutjob..."

Kai giggled. "Did he want to make you one of his _experiments_?" she teased, and the rookie shook his head in disgust.

"Asshole said somethin' about _breeding specimens_..." he replied with a faint shudder. The senior Turk laughed and sent a wave of water in his direction.

"I would've thought _that'd_ be right up your alley, you little horn dog..." she snickered.

"Tch... I'm _not_ lookin' to make a kid any time soon," said the redhead. He smirked slightly. "Besides... Don't you think I'm in enough trouble as it is? Just imagine what Tseng'd do to me if I got some girl knocked up. And even if _he_ wasn't pissed beyond belief, _Lira_ would fuckin' _murder_ me for not bein' careful."

Kai laughed again. "... You are _so_ weird," she teased. "You'll happily set off a bomb in your living room and blow up half the building, but start talking about unprotected sex and suddenly you're Mr. Careful."

"Okay, first of all... It was _one_ room's ceiling. Or... floor. Ya know... depending on which side you're standin' on. And second, fixin' an exploded ceiling's a hell of a lot easier than havin' to take care of a kid," he said... and then paused before adding, "My mom got stuck with a kid she wasn't planning on, and it fuckin' _killed_ her. I'm not about to do that to some poor girl I don't even know."

Kai studied him appraisingly for a moment.

"You know... I think that the first time I've ever heard you say anything about your mom."

The rookie looked away and rolled onto his back, swimming off a short distance.

"... I don't like talkin' about her."

Kai caught him by the wrist and pulled him back over to her. "And I'm not going to make you. But... listen. If you ever _want_ to... come see me, okay? You're not the only orphan around here. Sometimes it's easier to say certain things to someone who's been there." She let go of him and her grin returned. "Annnnyway, I've got laps to swim, so... you can go back to pretending to be a chuck of floating seaweed or whatever it was you were doing when I got here."

Reno watched her for a moment as she headed off to one of the roped off lanes at the far end of the pool and started her own workout. He'd never known that Kai was like him. She hadn't said anything about it before now. Neither had anyone else. But then... why would they have? It's not like it was something that was likely to come up at the morning briefing.

He laid back, sinking down into the water again and closing his eyes.

He wondered what it had been like for Kai when she was little. He knew that she was from Lower Junon originally, but that was about it. She never talked about her family... and now he knew it was because she didn't have one.

* * *

Day two of guard duty was about as interesting as day one had been. Sato had told him that Professor Hojo had ventured down at one point, but had largely ignored the Turk. Reno hoped that the odd little scientist didn't decide to make a habit of it. The guy seriously creeped him out, and his last overnight shift was just about to start. Thankfully, building maintenance would be finished some time tomorrow morning, and things could go back to normal.

Except, of course, that he still didn't have a place to live.

Well... technically, that wasn't _entirely_ true. He'd made himself right at home in one of the sleeping quarters on their floor. It was a little cramped, but... it wasn't so bad. Actually, he was _sort_ of looking forward to tomorrow night when he'd have the full run of the building and nothing better to do. He couldn't exactly get away with skinny dipping in the company pool or using the office chairs to take a little joyride down the hallways during the workday... but at two in the morning, who the fuck was gonna know?

The elevator dropped him off at his post, and he cracked his neck as he stretched.

"Hey, Rookie! Hurry up, will yeh? It's past my bedtime," Sato called out, grinning, as the redhead rounded the corner.

"Tch... past _mine_ ,too."

Sato snorted in contempt. "Please... Yer one o' them types that stays up half the night anyway."

"Yeah... when I have somethin' to do that _isn't_ gonna bore me to death," he returned, "Anything interesting goin' on?"

"Nope. Been quiet since six or so. Security's made their evening rounds, and the floor's been empty fer hours. Enjoy."

"Hmph... yeah, right. 'Night, Sato."

The Mideelian Turk left with little more than a wave, disappearing into the lobby. Reno heard the elevator chime as it opened and then swish shut again, leaving him on his own on the empty floor. The redhead sighed and leaned back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, and zeroed in on the first row of ceiling tiles at the far end of the hallway.

"Tch... One... Two... Three... Four..." he muttered. He already knew there were exactly two hundred and sixteen of them. Seventy-two rows of three, one tile that was rotated ninety degrees and broke the continuity of the faint, lined pattern of the center row, and two that had mysterious, blotchy, rust-colored stains on them that looked like they'd been painted over at least once. He tried not to spend too much of his time thinking about what might have caused that. Likewise, there were three hundred and twenty floor tiles, in eighty rows of four.

He'd lost track of how many times he'd counted them all... but it was something to do.

Reno paused in his count for a moment and yawned. He _definitely_ preferred the first night shift over the second. He may have been a night owl... but he still had to work in the morning. And it certainly didn't help that it had taken him ages to manage to fall asleep while Sato had been on duty. He just hadn't been tired so early. Tseng really knew how to torture a guy.

He couldn't exactly say he didn't deserve it, though. To be honest, he _still_ thought he was getting off pretty easy, all things considered.

The rookie sighed and rolled his neck, tying to work out the kink that had developed while he'd been asleep earlier. He was still getting used to not sleeping in a little ball under the covers. Apparently his neck didn't much like it. Or maybe it was just that he _really_ missed his waterbed.

Without warning, the redhead felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as the unsettling sensation of being watched crept over him. He glanced down the hallway towards the lobby, and then back the other direction towards the other labs, listening for the slightest sound... but there was nothing.

Still, the feeling that he wasn't alone lingered. He shuddered slightly. The last time he'd felt like this was the time he'd made his way home from his job at the Lonely Dragon through a part of Sector 3 he didn't typically frequent. He'd subsequently gotten jumped by three men twice his size, who'd taken his pay for the week, his cigarettes, and, just for good measure, his shoes. He hadn't taken that route ever again.

Who the _fuck_ would be up here in the middle of the night, though?

Reno cast a cautious look behind him, and then set off down the hallway, heading for the lobby. He hadn't heard the elevator... but that didn't mean someone couldn't have taken the stairs. He occasionally glanced back, just to make sure no one was sneaking around the corner at the other end of the hall. When he reached the lobby, he found it empty.

With a frown, he continued on to the corner, and peered around it. Nothing there, either. He repeated the process for the far end of the hallway, and still found himself alone. That was the extent to which he was allowed to investigate. He had to remain within site of his post at all times, unless something actually _happened_. Still slightly unnerved, Reno walked back to the lab and resumed his position, leaning against the wall.

He briefly considered calling Sato to come check things out. Of course... if the floor turned out to be completely empty, he'd never live it down. So instead, he stood there, utterly silent, straining to hear even the slightest, most miniscule noise from elsewhere on the floor. After almost twenty minutes, he still hadn't head a damn thing besides the barely-noticeable hum of the fans in the ventilation ducts circulating warm air throughout the building.

Eventually, the uneasy feeling went away. Reno shook his head and sighed. Guard duty was starting to get to him. That was the only explanation. He was glad it was almost over.

~end chapter 49~


	50. Field Work

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 50: Field Work**

 **by Desha**

Reno woke to an elbow prodding him sharply in the ribs... and quickly stopped himself from complaining about it, when he realized that Veld was still talking. The redhead shot Rude a grateful look and sank down slightly in his chair, hoping the Turk leader hadn't noticed. The last two days had completely fucked up his sleep cycle... and it probably didn't help that he'd come to the morning briefing straight off of his last shift. He hadn't even had his coffee yet.

"– set up in Junon by the end of the month," Veld continued, apparently unaware of the rookie's short nap. "Sato and Saya will be taking the first rotation with her. For everyone else... it's business as usual."

Kai softly cleared her throat, drawing Veld's attention, and looked at him expectantly.

"Ah... Yes. Kai has asked me to inform you all that I have approved her proposal for a mandatory refresher course in survival training for all personnel as soon as the snow melts," he said, quickly adding, "Likely because she wishes to see you all suffer."

There was a collective groan from around the conference table, and Kai grinned widely.

"Oh, quit acting like such babies. It's important, and you _all_ know it," she snickered. She shot a pointed look at Sato. "And no... _no_ explosives allowed."

The Mideelian Turk scowled and flipped her off.

"Alright..." Veld said before it could escalate, "I think that covers everything. Dismissed. And will _someone_ please get Reno some coffee before he falls asleep again?"

The redhead cringed in embarrassment and slid lower in his seat, until he'd mostly disappeared beneath the table as the others snickered loudly. He hoisted his middle finger above the tabletop, directing it at no one in particular.

"Fuck you all... I was up half the night guardin' a glorified closet," he muttered. Kai laughed and ruffled his hair as she headed for the door, most of the others filtering out behind her. Tseng chuckled as he walked up behind his rookie, and lifted him back into a sitting position by the back of his collar.

"Come on. I hate to say it, but I think you _do_ need to get some caffeine in you."

"And some fuckin' _breakfast_. Those assholes took their sweet time turnin' the security system back on so I could finally leave."

A short while later, the redhead was in the cafeteria, happily munching away on a pile of bacon and some stale donuts from the previous morning, and downing his second cup of coffee. Tseng shook his head.

"I wish you would opt for something a bit more nutritious..."

"You _have_ seen what they serve here... right?" Reno asked, smirking. His mentor laughed.

"Point taken. Hurry up, then. You'll be joining me on assignment today."

The rookie glanced up in surprise. He'd expected yet another day of training. Tseng nodded in confirmation.

"You're nearing the one year mark... and there's only so much a person can learn in the training hall. It's time you started getting a bit more field experience. Starting with our missing person investigation."

"... Yeah. So... You're kinda gonna have to refresh my memory on that. I think I mighta still been asleep when Veld was talkin' about it."

Tseng snorted softly in laughter. "I thought as much."

"Hey, it _your_ fault I haven't had a full night's sleep in two days."

The Turk lieutenant raised an eyebrow.

"... 'kay, fine. It's _my_ fault that it's your fault."

"I'm honestly not certain if that bit of logic can be attributed to sleep deprivation or your sense of humor," Tseng replied. "In any case, a member of the accounting staff has gone missing... along with several thousand gil in bond notes. A fairly paltry sum, compared to what he _could_ have taken, but as Shinra Company has a zero-tolerance policy on theft, he's been left to us to deal with."

"Deal with like... what we had to do in Gongaga?" Reno queried, uncertainly.

"I'm afraid so."

"So... where do we start?"

"You tell me," his mentor prompted. The redhead thought for a moment.

"The guy have family in town?"

"Yes. A wife and a young daughter in Sector 7," he answered.

"Then I'd start there. See if they packed up 'n left with him... and if not, when they last saw him."

Tseng smiled approvingly. "An excellent suggestion. We leave in five minutes."

* * *

They parked around the corner from the large apartment complex in Sector 7 and slipped around the back of the building, entering silently and avoiding the few residents in the lobby. Tseng led him up to the fourteenth floor, and stopped in front of apartment 1428.

"I don't _expect_ much in terms of trouble, based on his employee profile," he said quietly, "but don't let your guard down. If he's aware we're after him, which I'm sure he at least suspects we are by now, he may be desperate... and desperate people do foolish things."

Reno nodded, and Tseng knocked sharply on the door. There was a faint shuffling from within, and a moment later a young woman eased it open a crack, peering out fearfully.

"... Oh, dear Titan, no..." she breathed upon seeing the pair of them.

"We're only here for your husband, Mrs. Savoy. We aren't interested in harming you or your daughter."

She closed her eyes for a moment, and Reno heard a faint sob as the door opened enough to let them in.

"I _told_ him not to do it. I _begged_ him. I told him we'd get the money some other way," she sniffled, shaking her head, "He knew he couldn't hide it. Someone was bound to notice."

Reno frowned and hung back slightly. He hated seeing women cry, and this one was barely holding back tears.

"Where is he?" Tseng asked.

"I honestly don't know," she replied, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "He left... three days ago now. He was going to sell the bonds he took for cash. The money was for our daughter. She... she can't walk. An accident a year ago. Her doctors are very hopeful that something can be done now that she's regained her strength and healed, but... the treatment has been _so_ expensive. Our savings are gone. We can't pay for any more operations. I _told_ him not to! But... he's her father. It was killing him, knowing that all that stood between our Alice and being able to walk again was _money_."

"Do you know who he was selling them to?"

Mrs. Savoy shook her head in the negative. "I only know he was meeting someone in Sector 2. I've tried calling him, but... there's no answer." She dropped her gaze to the floor. "To be honest... I'd assumed the worst. I thought you were here to tell me that the Turks had already..."

Her voice wavered and she couldn't go on, instead dissolving into tears. Reno swallowed thickly and uncomfortably fidgeted in the doorway behind the senior Turk. That sound had bothered him since he was little. It brought back too many unpleasant memories of his mother in a similar state... crying because she couldn't afford to feed him that day, or because one of her customers had beat her up again, or just out of the sheer frustration of not being able to get them out of the Sector 2 slums and into _any_ of the other sectors. It hurt... more than words could describe. And knowing that there was a kid involved here just made it worse.

"I see," Tseng replied.

"Please... Can't you just let him go? He'll give them back. I'll _make_ him give them back!" she asked, pleadingly.

"Mommy?" a small voice called from farther inside the apartment, and Reno spotted a tiny girl in a wheelchair, lingering nervously in the hallway. She couldn't have been more than six or seven.

"It's alright, Alice... Mommy will be right there. Go back to your room," she said, struggling to regain control of herself. The child hesitated a moment, but at last obeyed, disappearing around the corner.

" _Please_..." Mrs. Savoy whispered.

"I'm afraid it's not up to me," Tseng replied, and turned back toward the door, ushering his rookie back into the hallway.

"How can you be so heartless?!" she sobbed.

"It's what they pay me for." He stepped out into the hall alongside Reno, and the door closed behind them. Tseng shooed the redhead toward the elevator. Reno said nothing until the doors slid closed and they were on their way down.

"The guy's just tryin' to help his kid get better..."

Tseng sighed softly. "I know. And I truly wish there were something we could do... but we have our orders. We can't ignore them simply because we are moved by a target's circumstances."

"... This is gonna be one of those parts of the job that's really gonna suck, isn't it?" the rookie said, blandly.

"In all likelihood. Hopefully it will be quick and painless for him. That, unfortunately, is all the mercy we have the luxury of offering him."

The elevator dropped them off on the first floor and the pair of Turks headed back to Tseng's car in silence. Reno climbed into the passenger seat, pulling his seatbelt across his body.

"Hey... Tseng? Couldn't you have least been... ya know... less of a dick to the lady?"

"I doubt very much a kind-hearted killer would have been any comfort to her. And... sometimes it's less painful for a person to have another target for their anger when the person they _should_ be angry with is someone they love. In the end, it doesn't really matter if she hates _me_."

The redhead thought about that for a minute. He could see the logic in that sentiment... but he wasn't sure he completely agreed with it.

"So... what now?" he asked.

"Now we pay a visit to Sector 2. Call Luca. Find out if the Midgar City Police have located Savoy's car for us yet, and tell him to relay to them that they should concentrate on Sector 2 if they haven't."

* * *

The police hadn't found the car... which left the two Turks searching for it on their own for the time being. Reno watched carefully out the window, peering into alleyways and down sidestreets as they drove past.

"This is fuckin' _hopeless_ ," the redhead said after awhile. "It could be _anywhere_ in the sector! Hell, it might not even _be_ in this sector..."

"You're quite correct," Tseng replied, taking a right down yet another street. "It may not be. But it's our target's last know location. Until we have new intelligence to work with, that makes it the most likely place to find him... so we keep looking. We're not the only ones searching, after all."

"Yeah... I guess," Reno replied. "Tch... if it were up to me, _I'd_ do it from the air."

Tseng chuckled quietly. "Any excuse to get into the helicopter?"

"That's just a bonus," the redhead grinned.

"I, too, would prefer an air search. But, as apparently you've forgotten – or slept through it – Remy, Saya, and Sato are presently using it to get to Junon. I believe Shay is dropping them off... He should be back by lunch time. If we haven't found anything by this afternoon, we'll return to headquarters and commandeer the copter for ourselves."

"Heh... know what we need? A second helicopter," the rookie stated. Tseng smiled slightly.

"Mmm... Try getting the budget approved for _that_ sometime. Nevermind that it's quite a large piece of equipment to store and the roof is rather short on space with both _our_ aircraft _and_ the executive helicopter up there."

"Details, details..." the redhead muttered, and turned his attention back out the window. A brief glint of dark green suddenly caught his eye, and he bolted upright in the seat. "Whoa! Hold on, back it up..."

Tseng braked, and reversed until they were even with a narrow side street. A dark green coup sat unassumingly, parked by the curb and largely obscured by a large 'Road Closed' sign and the shadows of the nearby buildings. Tseng pulled over and shut off the engine.

"How in Leviathan's name did you manage to spot that?"

The redhead just grinned in response.

The pair exited the car and made their way over to the parked vehicle. A quick glance at the license plate told Tseng that it was, indeed, the one they were looking for. Now the only question that remained was... where had he gone from here?

"Reno... Stay with the car, out of sight, and keep watch. The last thing we need is for Mr. Savoy to return and leave while we're questioning potential witnesses. I'm going to speak to some of the business owners nearby."

"Got it." The redhead ducked into a nearby alley, while Tseng circled back around to the front of one of the adjacent buildings. Reno leaned back against the wall and waited. He didn't know much about selling stolen bonds... but if it was anything like selling stolen goods down in the slums, he had a feeling that any legit business wouldn't want to touch them with a ten foot pole. Which, in his mind, meant that Savoy _probably_ wasn't here to visit the local shops. More likely, he was meeting someone here. The street was closed... so no traffic to worry about. And it was dark, even in daylight, with the huge buildings rising up on either side of it.

Which... Tseng had probably already figured out.

He wasn't looking for the person Savoy was meeting. He was looking for witnesses. Reno knew about as much about finding witnesses up on the Plate as he did about stolen bonds... but if _that_ was anything like the slums, they wouldn't be in any hurry to volunteer information. He had a sneaking suspicion that the next item on today's agenda would be an interrogation back at headquarters if Tseng was successful.

Reno glanced around at his surroundings. A few trash cans lined one side of the alley next to a metal door with a large padlock fastened to it... and at the far end was a much larger dumpster with the name of a nearby restaurant stenciled on it in white paint. A small object lying in the middle of the alley caught his eye and he walked over to it, bending down to retrieve it.

The redhead flipped the worn leather wallet over in his hand. It was nothing particularly high-end, and the stitching was coming loose in one of the corners. He opened it and found a few credit cards, photos, and an ID... one that read 'Herman Savoy'.

"Crap," he muttered. That didn't exactly bode well for the guy. Of course, it's not like good old Herman was going to be heading home even if they _did_ manage to find him. A thought occurred to him... and Reno made his way back out of the alley, to Savoy's car. He tried the driver's side door and found it unlocked. After a brief moment in which he considered calling Tseng before he was face to face with a dead guy, he reached inside and popped the trunk. Steeling himself, he walked to the back and shoved it open... and let out a sigh of relief. It was empty.

"Fuck, man... I've been watchin' too goddamn many horror movies lately..." he said, laughing at himself. He shut the trunk and retreated back to his hiding place to wait for Tseng.

Something still bothered him, though. Obviously, Savoy had been here. He left behind his car _and_ his wallet... both of which he _probably_ wouldn't have if he'd left this alley of his own accord. So, where did he go? Had the person he was selling to nabbed him? And if so... why bother? The guy was broke. It's not like his family could afford a ransom. If Reno had to bet on it, he'd have wagered that the buyer had grabbed the bonds and run. But, then... what had happened to the seller?

Dead seemed the most likely answer. And if he _was_ dead, whoever had killed him hadn't exactly been overly careful about hiding the evidence that they'd been here. The rookie Turk glanced towards the back of the alley again. That dumpster was _more_ than big enough to ditch a body in.

He sighed in resignation and started to walk over to it. He didn't even have to look. By the time he was within six feet of it, he could smell it, and quickly backed away when it made him gag. Reno pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Tseng's number.

" _Yes?"_ the Turk Lieutenant answered.

"... I, uh... I think I mighta found him, boss..."

* * *

It took Tseng several minutes to make his way back to his rookie. When he finally did, Reno was waiting for him near the target's car.

"Where?" he asked, and the redhead pointed him towards a dumpster hidden away in the shadows of an alley. By the time he was standing next to it, it quickly became clear that _something_ was dead. When he opened the lid, it was undeniable. The stench was overpowering. He heard Reno make a sound of disgust, likely as the odor hit _him_ as well.

"Hmm..." the Wutaiian Turk said, peering inside, "Well... not the most pleasant sight, but it certainly makes _our_ job easier." He tossed his keys to the redhead. "Get the white box from the trunk."

The rookie quickly scurried off to do as he'd been commanded, obviously only too happy to get away from the smell. Tseng propped the lid of the dumpster open with a metal pipe, and shook his head. It wasn't pretty. Savoy had clearly been there for a few days. The local rodents had found him, as well. Not the _worst_ he'd ever seen... but still...

Reno returned moments later with requested box, and Tseng opened the latch, pulling out gloves and a long black, zippered bag. He tossed a pair of gloves to the rookie as well, and then took his jacket off, laying it neatly across the open box.

"Let's make this quick, shall we?" he said, pulling on the gloves. Rotting bodies were his least favorite to deal with. They had a tendency to... burst... when one tried to move them if one wasn't careful, and Savoy was going to require a fair amount of moving. He unrolled the bag, laying it out flat on the ground and unzipped it. "I'll need your help to lower him."

"Uh... y-yeah. Okay..." Reno replied, not sounding particularly keen on the idea. Tseng hoisted himself onto the edge of the dumpster and carefully slipped inside, swearing loudly in Wutaiian as something slimy coated his shoe. He lifted the body, passing it out to Reno's waiting hands. The redhead grunted as he took the weight. "Tseng? I'm not sure I got this on my own..."

"Just hold on. I'll help you." He hurried to swing himself over the lip and back onto solid ground again, and joined his protege in easing the dead man down. They carried him over to the bag and at last set him down. Tseng peeled off his gloves, and tossed them into the dumpster behind him. "Well... that's the _hard_ part. Now we –"

He stopped short as he looked over at the younger Turk, who by then had gone pale and begun to double over, eyes still locked on the body.

"Reno?"

The rookie shook his head minutely, and then gagged. Before Tseng could do anything else, Reno was on his knees, retching violently. When it finally stopped, he coughed faintly and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Tseng sighed and knelt down beside him.

"Better?" he asked.

"... Not really..." Reno groaned and heaved again. He panted softly for a few moments as he recovered. "Sorry about your shoes..."

* * *

Reno still felt a little queasy. The ride through the city streets all the way back to headquarters hadn't really helped to calm his stomach. Neither had the burning humiliation he felt.

"What happened to you?" Rude asked, returning to their shared office.

"I don't wanna talk about it..." the redhead replied, not bothering to lift his head off of his desktop.

"... Do you want to get some lunch?"

Reno's stomach churned, threatening to rebel again, and he quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Don't even _mention_ food right now..." he moaned after a moment.

"I would take him seriously," Tseng said, strolling through the door, a mug of steaming liquid in his hand. He smirked slightly. "Unless, of course, you're looking for an excuse to purchase new shoes..."

Reno groaned. Tseng smiled and set the mug down beside him, and gently rubbed the ailing rookie's back.

"Drink it. It's peppermint tea. It will help."

"What happened?" Rude asked again, a worried expression on his face.

"Nothing to be concerned about. Our termination mission simply turned into a body retrieval mission. The target had been dead quite some time. It was... unpleasant."

Rude grunted in understanding and took a seat at his own desk.

"First time always _is_."

Reno minutely raised his head and glared at him. "Quit actin' like you're some kinda expert on dead, rottin' bodies. How many you even _seen_ , anyway?"

Rude shrugged. "A few. It gets easier. Still not really used to the smell, though."

The redhead gagged and swallowed sharply. "Oh god, don't remind me about the fuckin' smell..."

" _Drink_ ," Tseng insisted, "It _will_ help. Rude, would you mind informing Tres that Reno will be missing his afternoon range practice? I don't think he's in any condition for it right now."

Rude nodded and left to find the senior Turk. Reno's fingers curled around the mug as he slowly sat up, and he took a cautious sniff.

"It's practically blasphemous to ruin perfectly good tea in such a way, but I've added sugar for you." 

The rookie slowly sipped the hot beverage. It wasn't _terrible_. Much better than the last time Tseng had plied him with tea. The sugar greatly improved the taste. And Tseng was right. The peppermint _did_ seem to be helping. He finished nearly half of it before he finally spoke again.

"Are you disappointed?" he asked.

"No. Why should I be?"

"Maybe 'cause I puked like a total fuckin' wuss?"

"Most people would."

"Tch... _most_ people aren't Turks," Reno shot back.

"Reno... very few people are prepared to see something like that, let alone having to deal with transporting it. It's nothing to be ashamed of. You're being much too hard on yourself," he replied, "Actually, _I'm_ quite impressed. Not only were you the first to spot the target's vehicle, you also found the target himself. Stop focusing so much on what you perceive as the negative aspects of your performance. You did very well today. Though I'll admit... I _do_ wish you had aimed for something other than my shoes."

The redhead managed a weak laugh at that, and Tseng ran his hand through the teenager's hair before withdrawing his hand. He sighed quietly.

"Are you certain you want to stay _here_ until you find a new apartment?" he asked, "It's no inconvenience to _me_ to have you as my guest. Especially with you not feeling your best."

Reno smiled and shook his head.

"Nah... I'm good. 'Sides... it's probably only gonna be for a week or two. Sato says he's already got a couple possibilities lined up."

"Alright," Tseng agreed, "But should his 'possibilities' not work out and you find yourself growing tired of living in a room the size of a closet, you're more than welcome."

"... 'kay. Thanks, Tseng."

* * *

Reno spent the remainder of the week working with Tseng to track down the missing bonds that had cost Herman Savoy his life. By Friday, they'd narrowed it down to a well-known money launderer operating out of Wall Market. Tres and Rude had picked him up and delivered him to a detention cell that afternoon to await interrogation.

Saturday found him back at Rude's new apartment continuing to make up for the _previous_ Friday. By then, his friend was mostly settled in, but there was still furniture to be arranged, and personal effects to be cleaned. By the time dinner rolled around, though, Rude had declared them finished... and they sat down to enojy dinner and a movie. Reno didn't get back to his temporary abode until late.

He yawned as he dragged himself from the elevator and down the silent hallways of Turks headquarters to his room. He was going to bed... and he was staying there. One of the bonuses of the little sleeping quarters were that they had no windows. No Shiva-forsaken sunlight to wake him up before he was ready. He stripped down and shut off the light, climbing into bed. Minutes later, he was asleep.

* * *

Reno rolled over with a soft grunt. It took him a moment in his sleepy state to realize that he was awake. He mentally shrugged. It wasn't unusual for him to wake himself up now and then. He didn't even bother opening his eyes, knowing he'd be out like a light again in a minute or two.

Just as he was beginning to drift off, however, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled unsettlingly. He wasn't alone. He was absolutely _certain_ of it. The redhead strained to pick out any unusual sounds in the room... and a faint shudder went down his spine as he recognized the sound of quiet breathing coming from the direction of the door.

 _'Fuck,'_ he thought. He didn't know what time it was, but it _had_ to still be pretty late. Plus, it was the weekend. Who the _fuck_ would be here _now_?

As slowly and as silently as he could, he reached a hand out towards the bedside table. His EMR was there. He swallowed nervously as his fingers curled around the handle, hoping whoever was watching him wouldn't notice. Once he had the weapon in hand, he sprang upright in bed, flicking the mag-rod out to its full length and activating the electric pulse. It sparked in the darkness, illuminating the immediate area around him, and he heard a surprised yelp.

Reno caught a brief glimpse of a bespectacled figure with long, greasy hair as it fled the room. He was on his feet moments later, ignoring the shiver the chill of the cool air on his bare skin sent through him as he charged into the hallway after the intruder. Footsteps were fading quickly down the hallway, and he followed... arriving just in time to see a shadow disappear into the elevator. By the time he caught up, the doors had already closed and the car was on its way upstairs. Reno watched the digital panel on the wall as the numbers ticked upwards. It stopped on sixty-seven. High security biologics lab.

He shivered again, and this time it had nothing to do with the temperature. What the _fuck_ had Hojo been doing down here? In his room? Watching him?

Reno had no idea. But one thing he _was_ certain of... he wasn't getting any more sleep tonight.

~end chapter 50~


	51. Paranoia

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 51: Paranoia**

 **by Desha**

Reno spent much of his Sunday as far from the Shinra Building as he could get... which, for him, meant all the way down in Wall Market with Lira. He hadn't mentioned anything about his... encounter... the previous night, but she had very quickly realized something was up. He'd told her about finding Savoy's body instead and how stupid he'd felt for how he'd reacted to it... which, to be fair, was still weighing on him. He dragged out his visit as long as he possibly could.

But eventually, he had to return to his little room in Turk headquarters.

He'd made a point of switching rooms first thing that morning. No way in hell was he gonna be in the exact same place if Hojo decided to come back. He'd also barricaded the door this time... just in case. Even so, Reno had a feeling he was in for another sleepless night.

He'd thought about calling Tseng... and just as quickly dismissed the idea. He _wasn't_ a fucking child. At some point he needed to stop relying on his mentor for every little thing.

Even if he was scared out of his mind and didn't entirely know why. It wasn't as if Hojo was much of a physical threat, after all. But just seeing the odd scientist there, in the darkness... watching him sleep. What the _hell_ had that even been about? And what might he have done to the rookie if he weren't such a light sleeper? What the fuck did he even _want_ from him?

Given the short conversation they'd had outside the lab, he could venture a guess... and he hoped it was _just_ a guess, because the thought of Hojo coming into his room in the middle of the night to... _harvest_... him for some weird breeding experiment creeped him out beyond words.

Reno laid down in bed, fingers slipping beneath his pillow to check that his gun was still where he'd hidden it. He wasn't taking any chances. He glanced at his EMR on the bedside table, and then shut off the light. The redhead laid awake for what felt like hours, but eventually, he fell into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

He awoke with a start as someone pounded loudly on the door of his room, and sat up, immediately going for his EMR.

" _Reno?"_ a muffled voice called from outside, and the rookie relaxed, recognizing it.

"... Yeah, yeah... hang on. I'm comin'..." he groaned, crawling out of bed. He shoved the chair that was blocking the door out of the way and unlocked it, allowing Rude inside. The older rookie eyed him, strangely for a moment.

"... You... planning on coming to work today?" his friend asked. The redhead blinked.

"Huh?"

"It's Monday."

Reno rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"What fuckin' time is it?" he asked. The adrenaline surge had apparently worn off, and sleepiness was rapidly creeping back in. It _felt_ like the middle of the goddamn night. What the hell was Rude doing here?

"Almost time for the morning briefing..." he replied, "You _might_ want to put some clothes on."

"Wait... what?!" he sputtered, suddenly awake again. He fumbled for his PHS, looking at the clock, and realized, with a groan, that he'd been so preoccupied with making sure that Hojo wasn't going to come barging in last night that he'd completely forgotten to set his alarm. " _FUCK!_ "

The redhead scrambled to find a clean uniform amongst his haphazardly unpacked possessions. Rude merely stood in the doorway, watching his frantic companion in amusement. Reno grabbed a pair of pants from a pile of fabric on the floor and raised them to his face, sniffing the garment. He shrugged... He'd already worn them at least once, but they weren't _too_ bad.

Rude snickered and shook his head, watching him hop around on one foot as he pulled them on.

"Is this how you _always_ get dressed in the morning?" he teased, and Reno paused just long enough to glower at him.

"Tch... if ya mean do I have some asshole standin' in the door, watchin' me flail around mostly naked... then, no. This isn't how I usually get dressed."

"What in Hades' name is going on in here?" a new voice asked, and a moment later Kai peeked around Rude's larger frame trying to see what all the commotion was. She laughed at the sight. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm _tryin'_ to get ready for work! You fuckers ever hear of somethin' called privacy?"

"Oh, please," Kai snorted, "As if dancing around naked in front of half the office was a problem for _you_."

The redhead grabbed a pair of his underwear from the floor and slingshotted it at the senior Turk, hitting her in the face. Kai squealed in disgust and flung them back at him.

"Okay, that's just _gross_ , Reno..." she muttered, and retreated back into the hallway. A second later, he heard her storm off towards the conference room.

At last, he managed to make himself some semblance of presentable, and hurriedly rushed out of his room, following Rude to their meeting. He hid a yawn as he slid into his seat just as Veld and Tseng walked into the room.

"Just some quick updates, and then I'll let you all get to work," said Veld. "First and foremost, the bonds stolen by Mr. Savoy have been recovered, thanks to Luca's interrogation of the suspect... who, of course, was tracked down by Tseng and Reno. Excellent work all around."

He paused just long enough to allow brief congratulations to filter through the ranks, before continuing.

"Second... Remy reports that the implementation of the Junon branch is proceeding on schedule. And to that end, Tseng and I have narrowed our choices of new rookies down to four. Final evaluations will be taking place this week, and we will be welcoming our two new recruits next Monday."

" _Finally_ ," Kai said in a dramatic tone, "You two were taking _forever_ to make a decision."

"Ah, shut it, Kai," Tres snickered, "You just want someone new to run through the gauntlet. What's the matter? Bored with your 'baby Turklings' already?"

The diminutive Turk grinned. "They're getting too good at it. Reno doesn't even scream when he gets hit in the shooting gallery anymore."

"I _never_ 'screamed'," the redhead shot back, glaring. Okay... so _maybe_ he'd screamed. Once or twice. Those stupid little rubber balls fucking _hurt_ , though...

"At _any_ rate," Veld cut in, "New personnel incoming, next Monday. I suggest you prepare your training schedules accordingly. Shay, Tseng and I would like you to assist in materia training."

The younger Turk blinked in surprise. "Me? You want _me_ to help train? Not just... fill in for whoever's in the field like I usually do."

"We both agree it's about time you did. And you _are_ relatively comfortable with materia. The only Turk _more_ familiar with it is Remy, and she will be busy in Junon for the foreseeable future. And as Reno and Rude are both somewhat overdue to start that particular training as well, it's going to be difficult to handle on my own," Tseng explained.

"O-oh... Yes, sir!" Shay replied, grinning.

"Four rookies using materia? Should I put in the maintenance requests preemptively?" Luca chuckled from the opposite side of the table.

" _I_ would," Tres said, "Might wanna alert Medical, too, while you're at it. Remember the last time we handed a rookie a materia sphere?"

"What? My eyebrows _did_ eventually grow back, Tres..," Shay good-naturedly responded.

" _Aaron's_ didn't," Tres sniggered. That comment brought a round of laughter from the other senior Turks in the room, and Shay blushed slightly.

"Enough. You all have assignments to work on. Get to it," Veld said, shaking his head and chuckling. There was a shuffling of chairs as those in the meeting got up to leave. Reno yawned slightly and stood up as well. "Reno... a moment, please?"

The redhead shrugged and gave Rude a wave as the other rookie followed Tres out the door. Veld and Tseng remained behind.

"Would you care to explain why you look like you rolled out of bed and directly into this meeting this morning?" the Turk leader asked once the others had filtered out. Reno internally groaned. He should have known they'd have noticed.

"'Cause I _kinda_ did..." he admitted. Veld frowned and glanced over at his second in command.

"Reno... Living at headquarters temporarily is not a free pass to be lazy. Just because you don't _have_ to be up in time to make the trip in from one of the outer sectors doesn't mean rousing yourself nearly half an hour after you were supposed to have been on duty is acceptable," Tseng said in a scolding tone.

"I _know_ ," the redhead replied, defensively, "It wasn't on purpose! I just... didn't exactly get much sleep this weekend." He sighed. "... Someone was here. Saturday night... It kinda freaked me out."

Veld's eyes narrowed. "There was a security breach? Who?" he demanded, "And why didn't you report it?"

Reno swallowed somewhat nervously. He hadn't even considered _that_... Crap.

"I-I... It was Professor Hojo," he stammered, "I... He... He's got executive level clearance... Right?"

Tseng and Veld looked at one another with a shared expression of confusion.

"I think you had better start from the beginning," Tseng said, in a less antagonistic voice. The redhead took a somewhat calming breath before beginning to explain.

"So... I spent some time at Rude's place on Saturday... and then I came back to the office, same as I'd been doin' all week. Went to bed, everything was fine. Then about one or two in the mornin' I woke up 'n... I wasn't alone. So I grabbed my EMR and took a swing at whoever the fuck was standin' over me. They took off runnin' for the elevators, but not before I got a halfway decent look at 'em in the light from the mag-rod's pulse. It was definitely Hojo. I... didn't sleep so great last night, wonderin' if he was gonna make it a regular thing."

"Have Tres review the security footage from early Sunday morning," Veld said, looking over at Tseng. "Confirm that it was _indeed_ Hojo and have him make me a copy. Clearance or not, I won't have that slimy little bastard prowling around _my_ offices, harassing _my_ Turks after hours."

"Yes, sir," Tseng replied.

"And _you_..." he said, turning his attention back on the rookie, "The next time you or any other Turk is threatened _in our own offices_ , I expect to hear about it _immediately_ , clearance be damned."

"Y-yes, sir..." the rookie managed. Veld gave them a curt nod and strode out.

"And _I_ expect to hear about it even before Veld," Tseng added when he was gone. "Why in Leviathan's name didn't you call me?"

The redhead let his gaze drop. "Well... 'cause. I shouldn't have to come runnin' to you for every little thing. I mean... I've been a Turk for almost a year now. I should be able to handle shit on my own. Remy said I'm way behind even the new rookies we're gettin'... 'n she's right."

" _I_ will be the judge of _that_ , not Remy," Tseng replied, sternly, "But more importantly, regardless of your progress, you're still a rookie. That makes you _my_ responsibility. In more ways then one, given that you're also still a minor. I appreciate that you want to take on more **accountability** for yourself, and I'm glad that you do... but you don't have to do _everything_ on your own. Nor would I want you to. Not now, and not when you're a fully fledged Turk. We rely on one another. Always. Is that clear?"

"... Yes, sir."

"Good. Now let's go and see Tres about that camera footage."

* * *

"Oh... _this_ is goin' in my archive," Tres snickered loudly as he replayed the recording of Reno – completely naked and looking thoroughly deranged after having been so rudely awakened – chasing after Hojo in the darkened hallways of the Turks' headquarters. The redhead scowled at him.

"Hey, _you'd_ be running after the son of a bitch, too, if you'd been in my place," he muttered.

"Yeah... but _I_ wouldn't be doin' it with my dick hangin' out. Seriously kid... it's too fuckin' cold this time of year to sleep nude."

"Tres... please forgo the commentary and just make a copy for me," Tseng sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah... Already doin' it." A moment later, the drive ejected a freshly burned disc. Tres handed it to the Turk lieutenant. "Tell Veld to keep that nutcase outta here, will ya? I definitelydon't wanna wake up with the fucker standin' over _me_ some night."

"Duly noted," Tseng replied, and turned to leave. Reno moved to follow him, only to be held back by the senior Turk.

"Hey... If ya need a place to crash for awhile..."

The rookie shook his head. "Nah... I'll manage."

"Tch... That's the point, kid," Tres said with a roll of his eyes. "You don't _have_ to 'manage' anymore. This ain't the slums, and you ain't on your own. Trust me... I know it goes against just about every instinct you got after livin' down in Two your whole damn life. Took _me_ awhile to get used to the idea, too... but if ya need somethin', _ask_ for it. It's what we're here for."

"Yeah. I will," the redhead replied. Tres snorted a faint laugh.

"No you won't. You're a stubborn little shit," he snickered. "If you weren't, you'd've been sleepin' at Tseng's place last night instead of sittin' up, starin' at the door in case Hojo came back."

"... You... uh... heard about _that_ ,too?" the redhead hesitantly queried. The fact that Hojo had been in the office was bound to spread through the ranks fairly quickly... but he'd kind of hoped that no one else would find out about his paranoia-filled night.

"Hearin' things is my business, kid. Plus your pal Rude was eavsedroppin' on you 'n the boss. He was worried about ya. Said he'd've offered to let ya stay with him if he didn't think it might get _him_ kicked out, too, if the landlord found out," Tres said with a grin, "Now get outta here... you got shit to do. And when Tseng offers you a room... which you _know_ he's gonna, 'cause he's Tseng... take him the fuck up on it, already."

"Yeah, okay... I'll think about it," Reno said, waving him off as he turned and walked through the door. He spotted Rude waiting for him just across the hall and smirked. "Rattin' me out to your mentor, huh? I oughta tell Tseng about your little habit of listenin' in on other people's conversations."

Rude shrugged. "He can't really complain. That's what I'm being trained for," the bald rookie snickered. Reno laughed and fell into step next to him, heading for the elevators.

"Appreciate the concern," he said, "but I'll be fine. Hell, Tseng'll probably _order_ me back into his guest room after this."

"Is that what it'd take?" Rude asked, seriously. Reno shook his head.

"... No," he sighed. "Not really. I kinda wanted to do shit for myself, but... _maybe_ there's times I _should_ just shut up and let people help me out. Plus I _really_ don't wanna spend another night here."

Rude snorted in soft laughter and ushered his friend into the elevator.

* * *

The remainder of the day went by much too quickly. Reno had found himself paired up with Shay for much of the afternoon, making the rounds at the Mako reactor security offices. He'd gotten to meet several of the reactor foremen, and the senior Turk had explained that, while the Turks weren't directly responsible for reactor security, Veld insisted that they maintain a good relationship with the staff... just in case they needed their help. The reactors were the lifeblood of Midgar... Having an in with the people who ran them was _always_ a good thing.

They'd even very briefly stopped at the Sector Six reactor, though they had only lingered long enough to introduce themselves to the new foreman. Bastion Meheara was gruff, short-tempered, and seemed to exist in a state of constant irritation... but he _had_ grudgingly showed the Turks around the construction site for a few minutes. Number Six was still in the process of being rebuilt after it's catastrophic failure nearly a year ago. It would probably be at least _another_ year before it was running at full capacity again, but apparently they had high hopes that it would be able to manage a partial output by the coming summer.

For Reno, it had brought back memories of his first real loss as a Turk. It was hard to believe that Aaron had been gone almost as long as the rookie had _been_ a Turk. He'd hardly even gotten to know him, and one of his biggest regrets was that he'd missed out on that opportunity... because Aaron had seemed like a really great guy. He hoped he never had to go through something like that again... though he wasn't naïve enough to believe it couldn't happen a second time. Or a third.

By the time they made it back to headquarters, it was growing dark. As they pulled into the parking deck, Reno could see that most of the vehicles belonging to his fellow Turks had disappeared. Tres was still there... as was Tseng. That was it. Shay parked his car and stretched as he climbed out.

"Man, am I ever beat. Running all over town all day is a real pain," he said.

"I dunno... I kinda enjoyed it," Reno replied. "Got to see some shit I've never seen before."

Shay grinned. "Well, to be fair, that's _most_ of the planet..."

"Tch... and I s'pose you've seen it all?"

"Not _all_... but a lot. My parents liked to travel when I was a kid, so I got dragged to all kinds of places. They still do, actually. I think they're in Wutai at the moment."

"You _think_ they're in Wutai? You don't actually know?" the redhead queried, following the other Turk to the elevators and stepping aboard. Shay shrugged.

"Well... they tend to do a lot of things very spur of the moment. They'll just decide they want to go somewhere, and then pack up and leave the next day. They left for Wutai right after New Years. As far as I _know_ ,they're still there, but they could just as easily have decided to pay a visit to Mideel while they're down south. Or they might've hopped a flight up to Cosmo Canyon, or a boat to Cactus Island. You never know with them. I'm sure I'll get another postcard in a week or two. It's just something my brother and I have gotten used to over the years. Of course, Estefan is just as bad as Mum and Dad. Can't stand to stay in one place for more than two seconds. _He's_ skiing at Icicle Inn right now and then he's heading off to some island in the northern sea."

"Heh... I'm not sure if that's awesome or completely nuts," Reno chuckled. They elevator dropped them off on their floor and Shay headed off towards his office... but paused for a moment. He grinned again, wider this time.

"Personally... I think it's completely nuts," he laughed. "Don't worry about the reactor reports. I'm on it. See ya tomorrow, Reno."

The redhead waved and made his way back towards the sleeping quarters. To his surprise, Tseng _hadn't_ ordered him back into his guest room before he'd left with Shay. He actually hadn't even offered, and the rookie wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. After all, _he_ was the one who'd said he wanted to look after _himself_. Still... even though he knew he was welcome, it would have made him feel better to hear it again.

He sighed softly as he rounded the corner... and very nearly walked right into Tseng himself. Reno came to an abrupt halt and glared at his mentor.

"Goddammit, Tseng... I'm puttin' a fuckin' _bell_ on you if you keep this shit up."

The Turk lieutenant only chuckled and held out a large duffle bag to the redhead.

"Come on... it's getting late. I've already packed up your things. Let's go home."

Reno snorted and grabbed the bag.

"Not givin' me a choice?" he asked.

"Oh... you have a choice," Tseng replied, starting off in the direction his rookie had just come from, "I'm merely betting on you being intelligent enough to come with me rather than spend another night here."

"Tch... You ever get tired of bein' right?" he muttered, shouldering the bag and falling into step beside the senior Turk.

"I haven't yet," Tseng said, smiling.

"So... you 'n Veld find out what Hojo was actually _doin'_ here the other night?"

"He _claimed_ to have been tracking an escaped specimen. Frankly, I have my doubts... but as we have no reliable way to disprove his story, there's very little more we can do. Certainly, we have nothing to take to Heidegger for a formal complaint."

They stepped back aboard the elevator and Tseng pressed the button for the parking deck. Reno leaned back against the wall of the car.

"So... nothin' happens."

Tseng smirked slightly. "Oh... I didn't say _that_ ," he intoned, "Neither Veld nor myself are overly pleased with the idea of Hojo – or anyone else, for that matter – being able to simply intrude upon Turks attempting to get some rest after a long day. To that end, we're going to be making some security upgrades of our own. We can't bar him from our offices, as he technically has clearance to enter... but the sleeping quarters are another matter entirely."

" _Good_ ," Reno replied, "'Cause I don't think I'd ever feel safe sleepin' here again knowing he could. The fuck do you think he was _really_ after, anyway?"

The Turk lieutenant shook his head. "Judging by the interest he showed in you last week, my guess would be a sample of some kind or another. If you weren't willing to provide one, I suspect he intended to simply take it... though I doubt he expected you to be so easily roused. Veld has assured me that you will not be placed on any of his security details alone in the future... just in case he's foolish enough to make another attempt. It's likely something more interesting will cross his path eventually, anyway... but I prefer not to take the chance."

"Tch... Me neither."

The elevator dropped them off, and minutes later, they were bound for home.

~end chapter 51~


	52. Materia 101

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 52: Materia 101**

 **by Desha**

 _ **Author's note:** I'm a little ahead of schedule so I thought I'd post this chapter a little early. Especially since I'm eager to introduce the teams new rookies. :)_

* * *

"Good news!" Reno crowed as he walked through the front door of Tseng's apartment. It was early Saturday afternoon, and the Turk lieutenant had spent most of the morning in blissful silence, the redhead having left at the crack of dawn on some unknown errand. Tseng had _assumed_ that a visit to his friend in Wall Market had been the purpose of his early departure.

"Oh?" he replied, glancing up from the letter he'd been reading. He really didn't need details, if that were the case – though he suspected he'd be getting them anyway. Reno grinned widely as he kicked his shoes into the corner and plopped down on the couch.

"Yep. Sato _actually_ came through for me. I got a new place to live over in Sector Three startin' in a few weeks. Just need ya to sign the lease for me, since the stupid rules up here say I can't do it myself 'til I'm eighteen." He pulled a small bundle of papers out of his back pocket and handed them to his mentor.

Tseng scanned over the first page, slightly surprised. Not only had Sato managed to find his ward a new apartment in record time, he'd managed to get him what looked to be an exceptionally fair rent for the place... and all from Junon, where he'd been sequestered with Saya and Remy for the last week. Which begged the question – what was _wrong_ with it?

The Wutaiian Turk raised an eyebrow. "Have you _seen_ this apartment?" he asked, cautiously.

"Tch... 'course, I've seen it. Where the hell ya think I've been all day? It's a little on the small side, but it's a nice building... right down the street from the train station, so no problems gettin' to work," he said, and then added with a teasing smirk, "It's just about perfect. Only downside is that it's only like eight blocks away from Kai's place."

That, in Tseng's mind at any rate, was a pro... not a con. He'd feel better knowing that one of the more responsible Turks... generally speaking... was nearby. He chuckled and shook his head. "Put your shoes back on. I want to see this allegedly perfect apartment with my own eyes before I sign _anything_."

* * *

Try as he might... Tseng couldn't find anything seriously wrong with place.

As Reno had mentioned, it wasn't exactly huge... but it was hardly the closet he'd expected for the rent stated on the lease. It boasted a tiny kitchenette instead of the full kitchen of his previous home – hardly a major issue for someone who didn't cook anyway – and laundry would have to be done in the communal laundry room on the first floor, and the narrow balcony off the living room overlooked a rather mundane collection of similar buildings rather than one of the more impressive views the city had to offer. On the whole, however, those were fairly minor complaints. Even the neighborhood was undeniably nice, with a little park several blocks over, and a selection of shops and restaurants nearby.

"So?" the redhead prodded as his mentor emerged from his inspection of the bedroom and attached bath.

"I... have to admit. Sato did _indeed_ come through. If you're certain you wouldn't prefer to continue looking for something a bit larger, I'll sign the lease." The redhead grinned and handed him the papers. Tseng snorted a quiet laugh. "You certainly seem eager to be out from under my roof..."

Reno shook his head in denial. "Nah. I told ya, boss... I _like_ stayin' with you. But... we both know I oughta be out on my own by now. 'Sides... I promised Lira she could come spend the weekend with me soon as I got moved in."

"Ah... _That_ explains the rush," the senior Turk teased. Reno shrugged and glanced over at the door to the bedroom.

"... You think I could get a waterbed in there?" he asked, "It's not as big as the bedroom in my old place."

"Hmm... One of similar size may make things a bit cramped. But we can probably find something that will fit."

"Oh, good," Reno breathed in relief. "I miss it. Seriously... those were some of the best nights' sleep I ever had."

The senior Turk laughed and guided him towards the hallway. "I'm sure at least _one_ of the stores in Midgar will have something suitable. Let's go and get your paperwork turned in."

They boarded the elevator, and Reno hit the button for the ground floor, where the manager's office was located. He grinned slightly.

"Come on, Tseng, admit it. You've gotta be a _little_ happy to see me go."

"It would be more accurate to say I'm happy to see you growing up. I could never be happy to see you go," Tseng replied, "Though I _will_ concede that the timing is rather fortuitous. I received a letter this morning from home. My sister, Mayu, is coming to visit me next month. It _will_ be nice to have her stay with me instead of putting her up in a hotel."

Reno glanced up in interest as the doors slid open on the ground floor.

"Oh, yeah? Do I get to meet her?"

"So long as you refrain from blowing anything up between then and now... I'll consider it," Tseng smirked.

* * *

When Reno and Tseng arrived at the office on Monday morning, the redhead discovered a new vehicle on the parking deck, parked in one of the spaces that had been unofficially commandeered by the Turks... a large, heavily modified motorcycle that made Kai's little crotch-rocket look like a child's toy. He looked it over wondering just who _that_ monstrosity belonged to, before he remembered... today was the day.

Two new rookies were joining their ranks.

He took one final glance at the custom bike and then hurried to catch up to his mentor, joining him in the elevator.

"So... What are the new guys like?" he asked.

"Exceptional," Tseng replied, "I wouldn't have chosen them otherwise. Beyond that... you'll just have to wait and see." He smirked slightly, as they stepped out onto their floor. "Incidentally... you came dangerously close to losing your status."

The rookie froze momentarily and blinked. "What status?"

"As the youngest of the Turks," Tseng clarified. "As it happens, one of them is just shy of a month older than _you_ are."

The redhead snorted softly. "Can we lie about his age?" he deadpanned. Honestly... youngest was a designation he could do without. "Ya know... give Kai someone _else_ to call 'baby Turkling' for a change?"

The Turk lieutenant chuckled as they rounded the corner. "The rookie in question is female, actually. And even if she went along with such a scheme, I wouldn't get your hopes up. I'm quite sure that Kai's nickname for you is more in reference to your appearance than your actual age. Unless you start looking considerably older, I have a feeling you're going to be her 'baby Turkling' for many years to come."

He pushed open the lounge door, ushering his rookie inside. Reno groaned and walked in, only to stop short a moment later at the unfamiliar figure that greeted him... if by 'greeting' one meant giving him a decidedly unimpressed once-over and shaking his head with a quiet snort of contempt.

"Who's the little kid?" the young man asked from the couch by the window.

He was probably only a bit older than Reno... likely Rude's or Rufus' age, or close to it... dressed in a standard Turk uniform, and largely unremarkable in appearance. His brown hair was spiked and somewhat unkempt, as though it had been blown into some semblance of a style by a powerful wind. He had dark, cobalt eyes and a slightly bored expression, as though he were just killing time before being allowed to show them what he could do.

"Reno," Tseng began, gently nudging him forward, "Allow me to introduce you to Rodney."

"Ooooh... Right. I heard about you," the new rookie drawled, "You're the slum kid we recruited last year."

Reno crossed his arms over his chest, annoyed by the superior tone in the new rookie's voice. "Yeah. What of it?"

Rodney shrugged. "Nothing. Word around the recruitment complex is that you're some kind of prodigy that Tseng insisted on pulling straight into the ranks. I suppose I just expected you to be more... _impressive_ , considering."

"That's Rodney for you. Always likes to make a first impression," a voice behind the redhead stated before he could respond, "Usually, not a _good_ one, but it's always an impression."

He turned to see a teenaged girl strolling calmly through the door behind his mentor. Like the other new recruit, she was dressed in the standard Turk uniform, though _unlike_ Rodney, _she_ looked liked she'd just hopped out of a photoshoot for Turk of the Year. Every crease was pressed, every wrinkle ironed, shoes polished... even her tie was picture perfect. The only thing not standard issue were the black, fingerless gloves she wore.

Her chestnut hair fell in soft waves to her shoulders, framing a notably pretty face. She gazed back at him with warm brown eyes and a cheerful expression as she strode up to him and held out her hand. Reno shook it and she smiled even wider. The redhead couldn't help but grin back.

"I'm Cissnei," she stated, "Nice to meet you, Reno!"

"... Uh... likewise," he managed, caught slightly off-guard by the bubbly greeting. The pair of rookies seemed to be, at least at first glance, polar opposites. Where Rodney was confrontational and full of himself, Cissnei was friendly and outgoing. Reno was already pretty sure which of them he was going to like more.

"Are you excited?" Cissnei continued, fingers still firmly holding onto his hand, " _I'm_ excited... I only really learned the basics of materia-based combat during recruitment, and honestly, the lessons were more of a general overview than practical application. I can't wait to start working with it for _real_."

Reno blinked for a moment, trying to process the abrupt shift in topic and figure out how it applied to _him_. Tseng laughed quietly.

"I had intended that to be a surprise... for all of you. Though I suppose I shouldn't be shocked that you've already heard we'll be starting today. Shay is... not precisely the _best_ when it comes to surprises."

Cissnei gasped softly and and finally released the redhead's hand, raising her own to her mouth and blushing faintly.

"Oh! I-I'm _so_ sorry, sir... I didn't realize the others hadn't been told yet!"

Rodney snickered loudly from his position on the couch. "That's _Cissnei_ for you... little miss big-mouth," he said, in perfect mimicry of her tone a few minutes earlier. Cissnei glared back. He ignored it. "So... materia training, eh? Sweet."

"Really, sir... I'm _very_ sorry if I've overstepped..."

Tseng waved her off and shook his head slightly.

"No harm done. Though, in the future, it may be wiser to spend a bit more time considering your words before actually speaking them, lest you come to share Shay's reputation," he replied. "The morning briefing is in half an hour. I'll leave you to get to know one another until then."

With that, the Turk lieutenant took his leave, and the three rookies fell into a brief silence. It was Rodney who finally broke it.

"What he was _saying_ was maybe try keeping your mouth shut once in awhile, Cissy," Rodney snorted. The other new rookie groaned softly and sat down at the table across the room.

"What a dumb way to start my first day as a Turk," she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Hey, Rod... You _always_ this big a dick, or is today just a special occasion?" Reno shot back. The other rookie smirked.

"Oh, no... I'm always this big a dick. Ask anyone. Right Cissy?"

"Ugh... I've asked you before to quit calling me that, you jerk," Cissnei responded. "Knock it off. Or else."

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'll cram that EMR of yours so far up your ass you'll never see it again. And don't think I can't. You haven't beat me _yet_ in armed sparring."

Rodney grinned and snickered again. "Bet _that'd_ go over real well with Tseng. Out to ruin your perfect record already... _Cissy_?" Cissnei glowered at him, but didn't say anything further. Rodney smirked and stood up. "Well... been great getting to know you and all, Reno, but I think I'm going to go have a look around headquarters before the day really gets started."

With that, he strode past both of his fellow rookies, and disappeared into the hallway.

"... Wow. What a jackass," the redhead commented when he was gone. Cissnei, to his surprise, laughed out loud.

"Yeah... He can be," she said, smiling sweetly, "But I think he's just nervous. He's _always_ at his worst when he's worried about something, and this is a big day for him. Well... for _both_ of us, really. He's not so bad once you get to know him. Seriously, though... I _hate_ being called Cissy, so don't go getting any ideas about that. After all... I hear _you're_ an EMR user, too."

Reno sniggered. "Ya know... I think you 'n me are gonna get along just fine."

"Why?" she giggled, "Did you make an ass of yourself in front of the second in command on your first day, too?"

"... _My_ first day, I ended up goin' for an unexpected swim during the building tour. Fully clothed. And takin' the vice president in with me. Trust me... you've got _nothin'_ on _my_ ability to look like an idiot," the redhead said with a snort of laughter. Cissnei joined him in laughing hysterically.

"I think you're right... We're going to get along just fine," she managed between gasps.

* * *

"Tch... Where the hell ya been?" Reno asked as his friend slid into a seat mere moments before the morning meeting was due to start.

"... Stuck in traffic," Rude replied, clearly annoyed by his own tardiness. "There was an overturned semi on the freeway, blocking all lanes. I finally had to pull a U turn and backtrack to the Sector 4 exit, and then come in to work on the city streets. Took forever. I miss anything earlier?"

"Nothin' important. Just meetin' the new guys," the redhead teased, grinning. "They're over there." He pointed across the room to the pair of new rookies, currently speaking with Tres and Kai. "Rodney's an asshole, but Cissnei seems pretty cool. Oh yeah... and apparently we're all startin' materia trainin' today."

"I know... Tres gave me a heads up on that on Friday and then swore me to secrecy," Rude replied, "Glad he did. Gave me a chance to dig this out of storage." He pushed his sleeve back to reveal a coiled metal armlet that varied in hue from silver to gold to a deep copper from one end to the other. The metal was patterned in delicately engraved scales.

"What's that?" Reno asked, curious. Whatever it was... it looked old. And expensive.

"Zeidrich."

"Gesundheit," the redhead snickered, earning a quiet laugh from his friend.

"It's... a family heirloom. Not really sure where the name comes from. It nullifies certain kinds of spells cast with materia. Thought it might come in handy," he said, and suddenly smirked, "Especially if I'm paired up with _you_."

"You sayin' you don't think I'm gonna be awesome at this?" the rookie demanded, in a mock-insulted tone.

"... Remember your first day on the gun range?"

"Tch... I hit the target, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Rude snorted, "... and it only took you four boxes of ammo before you managed to do it. Plus it was _my_ target that you finally hit. Shiva only knows what your aim with magic is going to be like."

"Asshole." The redhead elbowed him and snickered. He couldn't really argue, though. It had taken ages to get him zeroed in with a firearm. He was a lot better at it now, but... materia was something wholly different, and something he didn't have the faintest idea how to use. Hell, he'd only even _seen_ it used once. Maybe Rude had the right idea. "Uh... Don't s'pose you got another one of those layin' around?"

Rude shook his head. "Sorry. One of a kind."

"Figures." The redhead yawned and stretch his arms out behind his head, leaning back in his chair. A moment later, Rodney made his way over.

"Well... Since this one's Reno, I guess that'd make _you_ Rude. Rodney Galena," he said, holding out his hand. Rude shook it, with a sharp nod. "I hear you're training under Tres in intelligence."

"Yeah."

"He speaks pretty highly of you... which is good. My placement scores say I'm best suited for field command, so I expect we'll be working together a lot in the future. I look forward to it."

"... Same," Rude replied. Rodney gave him a quick nod of acknowledgment, and, ignoring the other rookie, made his way off to the next Turk in the room. Rude glanced over at Reno and shrugged. "He didn't seem so terrible."

Reno, meanwhile, was staring after the son of a bitch with a slightly mystified expression on his face. The Rodney who'd just left them was completely different from the Rodney who'd been such a dick in the lounge a little while ago.

"... What the crap was _that_?" he asked.

" _Told_ you he's not really that bad," a voice behind him stated, and Reno's head whipped around to see that Cissnei had joined them while he'd been distracted. "He was just a little on edge earlier." She turned her attention on Rude. "Um... In case no one's mentioned it yet, I'm Cissnei."

"Hey," Rude replied, with a welcoming smile. Reno gestured to the empty chair beside him.

"Saved ya a seat," he said. Cissnei grinned and sat down. Further conversation was abruptly curtailed, however, as Tseng and Veld made their way into the room and the other Turks began to settle. Reno had expected Rodney to head back in their direction... but instead, he plopped himself down to Tseng's left and sat there, looking up at him attentively. The redhead snorted softly.

"Suck up..." he muttered under his breath. If either of his companions heard him, they didn't comment.

"Happy Monday, everyone," Veld stated, "It's going to be a busy week, so we'll get straight to it. After last week's... incident... with Professor Hojo, I've decided to have some upgrades made to office security. Sleeping quarters will now require you to use your ID to scan yourself in. Additionally, you will need to deactivate a silent alarm upon entry. This information is classified, M-beta-seven. Turk and building security only. Upgrades will be complete by the end of the week, and you'll be seeing some security personnel and members of the IT staff in the office for several days."

" _What incident?_ " Cissnei whispered. Reno shook his head.

" _Tell ya later._ "

"And, of course, we're welcoming our two newest members today. I expect everyone has met by now, at least in passing, but I want to introduce Rodney and Cissnei. Welcome to the team."

There was a short round of applause for the new arrivals, before Veld quieted them down again.

"Saya and Sato will be returning from Junon today, and are, in fact, en route back to Midgar now. They'll be replaced by Luca and Tres. Reno... you and Kai will be stationed down at the new office _next_ week."

"... Sir, just so I know... are you _tryin'_ to kill me off now that we got new rookies to take my place?" the redhead queried, glancing over at the female Turk. Kai grinned wolfishly, and several other Turks snickered in response. Even Veld chuckled.

"Reno... if I'd planned to have you eliminated once our new rookies were confirmed, you'd already be dead," he jokingly shot back. "Junon. Next week, _with_ Kai. In the mean time, all four of the team's rookies will begin materia training with Tseng and Shay this week." He turned and glanced over at Luca. "And yes... both Maintenance _and_ Medical have been alerted."

The rest of the meeting was largely just a rehash of ongoing assignments from the previous week. Nothing new on the table just yet. Soon, Reno, Rude, and Cissnei made their way out into the hallway where Tseng and Rodney were already waiting for them. Shay joined them a moment later.

"I hope you're all prepared for a very difficult day of training," Tseng intoned. "Materia takes a great deal of strength and concentration to use, and a long-term commitment to truly master. Today, we'll be covering the basics, as well as gauging your natural affinity for it."

* * *

A soft, green glow swirled beneath the smooth surface of the sphere, almost living in its slow, endless motions. Reno eyed it curiously. The sphere was warm to the touch and seemed to grow hotter the more he concentrated on it... it was almost as if he could sense the flames within, wanting to get out.

None of the rookies had been told what they were being handed. Rude was staring at his, looking slightly perplexed by it. Cissnei looked a bit more confident, but there was still some uncertainty in her gaze, as though she were second-guessing herself. Rodney, meanwhile, looked nothing short of smug.

Tseng paced slowly in front of the four of them, and finally paused in front of the redhead.

"Well?"

"... Pretty sure it's fire materia," he replied, looking up from the gently dancing lights within the sphere.

"Correct," the Wutaiian Turk replied, smiling approvingly. He moved on to Rude. "And yours is... ?"

Rude blinked in reply and hesitated. "... I'm... not really sure."

His sphere, unlike Reno's, was yellow in color... but contained the same lazily swirling glow. Before they'd been handed out, Shay had explained that materia came in different classes, or 'types'. The green spheres allowed the user to cast magic spells... primarily elemental. Blue support type spheres could be paired with other types to augment their abilities. The purplish ones were independent type, and augmented the users themselves in various ways making them stronger, faster, more resilient... Red – of which there were none present, and probably for good reason – was reserved for summoning materia. Reno somehow doubted they'd be getting their hands on any of _that_ type in the near future. Aside from being incredibly rare, it was also extremely dangerous.

And then there were the yellow spheres... command type. An unusual class of materia that gave its user less... noticeable... abilities, such as subtly absorbing the knowledge of how to use a spell cast against you. Rude rolled the materia between his fingers, still uncertain of its purpose.

"What does it make you feel when you're holding it," Tseng prompted.

"... Like... there's something I desperately want to know."

The Turk lieutenant chuckled softly. "An apt description. It was, admittedly, a little unfair to give you that one, as it's not the most intuitive for a novice to simply guess with no prior experience... but I thought you might appreciate it," he explained, " _That_ is Sense materia. Useful for detecting weaknesses in opponents as well as estimating their overall strength before actively engaging them."

He moved on to Cissnei next, and she frowned slightly.

"I can tell it's defensive magic... and I think it's meant to block something... but I'm not sure what," she said. Reno glanced down the line. Her materia was green as well, but beyond that, there was no outward indication of what it might be. "It feels like... it's more than one thing."

Shay grinned widely from over Tseng's shoulder.

"That's because it is," he replied. "Well... sort of. It's been mastered, and it's developed abilities beyond what it started out with."

"Oh!" Cissnei suddenly cried, as though something had clicked into place. "It's Barrier materia, isn't it!"

Tseng nodded, and stepped up to Rodney.

"And yours?"

The new rookie smirked and tossed the sphere into the air before catching it again.

"You can't trip _me_ up, sir, even with something like _this_. I know my materia. This is Contain," he replied, with a superior grin.

"I'm impressed. Not many would recognize a materia capable of casting spells based in multiple elements so easily."

"My family has _always_ shown an aptitude for materia, sir," Rodney said, and Reno was forced to roll his eyes. He was starting to get the feeling that the rookie was one of those assholes who always had to be the best at everything.

"Then you should do well with our next exercise," Tseng mused, and motioned to Shay, who collected all but Reno's sphere, and then replaced the others' confiscated materia with a new magic type. "For the sake of consistency, you'll all begin with the same type of materia... which, as Reno has already established, is fire materia."

Shay handed each of them a wristlet with a single slot to hold a materia sphere. It took the redhead a moment to snap it into place but soon he was admiring the little sphere as it glimmered faintly in it's metallic frame. He was so distracted by it that he _almost_ missed what the senior Turk was saying about needing to focus on both the materia and the target.

"Reno... you're up first," Tseng's voice interjected, and the rookie jumped slightly in surprise. Shay grinned as he walked up to the line that had been marked on the floor several yards from a collection of targets.

"Just relax and focus on what you want to have happen to the target," the senior Turk encouraged him. Reno looked down at the materia for a moment and then out at one of the targets. He pictured it bursting into flames. The sphere's glow seemed to intensify momentarily and... nothing happened. Not so much as a flicker.

He heard a soft snort of laughter from behind him... and he didn't have to wonder which of his fellow rookies it had come from.

"Don't worry... Not everyone gets it on the first try," Shay said, before calling Rude up.

Apparently 'not everyone' didn't mean the majority... because after Rude's target was quickly set alight, so was Cissnei's. _Rodney's_ was practically incinerated. The redhead scowled at the elitist look the new rookie shot him as he was returning to the lineup.

"Alright. We have an hour before lunch," said Tseng, "Let's see how much you can all improve by then."

* * *

He felt drained.

In all seriousness, Reno felt as though just the effort of lifting the fork to his mouth was too much to deal with. On the other hand, he was absolutely _starving_... so he forced himself anyway. He hadn't felt this hungry since his slum days. And the worst part of it was that he really hadn't _done_ anything to justify being this exhausted and desperate for food.

Materia training had been a complete failure. Well... for him, at least. He hadn't managed a single spell. Not _one_. An hour of staring at targets and seeing them just sit there. The others, meanwhile, seemed to have no problem at all lighting _theirs_ up.

And Rodney hadn't been the least bit subtle in his opinion of the redhead's abilities, either. Every time Reno had looked over at him, he was standing there, with that goddamned look of smug superiority plastered across his face. If he'd had the energy by the end of the training session, he'd've smacked it right off.

"Hey... You okay?"

Reno glanced up from his lunch... which he belatedly realized he'd already devoured every last crumb of.

"... How are you _not_ as dead on your feet as _I_ am?" he asked as Rude took a seat across from him. The older rookie just shrugged. Reno groaned and let his forehead hit the table.

"I looked like a complete moron out there..." he sighed. He peered over at Rude's plate. "You gonna eat all that? I _still_ feel like I haven't eaten in days."

Before he could answer, another plate was set down beside him.

"That's what they call depletion," Cissnei said, dropping into the seat next to him. "I read that it happens when you go overboard with materia before you're ready for it. Here... I got you some of the barbequed pork. Protein is supposed to help."

"Thanks," the redhead replied, reaching for the plate. "... but how the fuck am I 'depleted' or... whatever? I didn't _do_ anything."

Cissnei shrugged. "Sorry... I haven't had time to finish the chapter yet. You can borrow my book when I'm done, if you want."

"What in Odin's name happened ta _yeh_?" a familiar voice suddenly asked, and Reno turned to see Sato and Saya walking towards the group of rookies, their own lunches in hand.

"Materia training," Rude replied for him. The twins looked at one another and grinned.

" _Ooooh_ ," they chorused.

"Aye... I remember _that_ ," Sato added. "Never much cared fer materia myself. Too much of an investment. Takes ages ta buld up yer mana pool 'n shite enough ta be good at it. I'd rather just chuck a bomb at the enemy."

Saya snorted softly. " _Yeh'd_ rather just chuck a bomb. Full stop."

"... True," Sato replied, and grinned widely. His gaze fell on Cissnei a moment later. "Ah... Yeh must be one o' the new rookies."

"Heh... Cissnei, meet the twins. Saya and Sato," Reno said, gesturing toward the pair.

"'Course we're not _really_ twins..."

"We're cousins," Sato clarified.

" _Second_ cousins," Saya hurriedly added.

"Twice removed," Reno cut in before before Sato could speak again. Saya giggled at the annoyed look that crossed her relative's face.

" _That_ was my line, yeh little imp," Sato muttered, and the redhead could hear Cissnei next to him trying somewhat futily to contain her own snickering.

"Nice to meet you both," she finally managed.

"And yeh, too," Saya replied. "But aren't there supposed ta be _two_ of yeh?"

"Tch... _Rodney_ stuck around for extra practice with Tseng before he takes the newbies on the building tour after lunch." Reno rolled his eyes at the memory. The fucker couldn't have been more blatantly brown-nosing the Turk lieutenant if he'd tried. Saya laughed softly and teasingly ruffled his hair.

"Sounds like someone's a wee bit jealous of the new Turkling..."

The redhead sat up and shoved her hand aside.

"I am _not_ jealous of _Rodney_!" he growled... and then groaned faintly as the room spun and he pressed a hand to his eyes. "But I _am_ dizzy as all hell now..."

"Reno?" Saya queried, her voice suddenly serious. The rookie shook his head slightly, which turned out to be a very bad idea, as it only made the unexpected vertigo worse. Thankfully, it eased a moment later. Saya sharply clucked her tongue in a manner that reminded him _far_ too much of Dr. Ward. "I think yeh need a wee lie down. That materia trainin's got yeh licked. Come on. Hurry 'n finish that. I'll take yeh upstairs fer a bit 'n let Kai know that yeh'll be skippin' out on hand ta hand this afternoon."

"Tch... I'm _fine_ ," the redhead groused, but Saya wasn't about to be argued with. As soon as he'd finished his second helping of food, she hauled him out of his seat and off towards the elevators.

* * *

Tuesday's training didn't go much better. Nor did Wednesday's. By Thursday, Reno was dreading even _looking_ at another piece of materia, and by Friday, he was praying that Tseng and Shay somehow got themselves stuck in the elevator all afternoon just so he could get out of it.

At first, Tseng hadn't been overly concerned with his protege's lack of progress... but by the time the end of the week rolled around, he seemed to share the redhead's frustration. On top of that... Rodney, of course, was at the top of the class, and he made sure to remind Reno of that every chance he got.

His exhaustion was starting to show in other aspects of his training as well. His range performance was slipping, and in both armed _and_ unarmed sparring matches, he started getting his ass thoroughly handed to him... which he was sure Tseng had noticed. Thankfully, it was nearly the weekend... and next week, he'd be in Junon where he wouldn't even have to _think_ about the Ifrit-be-damned materia for awhile.

First, though... he had to survive Friday.

Which, as he found himself flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling of the training hall yet _again_ , was beginning to look less and less likely. The redhead groaned and staggered to his feet, rubbing at the still twitching spot on his thigh where Rodney's EMR had made contact. Sure, it had been on a pretty low setting... but that shit still hurt! He glared at Rodney's smirking face as he prepared his next attack.

"Okey dokey, my little Turklings... That's enough for today. Go hit the showers," Kai suddenly called out, and Reno breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank fuck."

Rodney snickered and followed him as they trailed Rude and Cissnei towards the locker rooms. Reno was already stripping down before they even made it inside.

"Well, _that_ was fun."

"Haven't you been a Turk for nearly a year now?" Rodney asked, opening his locker and shoving his sweatshirt inside. "You fight like the newbies back in recruitment."

"Fuck you," the redhead muttered, dragging himself over to a shower stall and turning the water up to his preferred near-scalding temperature.

"Don't get me wrong... you're not _totally_ hopeless. I'm just trying to figure out why in the nine hells Tseng chose to fast track you. You'd have been better off spending a couple years as a recruit... like the _rest_ of us."

Reno ignored him, instead bending his head forward and letting the water massage the back of his neck.

"I mean... I can understand a man like Tseng wanting a _challenge_ , but –"

"Seriously not in the mood," Reno cut him off through gritted teeth. Rodney was mercifully silent for the remainder of his shower. Several minutes later, the rookie reluctantly shut off the water and reached for a towel, drying himself down. All he wanted to do right now was go home and sleep... and fortunately, given that it was a quarter to five, that was _precisely_ what he was about to do.

"I'm just saying..." Rodney picked up again, apparently not content to drop the subject. "You're supposed to be a First Rookie. Don't you think you're a little... disappointing... as a protege?"

Reno glowered and started pulling his clothes on. "Yeah, well... doesn't really matter what _you_ think, _or_ what I think. It's Tseng's choice."

Rodney shrugged. "I suppose. But like you said... it's a _choice_. Who's to say he can't change his mind and make a new one."

The redhead froze at that proclamation. _Was_ there any reason Tseng couldn't do exactly that? To be honest, he hadn't ever really questioned this whole first rookie thing in depth. What _were_ the rules, anyway?

"You know... It hasn't exactly escaped my notice how much you and I have in common, skills-wise," Rodney went on, his casual tone hardly masking the intent of his words, "Ever wonder if maybe Tseng is looking to upgrade to... a better version of _you_?"

Reno didn't answer... nor did he wait for Rude to finish his own shower. He simply finished dressing and stormed out of the locker room, ignoring the look of forced innocence on the other rookie's face as he left.

* * *

The car ride back to Tseng's apartment was spent mostly in silence... largely because Reno kept drifting off. It wasn't until they were pulling into the parking lot that he finally managed to rouse himself enough to function again.

"It's been a long week, hasn't it," Tseng said as they made their way inside.

"Tch... Now _there's_ an understatement..." the rookie sighed, kicking his shoes off and faceplanting onto the couch in the living room.

"It will get easier. You simply need more practice. I'm going to ask Viridia to work with you while you're in Junon next week. She's a member of the Junon Materia Corps... She's better equipped than I to determine where you're going wrong."

Reno groaned loudly, the sound muffled by the couch's cushions, and Tseng couldn't help but chuckle.

"I know... You were probably looking forward to a week _away_ from materia practice. But I think it's for the best. You still have time to catch up to the others if we act quickly. I don't want you falling behind any more than you already are." He walked over to the couch and rested a hand between his rookie's shoulder blades. "Really... there's no need for melodramatics."

When the teenager didn't move, Tseng frowned slightly.

"Reno?"

It took him a moment to realize that the redhead was out cold. Tseng shook his head slightly. He probably should have expected that. Materia training wasn't easy, especially when one was first starting out, and he knew that, despite the lack of progress, the rookie had been putting a lot of effort into it. Reno was probably completely exhausted after a week of trying so hard – and failing repeatedly – to produce even a simple spell. He rolled him onto his back, and hefted the younger Turk into his arms, carrying him off to his guest room.

A little rest and Reno would be ready to try again.

Though, Tseng had to admit... he was a somewhat surprised by the difficulty he was having. Usually, the redhead picked up new skills with very little effort. It occasionally took him awhile to _perfect_ them, but he seldom had so much trouble with the basics. He set his ward down atop the sheets and tucked a blanket around him and decided not to worry about it just yet. A week with Viridia would get him up to speed, he was sure.

~end chapter 52~


	53. Determination

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 53: Determination**

 **by Desha**

The weekend seemed to go by in a blur... probably due largely to the fact that Reno had stayed in bed until nearly one in the afternoon on Saturday. He'd gotten up just long enough to eat something, and then had planted himself listlessly on the couch for the remainder of the afternoon. He simply had no energy. All he wanted to do was sleep.

He _did_ feel much better on Sunday, however, and began to wonder if maybe he'd legitimately been sick the past few days without realizing it. He'd just thought it was that Ifrit-forsaken materia practice that was kicking his ass to the curb, but maybe the truth was that he'd managed to come down with something.

Whatever it was, by Sunday evening, he felt better than he had all week.

"You seem to have found your appetite again," Tseng commented over dinner, as the redhead helped himself to a seventh slice of pizza. He swallowed the large bite he'd taken.

"Never lost it... I was just more tired than I was hungry 'til now. Finally feel like I'm not about to fall asleep as soon as I get up."

"Good... because you're going to be busy when you get to Junon. From what I understand, Remy has started to move furniture around."

Reno paused in his assault on his dinner.

"Oh... great. Heavy lifting. My favorite." He shook his head slightly. "Not to sound lazy or anything, but... don't you think _Rude_ might be a little better at that kinda shit? I mean... the guy can literally benchpress me. And he _has_ before."

"Reno, I think even Veld's thirteen year old daughter could benchpress _your_ weight, meager as it is..." the Turk lieutenant laughed. The redhead glared back in response... and then grabbed another slice.

Tseng was right, of course... especially since Reno was fairly sure he'd lost a pound or three. Between the training and the meals skipped due to falling asleep, it was a pretty safe bet. He was just glad he hadn't had any cause to pay a visit to Medical... because Ward would've torn him a new one for not "taking care of himself". And then she probably would have yelled at Tseng, too, for not making _sure_ he was taking care of himself.

And frankly, that was the last thing he wanted. Rodney was a dick, but for whatever reason, his words on Friday had stuck with the younger rookie. The idea that Rodney was a better version of him wasn't all that farfetched, when he thought about it. They were both EMR fighters... both had a talent for strategy... Rodney was already specializing in field command, and the more Reno learned, the more that's where he saw _himself_ eventually heading...

What if that really _was_ why he'd been selected? As a backup in case Reno failed as a first rookie. He wasn't about to give his mentor a reason to put that backup plan in motion.

"Something on your mind?" Tseng asked, and Reno suddenly realized just how long he'd been silent. He quickly shook his head and mentally kicked himself. He was doing it again. Assuming the worst without anything to back it up with.

"Nah... Not really," he replied. "So... you really think Vir can help me out?"

"If she can't, I doubt there's anyone who can," Tseng said, teasingly. "The Materia Corps doesn't accept just anyone. They're quite an elite group."

"That why we don't have anyone in the Turks who uses materia? I mean... as a main weapon?"

"That, and Soldier. Between the Materia Corps and Soldier, most people who show a talent for materia use _and_ have what it takes to be a Turk get recruited long before we find them... and in a few cases, lured away from us. Unfortunately, we don't tend to have as much luck doing the same... as Viridia can attest. I quite thoroughly failed in attempting to recruit _her_ away from Junon."

"Viridia was gonna be a Turk?" Reno asked, but Tseng shook his head.

"Veld _wanted_ her to join. She was having none of it. She has always been staunchly devoted to the military. It's how we met, actually. Veld couldn't convince her and thought I might be more... persuasive. I was not... though we did become very close."

Reno snickered. "Are you serious? Veld sent you in to _seduce_ her over to our side?"

"It was hardly an order," Tseng replied, stiffly. "Though I _do_ admittedly suspect that was the outcome he had hoped for."

The redhead grinned. "Fuck, Tseng... the more I hear about your sordid love life the more impressed I get..." he teased. The senior Turk merely rolled his eyes.

* * *

Monday found Reno on an early morning ground transport to Junon. The helicopter was otherwise engaged, turning what would have been a forty-five minute flight into a nearly three hour drive... in the back of a truck that the redhead was beginning to suspect had lost it's shock absorbers a couple miles back.

"Ah, the open road..." Kai sighed, leaning back against a large wooden crate.

"Tch... _what_ road? We've been bouncin' over nothin' but dirt and rocks for an hour now."

"At least you're not on a chocobo..." she snickered.

"Shut up, Kai."

The senior Turk laughed and draped an arm around the rookie. "Oh, come on... you walked right into that one, baby Turkling."

"Whatever. And why are we stuck ridin' with the cargo, anyway?"

"The life of a Turk isn't always a glamorous one," she replied, still grinning. "Just be glad it's finally starting to get warmer. This _really_ would've sucked a month ago."

"Yeah... I guess we got that goin' for us at least. Hey, I never asked. How exactly do ya get _into_ Junon from the ground, anyway?"

"Oh, that's right. You've only ever flown in, haven't you? There's an elevator. Takes you straight from Lower Junon up to the base up top. We'll have to go through town to get to it... but Lower Junon's not real big. It won't take long. If we get there with some time to spare, I'll show you around a little."

"So's Lower Junon part of the base, too? Like... do people from up top live there when they're not on duty?"

Kai shook her head. "Oh, _hell_ , no. Downstairs is entirely civilian. It was a fishing village back in the day, until the base got built and drove most of the fish out of the bay. Mostly full of old-timers who didn't want to move out when Shinra came in, and their families."

"That where you grew up?" he prodded, curious.

"Yep. Just me 'n my Pop... 'til he died when I was sixteen. He was one of the few who still went out on the boats hoping to catch something. One spring, he went out and a bad storm came up outta nowhere. He... didn't come back."

"... Oh. Sorry." He kinda of wished he hadn't asked. He hated even the _thought_ of talking about his mom. He hadn't intended to bring up that same issue with Kai. To his surprise, though, the senior Turk barked a short laugh and elbowed him gently in the ribs.

"Don't be. It's not a sore subject with me. I miss him 'n all, but... shit happens. He's gone. I try and remember all the good times we had instead of just how I lost him."

"... Wish I could do that," he said quietly, and then cringed. It had slipped out before he could stop it, and he _really_ didn't want to get into that. Kai smiled and pulled him in closer against her side.

"You'll get there one day, baby Turkling. Trust me." She squeezed him one more time and then grinned. "So since you're _probably_ dying to change the subject now... What's all this I hear about you hanging out with Tseng's... _friend_... when you're not on duty?"

"Ugh... Materia training," he groaned, grateful she wasn't going to push him to talk about anything he didn't want to. He glanced up at the older Turk. "What's the fuckin' secret to that shit, anyway? I can't get it to do _anything_."

Kai shrugged. "Don't know what to tell ya, kiddo. On the rare occasion I actually use it, it just sort of does what I want it to. Not really sure how else to explain it. Why? You looking to make it a regular part of your arsenal?"

"Not really," the redhead replied. "But it'd be nice not to be a _total_ failure. I mean it. It doesn't do shit for me. Might as well be tryin' to cast spells with a fuckin' rock."

"Technically, it _is_ a rock," she snickered, and then paused. "Or a mineral maybe? I always forget what the difference is exactly."

"Tch... you're a _huge_ help, Kai..." Reno snarked, and leaned forward, hands on his ankles as he allowed his arms to take some of his weight while he arched his back. Sitting in one place for so long drove him nuts. He needed to move.

"Hey, you need information on camping or fishing or hunting or blade sharpening or annoying the crap out of baby Turklings... I'm your girl. You want to talk materia, talk to Shay. He's about as close to an expert as we've got," she said, snickering in response. "Anyway... Viridia'll probably have some answers for you. And even if she doesn't, it's not like it's a requirement or anything. Don't worry so much. You _really_ need to relax once in awhile."

The rookie rolled his eyes. That was easy for her to say. _She_ wasn't the one who was being out-classed at every turn by the new guy. It might not have been strictly _necessary_ for him to learn to use materia, but he was gonna fucking _do_ it just to prove that he _could_... no matter what it took.

* * *

Junon looked absolutely massive from the ground. Not on the same scale as Midgar, of course... but looking out at the military base as the truck finally wound its way out of the mountains, it was still pretty impressive. Especially the giant cannon that stuck out over the water.

As they drew closer, Reno could just make out the shapes of buildings on the ground, sheltered by the huge runways that had been built high above them.

"So... it's kinda like the Slums, huh?" he observed as their transport slowed and turned onto a small gravel road that lead into town.

"Not exactly," Kai replied. "People here aren't here because they have to be. They're here because they want to be."

He understood what she meant as they drove under the shadow of base. The town was nothing like the Slums. The buildings were older and a few were in need of repair... but they weren't falling down and rotting away like so many were beneath Midgar. A chilly breeze blew in from the direction of the sea, bringing with it fresh air and the faint scent of salt. A small group of children ran past them, laughing as they turned down the main road. The truck, however, went in the opposite direction, off towards a large metal door that seemed to be built right into the rock.

"That's the elevator," the senior Turk said, pointing. "They'll unload the cargo, and then we'll ride up to the base with it."

The Turk stopped and the Turks hopped out. The large door was guarded, but not heavily. Just a pair of guards from the Junon infantry, if Reno had correctly recognized their uniforms.

"Hey, you guys gonna be at this for awhile?" Kai asked as their driver and his passenger climbed out.

"Should only take us ten or fifteen minutes to unload," one of them gruffly replied. The Turk nodded.

"Okay, then. Come on, baby Turkling... Let me show you a little of my hometown," she said with a grin. She guided him back in the direction they'd come from and only the main street. It was still fairly early, but not so early that the shops weren't open for the day, and Reno could _definitely_ smell something baking down one of the small side streets. They passed that, however and continued on.

"That's where I grew up," Kai said, pointing out a little cottage tucked back beneath a set of supports. "It's a shop now... but yeah. Home, sweet home."

They rounded a corner and Reno found himself at the top of a steep flight of stone stairs leading down to the beach. He trailed the senior Turk down and soon they were standing on a somewhat rocky shoreline, still in the shadow of the military base. More large supports were anchored to the seafloor out in the bay, holding up the runways above them, and waves crashed against them where they met the water.

"... Whoa... Cool," the redhead breathed, "Wish I coulda lived on a beach growin' up."

Kai snorted softly in laughter. "Yeah... it's not really so great. At least not here. We got rocks instead of sand, water's _freezing_ cold until about midsummer, plus the tide tends to carry anything they dump up top directly into the bay so it's not exactly the cleanest, either. Now if we were talking Costa del Sol or Mideel or even Wutai beaches, I might agree with ya..."

Reno walked up to the water's edge. It didn't look so bad to him. But then, back in the Slums, if you could see more than a few inches into what passed for ponds down there, it's was pretty fucking clean. Here, he could see all the way to the bottom until the seabed abruptly dropped off into darkness several yards offshore.

They wandered around a bit more, with Kai pointing out the various sights every now and then. Junon, Reno quickly decided, was pretty nice. Kind of on the quiet side for his taste, but he could understand why the residents hadn't wanted to leave their little village. Finally, though, it was time to head up to the base. He followed her back to the elevator, where the men who'd brought them there were just finishing loading the last of the cargo onto the platform. The pair of Turks stepped aboard, and moments later several warning lights flashed and they began their ascent.

Remy was there to meet them when they arrived, looking impatient.

" _Finally_ ," she said as they walked up to her. "I've been waiting for you two all morning."

"Aww... We missed you, too, Remy..." Kai sniggered.

* * *

Reno grunted as he hefted a chair onto the large stack of furniture he was building inside one of the elevators. Why the goddamn storage building was so fucking far away from the administration building was anyone's guess, but it was going on noon, and he felt as though all he'd been doing since their arrival was running back and forth with one load after another.

Remy had tagged every last piece of office equipment she wanted moved, and then left the rookie and Kai to do all the heavy lifting. Kai had taken the relatively easy job of hauling shit _off_ the elevator. It was the redhead who was stuck dragging shit across the open area between the two buildings, into the foyer, and finally cramming as much as possible into the elevator car. He wedged a filing cabinet in and finally called it quits. He wasn't getting anything else in there for _this_ trip. He pulled the wedge that was holding the doors open and hit the button for floor three. Then he unclipped the radio from his belt and pressed the switch on the side.

"Comin' up..." he said, somewhat out of breath.

" _Took you long enough..._ " Kai's voice responded.

"Hey, anytime you wanna come down 'n switch places with me, just let me know. I'd be more than happy to let _you_ haul shit outta that fuckin' storage shed for awhile."

He didn't receive an answer to that. With a sigh, he grabbed the little cart he'd been using to move the heavier items and headed back to the storage depot. It wouldn't take Kai long to unload, and she'd be expecting the next batch to be ready as soon as possible. Thankfully there wasn't _that_ much more. Just two or three more trips... Probably three, since one of the items on his list was a huge wooden desk. He doubted that, once he got it loaded, the cart would hold anything else. Assuming he could even get it _on_ there without help. The damn thing looked like it weighed a ton.

"Hey! Reno!" a voice called to him just as he reached the door to the depot. He turned and saw a uniformed figure hurrying toward him. It took him a moment to realize that it was Viridia. He sighed in relief, grateful for the excuse to take a break and waved.

"Hey, Vir... Long time no see."

"I was _hoping_ I'd run into you," she said when she reached him, smiling. "Tseng says you're having some trouble with materia training."

"Tch... to put it mildly."

"Well, don't worry. We'll fix that. My duty shift ends at six... so how about we meet up in the cafeteria around then, have a little supper, and jump right into it?"

"Heh... Assumin' I'm not crushed to death under all this furniture before then, sounds good."

"Great," she replied. "I wish I had time to catch up, but I've got to get up to the control room. We're running security drills this afternoon," she said, already turning to leave. "Stay out of trouble!"

"When have I ever been in trouble?!" he called after her with a grin. He thought he heard a faint laugh, but before he could be sure, the radio crackled.

" _We can_ _ **see**_ _you down there, baby Turkling. Quit flirting with Tseng's girlfriend and move your ass. We've been ready for the next load for ages!_ "

"For fuck's sake, Kai... Give me a minute, will ya? I'm workin' on it," he radioed back.

* * *

Reno groaned softly as he rubbed his aching back. It had taken all day to get everything Remy wanted for the new offices, and he was feeling every last filing cabinet in his spine. Kai drifted past him and clapped him on the back, nearly knocking him over.

"Wimp," she teased. Reno glared at her.

"Ya know... _I_ was the one movin' everything around all day. All you 'n Remy did was point where you wanted shit."

"Hey, I helped you move that desk."

"Tch... yeah. _After_ I got it into the elevator. And back out again."

"Well, look on the bright side," Kai replied, "Since we got so much done today, tomorrow won't be nearly as strenuous."

The redhead snorted softly. "Whatever. I'm gonna go eat."

"Doing anything after? I could show you around Junon a little more. There's no way you've seen the whole base yet..."

"Thanks," said Reno, "but I'm meetin' Vir so she can show me what the fuck I'm doin' wrong with this whole materia bullshit. And then I'm goin' to bed and not movin' 'til eight a.m. tomorrow."

Kai laughed, and waved him off, disappearing into her quarters. The rookie stretched his arms over his head until his shoulder cracked, and yawned, wondering if it was ever going to stop doing that. He didn't really mind it... it wasn't as if the healed injury still hurt or anything. It was just kind of weird. With a dismissive shrug, he turned and headed for the elevator, and from there, made his way to the base's cafeteria and grabbed a tray.

Viridia was already there, waiting for him. She waved him over, and when a few of the soldiers glared at him for cutting in line, she glared right back at them until they backed down. He smirked slightly.

"Why do I get the feelin' that if I tried doin' that myself I'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble?"

"Because you're not a complete idiot," she chuckled. "I really shouldn't have done that, but I've got patrol duty later... so I only have a couple of hours to work with you tonight."

Reno grinned as they made their way through the line and food was systematically spooned onto his tray. Mashed potatoes and gravy... some sort of processed beef patty that would have made Rude cringe just looking at it... steamed vegetables... a hot roll... and milk. He followed Vir across the room to one of the less crowded tables near the far wall and took a seat.

"Alright... So why don't you tell me exactly what you're having an issue with."

The redhead bit into the roll, and shook his head.

"The issue is that I can't get it to do anything," he replied once he'd swallowed.

"Meaning?" Viridia prodded.

"Meaning... I can't get it to do anything. Tseng's had us all usin' fire materia. I can't get so much as a spark outta the stuff. I can... ya know... feel the materia. Like, how it's warm and kinda alive. I just can't make it work," he said, stumbling slightly as he tried to explain something that he didn't fully understand himself. "Best I can do is every once in awhile it'll glow a little brighter when I try 'n cast somethin'."

When he finished, Viridia was frowning slightly.

"What?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Just thinking. Okay... here's what I think. Elemental magic is probably the easiest of all magics to use in _general_ , but it can be finicky for some people. If you're not in tune with the element you're working with, sometimes it's harder to cast. A novice can wear themselves out just trying, and not actually get anywhere. So the first thing we'll do is try some other kinds of materia and see if you've got an affinity for one element over another. Fire just... might not be your strongest element."

The redhead groaned for what had to have been the hundredth time that day. "You mean I've been killin' myself all week long... all 'cause fuckin' _fire_ materia doesn't _like_ me?"

Viridia laughed quietly at the young Turk's obvious frustration. "Well... it's _possible_ that's the issue. It certainly wouldn't be the first time and it'll be easy enough to find out one way or the other."

Reno relaxed and dug into his dinner in earnest. It just figured he'd be unlucky enough to get stuck with a type of materia that hated him. But now that he knewthat was a thing, it was just a matter of finding one that _did_ like him. Problem solved. He'd be kicking Rodney's ass in the practice hall in no time.

* * *

Fire, obviously, was a no-go... but Vir had asked him to give it a try just so she could see his technique on a type he was already familiar with. Ice didn't work any better for him. When they got to Earth materia, the redhead grinned excitedly as the ground trembled faintly... until he saw that it was only one of the large Gelnika-class airplanes landing on a nearby runway. Viridia had tried admirably not to laugh at his reaction to the discovery.

She handed him a new sphere, and with a frustrated sigh, the redhead rolled it gently between his fingers as he tried to determine the element. This one was easy. He felt the little prickles of electricity in this fingertips almost immediately.

"Lightning, huh?" he said, snapping it into his wristlet. Viridia smiled.

"Well... you _certainly_ don't have a problem with identification."

Reno shrugged and looked out towards the target she'd set up for him a short distance away, focusing on it. The materia flared unexpectedly bright, causing him to lose his concentration. He stared at it for a moment and then looked up in surprise.

"Well... _Now_ we're getting somewhere," said Viridia, "Give it another try."

The redhead nodded and focused on the target again, this time ignoring the bright flash of light from the crystalline orb.

The next thing he knew he was on the ground, twitching in a painful spasm.

"Reno!" he heard his instructor cry, alarmed. Thankfully, it didn't last long. He sat up slowly, dazed.

"... What the _fuck_ just happened?" he finally asked. By then, Viridia was kneeling beside him, carefully looking him over, checking for injuries.

"You missed your target," she replied, once she was satisfied he was unhurt, and helped him to his feet again. "It rebounded on you."

"Tch... well, _that_ was pleasant," he muttered. "It just figures... first spell I manage to cast, and I fuckin' hit _myself_ with it."

Vir chuckled softly. "You wouldn't be the first person to do that. Try again... and this time, keep your attention fixed on where you want the spell to hit."

He hesitated for a moment, not entirely wanting to risk a repeat of what had just happened... but he knew he had to keep at it. He'd promised himself he was going to get this... no matter what it took. And if it took electrocuting himself a few more times before he got the hang of it, that was just how it was going to have to be. He took a slightly shaky breath and tried to cast the lightning spell again.

Nothing. Not so much as a flare from the depths of the materia.

"Oh, _come_ on!" he groaned. Viridia's hand rested themselves on his shoulders, massaging them gently.

"Don't get so discouraged. It takes practice. And honestly, given that it's not reacting, I think you've probably had about enough for one session. Let's call it a night."

"But I'm so _close_!"

Vir turned him around to face her. "Reno... I know you want to keep going, but you can't just push through exhaustion when it comes to materia. People have a finite amount of mana that they can tap into. Once it's used up, you have to give it time to replenish itself. If you don't, you just end up wearing yourself out completely. We'll start again tomorrow. Okay?"

His shoulders sagged slightly. He _did_ vaguely recall Shay saying something along the same lines back in Midgar. It kind of fit in with what Cissnei had told him, as well. In retrospect, he _probably_ should have been paying a little more attention to that lesson.

"... 'kay." He suddenly grinned as a new realization hit him. "Hey... I actually _did_ it, though!"

Viridia only laughed softly and started walking him back towards the administration building.

* * *

Unfortunately, the progress he'd made during that first lesson was about _all_ the progress he made the entire week. At the best of times, he managed an extremely weak lightning spell that hit its intended target about one in five tries. The rest of the time, he missed completely... or ended up shocking the ever living fuck out of _himself_ instead.

But most of the time, he couldn't even do _that_ much, and the materia simply sat there like an oversized marble.

They'd gone through the entire repertoire of basic magic materia... and even a few of the more obscure types out of sheer desperation. Lightning seemed to be the only one that reacted to him, and even then, it wasn't _much_ of a reaction. Worse still, Reno could feel it taking a toll on him about halfway through the week, even though Viridia was careful not to let him push himself to the point of exhaustion. Still, the familiar fatigue he'd had all of _last_ week was creeping back in.

When he met with her again on Friday, he didn't much like the expression she was wearing.

"So... what's on the schedule for tonight?" he asked, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer. He could see it in her eyes. Vir thought he was a waste of her time.

She sighed and shook her head.

"Reno, I'm sorry, but... I just don't think you have an affinity for magic."

"Bullshit. I just need to keep workin' on it," he replied, defiantly, and Viridia looked away for a moment.

"Maybe. _Sometimes_ , if a person is determined enough, they can build their mana reserves and their stamina up to the point that they _can_ eventually use materia. But it takes years... not weeks. Not months. Years. And even then, there's no guarantee that you'll ever progress any farther than being able to cast low level spells."

The redhead unconsciously took a step away from her, shaking his head. He couldn't be _that_ hopeless. That... weak. Could he?

What the hell was wrong with him that he didn't have it in him to be able to _do_ this?!

"Reno... Can I ask you something?" Vir queried, looking over at the rookie. He raised his eyes to her and nodded. "Why do you want this so badly? From what I hear, you have plenty of other talents... and the Turks aren't exactly known for their mastery of materia anyway. What's got you so focused on learning this _one_ particular skill?"

Reno swallowed thickly and looked down at his feet.

"I... just don't want to disappoint Tseng."

Viridia smiled slightly and walked over to him, gently placing a finger under his chin and lifting his face back up.

"You'd have to do a lot more than just be lousy with materia to disappoint _him_. Listen... I'll talk to Tseng for you, and explain what's going on, alright? It's not _your_ fault. At all. Some people just... don't link well with materia."

Reno shook his head. "Don't. I'll tell him myself," he replied, in a resigned voice. Viridia softly ruffled his hair.

"Alright. _You_ tell him. And don't worry... Like I said, Tseng won't be disappointed. He knows damn well that no one can be good at everything."

A quiet voice in the back of his head snorted derisively and muttered 'Try telling that to Rodney...'. Reno, however, simply kept quiet and nodded. Viridia walked him back to his quarters and bid him goodnight before heading off to the barracks on the other side of the base. The rookie shut the door behind her and leaned back against it, staring blankly into his darkened room for a few minutes, trying to figure out what to tell his mentor when he returned home.

At last he came to a decision. Viridia may have been a materia expert... one of the Shinra military's elite Materia Corps... but she didn't know _him_. He'd tell Tseng, alright. But not yet. He wasn't about to go down without a fight, and he sure as _hell_ wasn't going to let Rodney show him up _that_ easily. He'd tell him... but only once he was absolutely _sure_ he couldn't do it.

~end chapter 53~


	54. Exhaustion

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 54: Exhaustion**

 **by Desha**

Reno was eternally grateful when Rude and Shay showed up bright and early Monday morning... in a helicopter instead of a truck. He had _not_ been looking forward to another trip through the mountains, lashed in next to a load of cargo. He grinned as he realized that it was Rude at the controls and not the senior Turk. The helicopter set down with a soft bump on one of the helipads and the pair of Turks disembarked.

"Hey," the redhead said, grinning as Rude approached. "Ya made it in one piece!"

His fellow rookie snorted a quiet laugh.

"Hope so. I'm taking the test for my certification next week."

"Tch... Rub it in why don't ya. I can't even _try_ 'til after my birthday."

Rude nudged him with an elbow. "Don't get ahead of yourself. _You're_ still working on your landings. You have fun training with Viridia?"

Reno shrugged and feigned indifference. "Found out one thing for sure..." he replied, not wanting to go into details.

"Yeah? What's that?"

"That I am _definitely_ not cut out for military life," he joked, grinning. "The food sucks. And comin' from me, that's sayin' somethin'."

Rude laughed, but before they could continue the conversation, Kai was making her way over towards them.

"Time to go, baby Turkling," she called out, and Reno rolled his eyes. He really _was_ sick to death of that stupid nickname. If she was gonna do it, couldn't she just call him a 'Turkling' like the other rookies? Did it really have to be ' _baby_ Turkling'?

Rude was snickering unabashedly at his scowling friend.

"Oh, shut the hell up, Rude," Reno muttered, which did nothing to stem his friend's laughter. "See ya in a week," he finally sighed, and fell into step behind Kai. Rude waved and then headed off to join Shay and Remy who were already on their way back to the administration building. The redhead slipped into the co-pilot's chair and reached for his harness... only to be stopped by Kai.

"Nuh uh... move over."

"... Huh?" he asked, bewildered.

"You're driving," she smirked. "Tseng's orders. He says it's about time you got out of the copilot's seat and started learning how to do this for real. Try not to kill us, huh? I have a date tonight."

The rookie grinned and slid over, taking over the pilot's controls, as Kai appropriated his former seat and strapped herself in. Reno went through the startup sequence easily from memory, setting the rotors turning.

"Seriously. I _don't_ want to die today," Kai intoned over the headsets. Reno smirked.

"... 'kay... How just a _near_ -death experience, then?" he snickered, and launched them skyward.

* * *

They'd missed the morning briefing by about five minutes. The others were still trickling out of the conference room.

"Reno! Hi!" a voice called as he and Kai rounded the corner. He spotted Cissnei heading towards him. Rodney was behind her, apparently engrossed in conversation with Veld. The other rookie didn't bother looking up. Cissnei, however, looked more than happy to see him.

"How was your flight?" she asked.

"His landings need work," Kai replied for him. "A _lot_ of work."

"Hey, you're still alive, aren't you?" he taunted her.

"How, I have no idea..." she said with a dramatic eye roll. "Just you wait. Tomorrow's gauntlet day. I'll get you back..."

Cissnei giggled as the senior Turk took her leave, catching sight of Luca and hurrying off to talk to him.

"Um... If you _want_ I could help you with that," the other rookie offered, "Your landings, I mean. I have some time in the simulator booked later this week. Rodney and I are getting ready for the certification exam... even though we can't take it quite yet."

Reno blinked in surprise. "W-wait... You guys are already... ready? For the exam?"

"Oh, sure... They've started covering that in recruit training now. I've been flying the sims for six months. I don't have any _real_ flight time yet, though, so Luca is going to start working with Rodney and I on that next week," she replied. "Honestly... Rodney could probably take it _now_ and pass. So could I, I think. But you have to have a minimum of twenty hours of actual flight time logged before you can certify. _And_ I'm not eighteen yet, either, so..."

Reno internally grimaced. He wasn't even close to being ready for that exam. Even though he'd racked up quite a bit of time at the controls outside of the simulator, Kai was right about his landings. His takeoffs weren't exactly picture perfect, either, if he was being honest. Maybe he could talk Tseng into taking the helicopter up for a little extra practice this week, instead of just his normal lessons. This was yet _another_ area where he was behind the two new rookies. _This_ one, though, he was confident he could fix fairly easily.

But first... he had to get through the morning's session of materia training. Tseng and Rodney were already heading towards them. His mentor smiled faintly as they stopped in front of him.

"How was your week in Junon?" he asked.

"Uh... good," the redhead offered, somewhat hesitantly. A part of him wanted to just tell Tseng what Vir had said, his resolve unexpectedly wavering. He stopped himself, however. "We kinda figured out that I do a little better with lightning materia."

'A little better' was somewhat grossly overstating things. He'd spent the remainder of his time in Junon practicing on his own, without Viridia's help, but hadn't accomplished much. Hell, Sunday afternoon he'd worked so hard that he'd been out cold before dinner and hadn't woken until it was nearly time to leave this morning. All he had to show for it was a minor electrical burn along the inside of his left forearm.

"Good. The others are beginning to move on to other types as well. Shall we get started?"

Reno silently groaned, but nodded. This was going to suck...

* * *

"You have an interesting definition of 'better'," Rodney needled him as the trio of rookies headed for the cafeteria following their practice session. Tseng hadn't said as much... but Reno very strongly suspected that he shared Rodney's sentiment.

"Don't worry, Reno. You'll get it," Cissnei said, encouragingly.

"... Can you both just let me live in denial for awhile and pretend this morning didn't happen?" the redhead sighed.

At least he hadn't electrocuted himself this time. Not that that was any great cause for celebration. His performance had still been abysmal. He'd managed to cast lightning spells a grand total of... twice. And missed the target both times... once coming dangerously close to hitting Cissnei by accident.

"Guess even the Materia Corps can't help _some_ people..." Rodney commented.

Cissnei abruptly halted dead in her tracks and turned on her fellow rookie.

"Rodney, stop being such a jerk. Can't you see how much this is bothering him?" The other rookie only shrugged, and continued on his way. Cissnei shook her head. "You know... sometimes, Rodney's a really nice guy. And other times I'd _really_ like to punch him in the face..." she said, once he was out of earshot. "Just ignore him, Reno."

The redhead managed a smile.

"Thanks..." he said, tiredly.

"Wow... You look completely wiped."

"I'm okay... I just need somethin' to eat's all," Reno replied. Though in truth, what he felt like he _really_ needed was a nap. Maybe practicing all weekend _hadn't_ been such a great idea. Of course, there wasn't a whole lot he could do about that now. He'd just have to tough it out for the rest of the day, and get a decent night's sleep.

* * *

Tuesday arrived and with it, a growing sense of despair for Reno. He felt like crap. And he'd overslept and had to skip breakfast or risk making both Tseng _and_ himself late to work. Through the latter half of the morning briefing, he did his best to ignore the grumbling of his stomach all but begging for food, and as he followed Tseng and the other two rookies to their usual practice area, he was beginning to find that quick movements made him dizzy.

There was no way in hell he was going to be able to keep this up. There was just no way. His wavering resolve of yesterday was quickly turning to full-blown surrender. And yet... he was too stubborn to just give in.

One more day, he decided. He'd give it one more day, and if he still felt like this tomorrow, he'd explain shit to Tseng and request to drop materia training. He wasn't any good to anyone like this. Hell, he could barely keep his eyes open by the time he'd gotten off work yesterday. And Tseng had _definitely_ noticed... but the rookie had waved off his concerns and convinced him that he was alright.

Now though... even as stubborn as he was, the redhead had to admit that he was far from 'alright'. His hands were actually shaking slightly. He hadn't seen that happen since he'd nearly starved during a bad illness one winter in the slums. He took a deep breath, forcing himself still. He just had to get through the next couple of hours. Then he could go eat, and maybe lie down for a little while.

He wished Rude were here. He'd have covered for him while he slept this off. Cissnei _might_ be willing... but he didn't know her well enough to be sure. She seemed kind of by-the-book, to be honest. She might just report him to Medical, and _that_ was the last thing he needed. Ward would positively _murder_ him, he just knew it.

"Reno?"

His attention was suddenly snapped back to the task at hand, as he realized that Tseng had been talking to him... and he had absolutely no clue what his mentor had been saying. He shook his head to clear it, and noticed that the other two rookies were looking at him expectantly.

"You're up..." Tseng prodded again, and looked at him quizzically.

Fuck. Practice. He was expected to do more than just stand there, staring at the targets. Gritting his teeth, he checked the materia in his wristlet and picked one of the small silhouettes, focusing on the little orb and on what he wanted it to hit, praying that this actually worked for once.

Everything immediately went black.

* * *

He'd only looked away for a moment, his eyes on the target waiting to see the results of the spell. Something hit the floor behind him with a loud thud and Tseng felt his blood run cold. Somehow, he knew what it was before he even turned.

"Reno?!"

His shout was echoed by at least one of the other rookies. The Turk lieutenant rushed over to the form that lay crumpled on the ground, motionless.

"Reno..." he tried again, shaking him gently. He was breathing... thank Leviathan... but otherwise completely unresponsive. Tseng silently cursed himself. He'd _known_ something wasn't right. He'd seen it last night, and it had been even more apparent this morning, and he'd stupidly let himself be convinced that his ward was just pushing himself a little too hard. That the effort would ultimately pay off in the end and be _good_ for him.

"Reno?" Cissnei prodded, joining him on the floor next to the redhead. She looked up at the Turk lieutenant, worriedly. "Is he alright?"

"I don't know," he replied, lifting the young man off the the ground. "You and Rodney return to headquarters. Tell Veld what's going on and that I'll be downstairs in Medical."

He didn't await a confirmation of his order. Tseng simply turned and strode out of the training hall, never breaking stride as he turned down the hallway and stepped aboard the nearest elevator. His calm, deliberate exterior projected nothing of the the rapidly rising panic that was threatening to overtake him. He wasn't about to give into that panic, however. He was needed.

The elevator stopped on the eleventh floor and the Wutaiian Turk swore under his breath as two people moved to step into the car. One look from the Turk lieutenant, and they scurried back, letting the doors slide shut again. Finally, they arrived on the ninth floor, and Tseng hurried towards the large set of doors that led to the medical suite.

"Justinia?!" he called out as he entered, ignoring the young woman who moved to greet him and setting his burden down on the closest examination table. "Justinia... I need you, right _now_!"

"Oh, for Shiva's sake..." came the reply from one of the small offices near the back of the suite, and a moment later, Dr. Ward was briskly walking towards him. "Don't yeh take that tone with me, Tseng. Now... what is it yeh've done ta yerself that demands my immediate attention instead of the lovely Nurse Robinson's here?"

"Not me!" Tseng replied, and gestured to the unconscious rookie.

Dr. Ward's demeanor shifted immediately and she shooed him out of her way, moving swiftly towards the redhead.

"What happened ta him?" she asked, already carefully looking her patient over.

"He collapsed during materia training," Tseng replied, attempting to move closer, only to be shooed off a second time, this time with far more force. "He was overly tired this morning. I... I should have had him sit out today's training."

"Hmm..." was all the doctor said in reply. "Reno? Can yeh hear me?" She tapped her palm against his cheek, in an attempt to rouse him. "This is a bit more than 'overly tired'. Marnie... get a blood glucose fer me, would yeh?"

"Yes, Doctor," the nurse replied, and dashed off to collect something from the supply closet. Ward, meanwhile, was carefully lifting Reno's eyelids, and flicking a small penlight back and forth across his pupils.

"How long was he at it?" she asked.

"We hadn't even started," Tseng said, shaking his head. "It was the first spell he attempted today."

"And yesterday?"

"About two and a half hours," he replied.

"And before that? When's the last time he had a proper break?"

The Turk shook his head somewhat futilely. "He was in Junon until yesterday morning. I _did_ ask one of the Materia Corps' commanding officers to work with him as a personal favor... but I can assure you, she has trained _many_ young recruits. She knows what she's doing, and she wouldn't have pushed him to the point of exhaustion."

Viridia simply wouldn't have. She was always so protective of her novices, and _never_ would have let it go this far. And if she'd thought he needed to rest before resuming training, she would have _notified_ him.

Tseng tried again to move closer to the ailing redhead, as the nurse was drawing blood from the teen, and was greeted with an annoyed glare from Dr. Ward.

"Either yeh stay out from under foot... or yeh get out of my medical suite. Yer choice, Tseng. I'm not going ta tell yeh again."

The Turk begrudgingly backed off and took a seat in one of the chairs in the waiting area. There were times to stand one's ground with the medical staff and times to simply do as ordered. This was one of the latter. Ward's attention needed to be on Reno... not on him.

Waiting, however... it was maddening. He never enjoyed sitting around, waiting for a doctor to come and speak to him about one of his subordinates. Up until now, it was something he'd seldom had to do, as Veld tended to handle such matters personally... though it was beginning to dawn on him that, now that he was graduating to the responsibility of overseeing all of the team's rookies on his own – for the most part – it very well might end up being a far more regular occurrence. If today was any indication... he didn't think he was going to enjoy it.

It was several minutes before Ward reappeared from behind the curtain... her expression a truly intimidating cross between furious and concerned.

"He'll be alright. No thanks ta yeh and yer Shiva-be-cursed training," she said, angrily.

"What happened? What's wrong with him?"

"He's physically exhausted is what he is. And I suspect the materia's depleted his mana reserves as well. The wee thing's worn himself ta the bone," Ward replied. "What did he have fer breakfast this morning?"

Tseng cringed. They'd been running late. Reno had assured him that he'd grab something when they got to the office, but they'd been so far behind, he hadn't had time. Ward didn't take long to correctly interpret his hesitation.

"Hmph... I thought as much," she snapped. "And judging by just how low his blood sugar is, I'd be willing ta bet he's skipped more than just a _few_ meals since yeh started teaching him ta use materia, too. Probably too tired ta eat."

"... He _has_ been having a... difficult... time with the training, yes. He's fallen asleep before dinner on more than one occasion."

"And what did I _tell_ yeh about keeping that boy fed?" Ward demanded. He hadn't heard _that_ tone in years. In fact, the longer this went on, the more Ward was beginning to sound like his grandmother. Like Justinia, that woman had always had the innate ability to put her grandson in his place with little more than a look and a question. Somehow, he managed to stop his hand from rising to shield his ear from any potential snatching the good doctor may have had in mind.

"... That he burns through calories like a chocobo on speed and should never skip meals," the Wutaiian Turk replied. It was paraphrasing Reno himself a bit, and he knew it, but it was no less accurate.

"Hmph... close enough, I suppose," the doctor acknowledged. "That's not just going ta go away, Tseng. He may _eventually_ grow out of it... or he may not. But either way, fer now, that's his reality. Yeh _can't_ wear him down ta the point he can't take care of himself! If yeh do, _this_ is what is going ta happen. I don't tell yeh these things just ta hear myself talk!"

Tseng swallowed somewhat nervously. He couldn't exactly deny that there were times when he didn't always take the woman's advice to heart. Before he could say anything, however, she continued.

"Now... he's barred from materia training until he's recovered, and he's not recovered until I bloody well _say_ he's recovered. Is that _clear_?"

"Yes, ma'am," Tseng replied, thoroughly chastised. Ward was still glowering at him.

"And as fer _yeh_..." she added, "I hope yeh realize how lucky yeh are this wasn't more serious. If I were yeh, I'd be seriously reevaluating just how good of a job I was doing with him. Especially now that yeh have two _more_ ta look after."

That felt almost like a slap in the face... a literal one, not merely figurative. Reno was hurt. And it was because of him. He'd pushed too hard, and then he'd ignored the warning signs that his rookie was struggling. For Leviathan's sake, he hadn't simply ignored it... he'd pushed him even harder.

"Is he awake yet?" the Turk lieutenant asked, quietly.

"No. And he won't be fer awhile yet," Dr. Ward replied with a snort of contempt. " _I'd_ be surprised if he comes around before tamorrow. I'm going ta start him on a nutrient drip and see if that brings him out of it any faster, but yeh might as well plan on leaving him here fer the rest of the day, at the very least."

Tseng's shoulders sagged slightly. He'd thought an hour or two... maybe the rest of the morning. But the entire day? He never would have guessed that he'd so seriously underestimated Reno's ability to mask how badly this was affecting him. He moved towards the curtain and this time Dr. Ward didn't try to stop him.

Reno was far too still for his liking. The teenager was always a bundle of energy. Even sitting, doing nothing, he was never so completely inert.

"There's nothing more yeh can do fer him right now. Yeh go and get back ta work. I'll look after him fer yeh."

Tseng nodded somewhat distractedly. "Call me when he wakes, please..."

With that, he made his way out into hallway, and took the elevator back to headquarters. He'd stop and speak to Veld first. The Turk leader would want an update on the rookie's status... though he wasn't looking forward to explaining how he'd ended up in such a condition in the first place. Then he'd need to track down the other two rookies, as they were technically still supposed to be working with him at the moment. And when he had a moment or two to himself, he needed to place a call to Viridia and see if she'd noticed anything amiss while Reno had been in Junon. Likely not... but Veld was certain to ask at some point, and he wanted to have an answer to give him. In fact... it might be prudent to phone Viridia _first_ , under the circumstances.

A plan in mind, Tseng stepped out of the elevator on the fifty-eighth floor, PHS already in hand, prepared to head straight to his office for some privacy.

He didn't make it more than two steps before he was ambushed and surrounded by half the team.

"Sir? Is Reno okay?" Cissnei asked.

"What in the nine hells happened?" Kai cut in, pushing past the young rookie... only to be elbowed out of the way by both Saya _and_ Sato.

"Where is he? Is he hurt? The wee Turklings said he collapsed!"

Tres was standing by as well, and though he didn't add his voice to the din, he was watching anxiously from the sidelines.

"Calm down, all of you!" Tseng replied, in an authoritative voice. He was in no mood to repeat himself, and with everyone talking over everyone else, explaining would take forever. It took a moment, but eventually the gathering of Turks settled and quieted. "He's alright. He's down in Medical... Dr. Ward is taking care of him."

"What in Shiva's name happened?" Kai demanded to know, crossing her arms over her chest and staring him down.

"As I said... Reno will be fine. He's neither injured nor ill... he's simply exhausted. There are still a number of details I have yet to clarify, and some may need to wait until he wakes up... until then, I prefer not to spread misinformation."

With that, he pushed past the crowd and continued on to his office. He knew it wasn't a satisfactory answer... for any of them... but until he knew _exactly_ where he'd gone wrong, he didn't want to speculate. As he pushed open the door to his office, he was distinctly aware of a presence behind him. Tseng sighed softly as he turned and wasn't especially surprised to find that Kai had followed him.

"What's going on, Tseng? He was fine all last week. What the _hell_ happened in the last two days that put him in the hospital?"

"He's not in the hospital, he's in the medical suite," Tseng replied, rounding his desk and sitting down. Kai stormed after him, and kicked the door shut behind her.

"Goddammit, Tseng... What's going on?"

"Beyond what I've already told you, I don't know yet. I came in here to try and gather more information before I report to Veld. I need to speak with Viridia."

Kai took a seat in one of the chairs across from him.

"So I'm guessing that means this is related to materia training. He ran himself down, didn't he?"

"In all likelihood, yes," Tseng replied. Kai shook her head.

"Man... talk about getting hit hard and fast. He was okay Monday when we flew back to Midgar."

"... I'm not so sure he was," he sighed. "Tell me... did he seem unusually tired towards the end of the week? Go to bed far earlier than normal? Or have trouble getting up in the mornings?"

Kai frowned and leaned back in her chair. "Now that you mention it, yeah. He _was_ pretty wiped Sunday night. Seemed okay in the morning, though. Thinking about it in hindsight... that _does_ seem a little odd. I saw Vir on Sunday afternoon down in Lower Junon. I don't think they were training that day."

Tseng had a sneaking suspicion that the rookie had decided to hold a practice session or two of his own. Unsupervised. He swallowed a frustrated groan, and reached for his PHS.

"If you'll excuse me, Kai, I believe I need to give Viridia a call..."

The other Turk nodded and stood up, heading for the door. She paused halfway into the hallway.

"You'll let us know when Ward decides to release him right?"

"Of course," Tseng replied. Kai nodded and left, closing the door quietly behind her. Moments later he was dialing and impatiently listening to the line ring. It seemed to take forever for her to pick up.

" _Well, this is unusual. You, calling me in the middle of the work day? It's practically unheard of, in fact,"_ a familiar voice teased.

"Unfortunately, it's exactly not a social call," he replied, "Do you have few minutes?"

" _You're in luck. I was just getting ready to take my break. What's on your mind?"_

"Reno," Tseng said, absently running his fingers through his hair, belatedly realizing that she was going to be even less pleased to hear about this than Ward was.

" _Hmm... I was_ _ **wondering**_ _when you'd get around to asking me about that,"_ she said, her voice switching to a more serious tone. _"I know he was a little disappointed, but I really don't think there's anything to be done."_

Tseng blinked, silent for a few seconds as he attempted to figure out what Viridia was talking about.

 _"Tseng?"_ she queried, and he could practically _hear_ the annoyed frown he was certain had just crossed her face. _"That stubborn little brat hasn't said a damn thing to you, has he?"_

"He did... but judging by your tone, I get the impression that he left out a few important details. I think perhaps a full report is in order. I'd ask him personally, but he's unconscious at the moment."

He heard a faint sigh on the other end of the line.

" _Reno is probably never going to be able to use materia,"_ Viridia finally said, _"He_ _ **barely**_ _managed to cast a lightning spell, and had nothing left once he finally did._ _He doesn't have any kind of an affinity for it. Some people just... don't. I'm pretty sure Reno's one of them. He_ _ **said**_ _he was going to tell you when he got back to Midgar. I suppose he just kept right on at it instead, didn't him? Until he finally dropped._ _"_

"So it would seem..." the Turk lieutenant replied, his own frown deepening. Of all the _idiotic_ things to do... What in Leviathan's name had that boy been _thinking_? As soon as the rookie finally woke up, he was going to be getting one hell of a lecture. Putting himself out of commission like that was beyond irresponsible. After the incident with Sato's explosives going off in his former living room, Tseng had truly believed that Reno had learned to stop and think before doing something like this. Apparently, the lesson hadn't sunk in quite as deeply as he'd thought.

And Tseng wasn't especially happy about being scared half to death, either.

" _Dammit..._ _I_ _should have called you myself. He accepted it_ _ **much**_ _too easily, considering how determined he was when he got here."_

"Thank you, Viridia," he said, shaking his head slightly. "When he comes to, you can be certain that I will impress upon him just how foolish this was."

And quite possibly ground him until he moved into his new apartment. He was going to be losing privileges on the job, as well. For one... no more flying until further notice. The rookie had more than enough flight time to meet the minimum requirement for his certification once he was of age. He could practice in the simulator until then. He was also going to be doing a _lot_ more paperwork over the next few days.

" _Do that,"_ Viridia replied, _"But Tseng... before you do, I think you should know_ _ **why**_ _he did it."_

"I take it you have an idea on that?" He glanced fiendishly over at his inbox, which was, at present, dangerously close to overflowing. The perfect task for a rookie in need of a reminder that he didn't know everything.

" _I'm pretty sure I do. He was... upset... when I told him that the Materia Corps wouldn't be looking to recruit him any time soon, so I asked him why. He said he didn't want to disappoint you. I really don't think he cares one way or the other about the materia. It's_ _ **your**_ _opinion that matters to him."_

That pronouncement gave Tseng pause. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let his elbow rest on top of his desk as he realized that right _now_ might not be the most prudent of times to be planning the rookie's punishment.

"I have never insisted upon him being a magic user. Most of us are _not_ ," he said at last.

" _Tseng, for Shiva's sake, you sent him to Junon for one on one training with member of the Materia Corps. You don't think that_ _ **might**_ _have given him the impression that it was a little more important to you than you were letting on?"_

Definitely the wrong time to be planning punishments.

"... I simply didn't want him falling behind the others in training." As soon as he said it, he realized how stupid that sounded. Most Turks picked up the basics of materia combat during the month or so they were trained in its use and then went back to using their preferred weapon and never looked at it again. Hell, even _he_ hardly ever carried it, and he was allegedly one of the team's more advanced users. Shay was the only one of them who regularly equipped any kind of materia on missions.

" _Just... maybe go easy on him? Not_ _ **too**_ _easy, because what he did was outright idiotic, but... you know, don't eat him alive or anything._ _"_

Tseng snorted softly in laughter in spite of himself, and leaned back in his chair. "I can assure you, Viridia... my diet has never included misbehaving rookies."

" _Good. I hear they can be_ _ **very**_ _fattening,"_ she teased, _"_ _There's probably not much I can do from here, but let me know if you need anything. Even if it's just moral support, okay?"_

"Thank you, Viridia. We'll talk again soon... and next time, I promise it _will_ be a social call."

" _Now, now... don't go making promises someone might make you break,"_ she gently scolded him before ending the call, and he smiled slightly. She did have a point. He tucked his phone back into his pocket, and stood. He still had to explain what had happened to Veld.

* * *

Reno stirred slightly, and tried to force his eyes open. It took far more effort than it really should have, and when he finally managed it, even the dimmed lights in the room made him flinch. He felt like someone had thoroughly clobbered him in the training hall, and his head was still pounding. With a groan, he squeezed them shut again.

A moment later, he heard quiet footsteps moving toward him.

"Still alive, are yeh?" a voice prodded, and the rookie internally sighed, wondering how he'd wound up in Medical. It was several seconds before he remembered, and when he did, he had to bite back a second groan.

"Yeah... but can ya tell Tseng otherwise?" he muttered, sitting up slightly, and propping himself up on an elbow as he opened his eyes. He immediately regretted it. The wave of dizziness hit him hard, and the entire room spun. Dr. Ward eased him back against the pillow behind him.

"Take it slow, yeh little troublemaker. Yer nowhere _near_ a hundred percent yet. But first thing's first... now that yer awake, it's time yeh got some food inta yeh. There's only so much I can do with an IV. And don't yeh try and tell me yer not hungry. I've got it on good authority that yeh've been ignoring medical orders and skipping meals. If I didn't know yeh were already feeling miserable enough, I'd be lecturing yeh on that right now."

The redhead finally opened his eyes again, squinting until his vision adjusted to the light level in the room... and realized that he had no idea where he was. It didn't look like the Medical Suite. It was bare, but cozy little room. Windowless, and with a small cabinet in the corner that covered the distance from floor to ceiling. He glanced down at his hand and saw it had been skewered by a rather large-looking needle that had been inserted into a noticeably engorged vein. It that was connected to a long tube that snaked its way up to a plastic bag hanging from a metal pole beside him. He immediately felt woozy just looking at it.

"... Um... Where am I, exactly?" he asked, hurriedly averting his gaze.

"One of the medical suite's quiet rooms. We use them when we have a patient that just needs ta be left alone fer a bit. Yeh certainly aren't the first person I've treated fer materia-related exhaustion around this place. At least half the members of Soldier have wound up in here at some point."

He stretched slightly and only then realized how stiff he felt.

"How long was I out?" he asked. Hopefully, not too long. Tres had strongly implied yesterday that he wanted him to fill in for Rude when needed while his fellow-rookie was in Junon for the week.

"It's nearly five-thirty," the doctor replied.

"What?!" Reno yelped, sitting up in bed. The room tilted wildly, and he groaned loudly. "Okay... that was a bad idea."

Ward clucked her tongue and gently pushed him back down again.

"Don't yeh _ever_ listen when someone tells yeh _not_ ta do something?"

"In my experience... no," a voice from the doorway stated. "How is he?"

Reno sank down against the pillow, cringing. It figured. Despite all his claims that it was nonsense, Reno was _convinced_ that Tseng had some sort of sixth sense, if not outright psychic powers. There was no other explanation for the way he always turned up right when you needed him... or, alternatively, when you desperately didn't want him to.

"Hmph... And just who summoned _yeh_?" Ward asked, and Reno was surprised at how cross she seemed to be with his mentor. "In any case, he's still a bit woozy. I was just about ta go and see what's left in the cafeteria fer him. Some food should perk him up a bit."

"The cafeteria? I thought you made it a point _not_ to punish you patients while they were still recovering, Justinia..." Tseng deadpanned. The glare the doctor cast at the senior Turk almost made _Reno_ wince.

"... Did I miss somethin'?" he asked, looking back and forth between the pair. Tseng shook his head.

"No," he replied, firmly, before turning back to Ward. "Is he free to go, or do you intend to hold him hostage all night to punish me for my transgression?"

"Yeh mind yer tone, Tseng. _I'm_ not the one who _put_ him in this state," the doctor said, warningly, "Yeh can take him home. He's ta be fed and put ta bed. In that order... I don't care if he's so tired yeh have ta spoon-feed him. He needs ta eat and he needs ta do it soon. And I want ta see him again first thing tamorrow morning."

"Understood," Tseng replied.

The doctor nodded and turned back to her patient, gently unhooking the IV and drawing out the needle. Reno's eyes widened in horror has he got a good look as just how long the damn thing was, and for a moment, he was almost certain he was going to pass out. The redhead whimpered softly, and Tseng slipped past the doctor and over to the bed. A moment later he was helping the rookie up. For Reno, just putting one food in front of the other took almost superhuman effort, but somehow, he managed. He bid Dr. Ward goodnight with a brief wave, and then simply let Tseng haul him bodily to the elevator.

"Why's she so pissed at you?" he asked, slightly bewildered.

"Because I'm responsible for your training... and your training resulted in you paying her an unexpected visit."

The elevator dropped them off at the parking deck, and the redhead was a little surprised to find Tseng's car waiting for them just a few feet away, instead of in its usual spot.

"I spoke to Viridia while you were there," the Turk lieutenant continued.

Fuck. Today just kept getting better and better.

"... So... how how come you're not as pissed at me as the Doc is at you?" he ventured, cautiously, knowing what the woman must have told him.

"For the much same reason," Tseng replied somewhat vaguely, helping him into the car, "Further discussion can wait until you've recovered a bit more. You are under the good doctor's orders to eat and sleep. And as you have already observed, she's none too pleased with me at the moment, so I intend to see that you follow those orders to the letter."

~end chapter 54~


	55. Irreplaceable

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 55: Irreplaceable**

 **by Desha**

'Further discussion' seemed to have been put on hold for the moment, Reno mused to himself as Tseng's car sped down the freeway toward headquarters the following morning. It hadn't happened after dinner... though to be fair, the rookie had barely been able to keep his eyes open by then. It hadn't happened during breakfast. And it didn't seem to be happening now, either. He wasn't sure what Tseng was waiting for exactly... and he kind of just wanted to get it over with and take whatever punishment he had coming.

He just hoped it wasn't what he was beginning to think he deserved.

He wondered if everyone else knew how pathetically weak he was by now. Rodney probably had it figured out the second he collapsed... and he'd probably be gloating about how much better he was – at everything – all day. And the worst part was, he'd be absolutely right. Reno was nowhere near as good as the newly promoted rookies. Maybe Rodney really _would_ make a better protege for Tseng than he would.

The redhead was still deeply lost in his own thoughts as they arrived at the Shinra Building, following Tseng inside automatically. For perhaps the first time since he'd become a Turk, he was dreading setting foot in headquarters. _Everyone_ had to know by now. It was humiliating. And he didn't even have Rude to run interference for him. Today was going to suck.

So engrossed was he in his own internal musings that Reno didn't even notice where they were until he was unexpectedly greeted by fingers snapping loudly directly in front of his face. He was jarred rather rudely back to his surroundings.

"Are yeh awake, or are yeh sleepwalking?" Dr. Ward asked. Reno blinked in surprised and glanced around, suddenly realizing that he was back in Medical... not Turk headquarters.

"The latter, I suspect," Tseng replied for him.

"... Sorry," the rookie mumbled, slightly embarrassed. He hadn't realized he'd been _that_ zoned out.

"Hmph... Sleepwalk over here, then. Let's have a look at yeh," Dr. Ward said, and headed off toward one of the nearby exam partitions. Reno obediently followed her, and rolled his eyes when she pointed to the scale.

"Seriously?" he groaned. Ward merely crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently. Reno sighed. "Yeah, yeah... I'm goin'..."

He stepped onto the little platform and waited while the doctor nudged the little weights over until the bar balanced evenly. He heard her make a small noise of displeasure.

"Eleven and a half pounds yeh've lost since the last time I weighed yeh..." she said, shaking her head as she noted it down in his chart, and he had to admit... he was a little shocked. He'd thought two. Three at the most. It had only _been_ a couple of weeks...

He put up with several more minutes of poking, prodding, and general invasion of his personal space before Ward was finally satisfied and turned him back over to to his mentor.

"I'm putting him on a partial medical restriction until his weight comes back up," she declared. "No field work, reduced training schedule, and _absolutely_ nomateria practice until I clear him. And so help me, if I find out that yer idea of 'reduced training' includes that Shiva-forsaken gauntlet of yers –"

"I can assure you, it will not," Tseng quickly cut her off.

"Hmph..." she snorted, before turning back to her patient, "And as fer _yeh_... No more skipped meals, or I'll have yeh on _full_ restriction so fast yer head'll spin. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," the redhead sheepishly replied.

"Good." She slipped a hand into the pocket of her lab coat, and withdrew a purple sucker, pressing it into his hand with a faint smile. "Now get ta work, the both of yeh."

Reno hurried to follow Tseng as he started back towards the elevator, staring down at the candy. Normally, something like that wouldn't have lasted two seconds in his hands. Today, though... a treat just didn't seem warranted. The doors closed behind the pair and the car started upwards.

"Either there exists a flavor of candy you _actually_ dislike... which I find next to impossible to believe... or there's something on your mind," Tseng stated as they passed the twentieth floor. Reno sighed heavily and glanced up at the senior Turk.

"Aren't you ever gonna say anything about what happened?"

"As it happens... yes. Though I would prefer to begin that discussion somewhere more comfortable than the elevator." The elevator chimed and the doors slid open, revealing a very deserted-looking Turk headquarters. Reno blinked in surprise, wondering where the hell everyone was. It wasn't until they reached Tseng's office and he spotted the little clock on his wall that he realized it was only just now seven forty-five. Apparently they'd left a little early today.

"Sit down, Reno," Tseng said, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of his desk. The rookie did so, and cocked his head slightly in confusion when the Turk lieutenant sat down beside him, rather than behind his desk.

"... So how much trouble am I in?" the redhead asked.

"Beyond what Ward will do to you should you fail to follow her orders? None," he stated, calmly.

"Huh?" Reno stared at him, mystified. Tseng snorted a faint laugh.

"I'm not sure on what grounds I could justifiably punish someone for working _too hard_ ," he replied, "Though I think we _do_ need to have a little talk about why you felt the need to push yourself to the point of collapse. Particularly after Viridia informed you that you wouldn't benefit from further training. I'll be perfectly honest with you... the reason I've waited until now to have this conversation with you – aside from the fact that you were half asleep last night – is because I was still somewhat angry with you for needlessly scaring me half to death."

Reno looked away, dropping his gaze to his hands in his lap, but said nothing, leaving Tseng to prompt him for a reply.

"Viridia told me you were worried about disappointing me. Why?"

The rookie swallowed sharply and glanced up momentarily.

"Because..." he said quietly. "You've done so much for me. And all I _ever_ seem to do is drive you nuts. And now we got Cissnei... and _Rodney_... and..." He exhaled slowly collecting himself a bit. "They're so much better than me. I just... wanted to show you that I _could_ do better and that it wasn't a mistake makin' me a Turk... and that..."

He cut himself off, not sure if he dared question what Tseng intentions were for Rodney and him.

"And that... what?" Tseng prodded. It took Reno a moment to find his voice again.

"And that you didn't need to replace me."

"Where in the nine hells did you ever get the idea that I wanted to replace you?" the Turk lieutenant asked, and if his present level of anxiety hadn't been quite so high, Reno might very well have laughed at the incredulous look on his mentor's face.

"... From Rodney? I guess."

Tseng roughly pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Would you mind elaborating?" he said with a barely repressed sigh, and Reno honestly couldn't tell if Tseng's obvious frustration was with _him_ or his fellow rookie.

"It's just... Rodney's like... a better _me_. He's got all the same skills I do. Just... better. Plus he's fuckin' great with materia, and the one goddamn spell I _can_ cast backfires 'n hits _me_ half the time. Face it, boss... he'd make a better protege than I _ever_ could. I... didn't wanna get replaced."

Tseng wordlessly stood and walked around his desk, opening a drawer digging through it for a moment. He returned to his seat a moment later with a thick file in his hand, which he passed over to the rookie.

"... What's this?" Reno asked, flipping though it. The folder was as thick as his upper arm, crammed full of notes, photos, maps, and more. He saw his own name more than once as he skimmed through it. The photos, too, were of familiar people and places... The Lonely Dragon, his neighborhood, Lira, Kel... and himself, as well.

"All of the information I collected on you before going to Veld and requesting that I be allowed to recruit you. Reno... you were not selected on a whim. I watched you for nearly a year, because I had to be absolutely certain I was making the right choice, and because I knew I would have to justify that choice to my _own_ mentor. A second in command trains many rookies over the course of their career... but I can only ever have one _first_ rookie. You are not replaceable."

Reno continued to flip through the pages of his file, occasionally pausing to read a note or study a photo before moving on. It wasn't just his strengths that had been documented. Weaknesses had been noted down as well, along with seemingly every bad habit and vice he possessed. Tseng might as well have been living next door to him all that time. And he'd never even noticed.

"As for Rodney," Tseng continued, "You're right. He _does_ possess many – though most certainly not _all_ – of the same talents as you do, and that is indeed one of the reasons I chose him for promotion. Frankly... I thought we could do with more Turks like _you_."

"So... you don't _care_ that I can't use materia?"

Tseng shook his head. "Of our entire team, Shayand I are the only ones who generally bother with it at all. And even then, it's a secondary weapon... at _best_. Personally, I tend to use it more as a tool. Lighting campfires, for example. We only cover it in training because it would be foolish not to ensure that rookies have a basic understanding of it." He eyed the clock for a moment. "The others should be arriving shortly."

The redhead groaned and leaned back in his chair.

"Great... Today oughta be fun. I s'pose everyone already knows exactly how big an idiot I am."

"Unless they've been talking to Viridia without my knowledge, all they're aware of is that you suffered a minor training accident. With the exception of Veld, of course. And quite probably Tres, as very little seems to get by him. You may inform them of the more intimate details if you wish, but I'm entirely content leaving it at that. I suspect that all they're really interested in is knowing that you've recovered."

Reno breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Sure... Rodney was probably never going to let him live down falling flat on his face in the middle of training, but... fuck him. Rodney could go suck a dick. He wasn't going to let that smarmy son of a bitch get to him anymore. If he'd just ignored him in the first place, none of this would have ever happened.

"There _is_ one thing I'm going to order you... and every other rookie under my care, for that matter... to do from now on, however."

"... What?" the redhead asked, somewhat warily.

"To _tell_ me if training is taking too substantial a toll on you instead of attempting to ignore it. You don't get stronger by allowing yourself to become weaker."

"... Yeah," Reno admitted somewhat chagrined. "Um... speakin' of which, can I ask a question?"

"Of course..."

"... What exactly _is_ a 'partial medical restriction', anyway? I mean... what am I gonna do all day? It's not gonna be like when I hurt my shoulder... is it?" he asked, dreading the answer. _That_ injury had sucked. He couldn't do much of anything but sit behind a desk all day. He was nearly out of his mind by the time Ward had finally declared him fit for duty. Tseng chuckled softly.

"Oh... I think I can find something _slightly_ less tedious than paperwork to keep you occupied..." he replied.

* * *

"Reno!" Cissnei called after him as everyone was exiting the morning briefing a short while later. She hurried to catch up to him. "Are you okay?"

"Hey... Yeah, I'm fine. Just kinda overdid it's all."

"Oh... good. I was really worried. Tseng didn't tell us much of anything yesterday, and you were still downstairs in Medical when I left for the night. You didn't get stuck _staying_ there, did you?"

Reno shook his head. "Nah... Tseng took me home. I was still pretty out of it at the time, but I'm good now. Stuck on medical restriction, though. And... I'm pretty much done with materia. _Definitely_ not for me."

"Hmph... Figured as much," a new voice piped up, and Reno turned slightly, mentally groaning as he spotted Rodney making his way towards them. "It's for the best, really. Why waste your time on something you're terrible at?"

The redhead grinned. "My thoughts exactly. No sense in killin' myself tryin' to learn shit I'm just gonna suck at anyway. I got better things to spend my time on."

His grin widened slightly when the other rookie's expression made it very clear that that wasn't the reaction he was hoping for.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Rodney asked, a vague challenge in his tone.

"Like practicing for his pilot's certification," Tseng stated, and both of the new rookies jumped violently at his sudden appearance behind them. Reno had to smother a laugh. Finally... someone other then _him_ getting scared out of his mind by the Turk lieutenant's unnaturally silent movements. Kai joined them moments later and wasn't quite so generous, snickering loudly at their reaction. Tseng ignored her. "You two will be joining me for our usual practice this morning. Reno... go with Kai."

"Sweet!" the redhead replied, still grinning. No materia practice _and_ unscheduled time in the air? He could get to like this whole medical restriction thing. Tseng nodded and exited with the pair, leaving Reno in the hands of Kai. She paused for a moment, and then circled him, looking him over, and then gave him a gentle shove from behind.

"The fuck are you doin' now?" Reno asked, slightly annoyed.

"Just making sure you're not going to pass out on me mid-flight," she teased. The rookie rolled his eyes, and Kai laughed. "Hey... I'm glad you're feeling better, baby Turkling."

"Are you _ever_ gonna quit callin' me that?" he sighed, irritated.

"Nope," Kai said with a grin, "Ready to get started?"

* * *

The remainder of the week was practically a vacation for Reno. His time in the training hall had been trimmed back substantially, and replaced with range practice, more time in the helicopter, sitting in on a couple of interrogations with Tres, and being tapped as a runner for paperwork bound for other departments. By the weekend, he was feeling like his old self again, though Ward still wouldn't clear him for duty owing to his need to regain at least six more pounds. Hopefully, the weekend would help with that. As much as he'd enjoyed briefly being able to take it easy after feeling like complete crap day after day... he _kinda_ wanted to get back to work for real.

But that was for Monday. Right now, he was looking forward two glorious days of doing absolutely _nothing_ but sitting around, eating and watching TV. He'd just settled in on the couch with a bowl of cereal when Tseng finally made his way down the hallway, and did a double-take as he spotted the redhead on his way to the kitchen. He glanced over at the clock.

"It... _is_ Saturday, isn't it?" the Turk lieutenant asked, bemused by the rookie being up so early on a weekend. Reno snorted in laughter, and swallowed a mouthful of marshmallow bits and puffed rice.

"I was hungry. And you know what the Doc said 'bout eatin'..."

"Ah..." was the only response. He heard the sound of running water and a moment later that of the stove clicking on, as, he assumed, Tseng put water for his tea on to boil. Reno lifted the television remote and turned it on, taking another bite as he scanned through the channels, looking for cartoons. He didn't care if they were meant for little kids. He still enjoyed them... especially on a Saturday morning. And it was nice to finally be able to watch them properly. When he was a kid, reception in the slums was shitty at the best of times. It had vastly improved over the years, but it still wasn't as good as it was topside.

Tseng stepped out into the room, and a moment later, sat down beside his protege on the couch, leaning back with a quiet sigh.

"Just so you know... you'll have the apartment to yourself next week. Veld has informed me that it's my turn to head off for a shift in Junon."

Reno snickered softly. "Heh... Thanks for the advance notice. Gives me more time to get the party invites sent out. Who's goin' with ya?"

"Rodney," Tseng replied, "And Cissnei will be going the following week with Veld. He wants to review the progress that's been made on the new outpost personally." He paused for a moment, apparently hesitating, but finally continued. "I... have an assignment for you while I'm gone. Beyond _not_ throwing parties in my absence. I suppose I could have wanted until Monday morning before I left to discuss it with you, but I didn't want to spring it on you last minute. I'm not _entirely_ certain you'll find it agreeable."

"Heh... So you thought you'd ruin my _whole_ weekend instead?" he teased. Tseng chuckled in response.

"Consider it retribution for nearly giving me a heart attack last week."

Reno finished off his cereal with a faint snicker. "Yeah, okay... I kinda had that comin'. So what's this god-awful assignment you got for me?"

"As you've not yet been cleared for full duty, I'd like you to help with the training of a company employee in need of basic self-defense skills and instruction in firearms. He's a novice at... essentially everything, so it may be somewhat frustrating at first. For both of you. But I think you'll find he's a fast learner."

Reno cast him a somewhat puzzled look. "Since when do the Turks go around trainin' random employees?"

"We don't. This is a special case. One which I have spoken to Veld about at great length, and which required approval from the President."

"Uh... not that I don't think it's awesome you'd trust me with somethin' like that, but... seriously. Why me?"

Tseng laughed softly. "For one... because I've watched you during practice, and you're quite naturally gifted when it comes to instruction. You taught Rude that new throw very efficiently a few weeks ago. For another... as I won't be here to work with him myself, I'd prefer he begin with someone he's acquainted with."

Reno groaned in realization. Special treatment from Tseng? Presidential approval required? _And_ it was someone he knew personally... ? It could really only _be_ one person.

"... _Please_ tell me it's not Rufus."

"To do that, I would have to lie to you," Tseng stated, smirking.

"Come on, boss... Rufus fuckin' _hates_ me," the redhead moaned. That, he knew, wasn't _entirely_ true. Rufus had actually been... not friendly, but at least _decent_... in the few interactions they'd had since their little adventure in Kalm. But he still wasn't convinced they could be alone together in a room for more than five minutes without one of them strangling the other. Throw in live ammunition and...

Reno sighed. "I don't really have a choice here, do I?"

"It's either this, or desk duty until Medical clears you. And I know how fond you are of paperwork." He flashed the rookie a notably smug-looking smile.

"Tch... When you take revenge, you really go all out, don't you?"

"I _was_ joking about that, you know," Tseng chuckled, "I think you'll do well at this task... and Rufus _does_ need the training. He is now the second most powerful man in Midgar. That, unfortunately, makes him an even greater target than he always has been. We Turks are sworn to protect company executives, but... there's always the possibility that trouble will turn up when we're not nearby. I want Rufus to be able to protect _himself_ should he ever need to."

Reno briefly thought back to that day in Kalm, when Rufus had very nearly fallen through the ice instead of him... and the 'brawl' that had preceded his unexpected swim.

"Yeah... well... I guess I can't exactly argue the fact that he's complete shit in a fight. Asshole can't throw a punch to save his life."

"I'll take that to mean that you're agreeing to do it," his mentor replied, and stood up. He glanced over at the television and shook his head, before softly ruffling the rookie's hair. "I'll leave you to your cartoons for now, then."

"Yeah, yeah," the redhead muttered, ducking out from under his mentor's hand. Seriously... he knew red hair was kind of unusual, but did _everyone_ have to try and pet him like that?

He lifted his cereal bowl to his lips and drained it of the leftover overly-sweet milk. He supposed hanging out with Rufus wouldn't be _so_ bad. After all, it was only a week... and surely they wouldn't be stuck together the _whole_ day, every day. Besides which... he felt an unexpected surge of pride at the prospect of Tseng leaving this to _him_ while he was out of town. He was just rookie himself, and he was being asked to help train the vice president of Shinra Company. That was a whole new level of responsibility for him.

And it was _way_ better than paperwork.

~end chapter 55~


	56. To Train a Vice President

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 56: To Train a Vice President**

 **by Desha**

On Monday morning, Reno walked out of the briefing after chatting animatedly with Cissnei for a few moments, and made his way towards his office. Rufus would be showing up in Turk headquarters any time now for their first training session, and the redhead had to admit... he was a little nervous. This was kind of a big deal, and he really didn't want to fuck it up.

He pushed open the door and stepped inside, only to be greeted by a familiar face... followed by a hard swat to he back of the head.

"Ow! The fuck was _that_ for?!" Reno yelled, glaring at his office mate.

"For being an idiot while I was in Junon," Rude replied, straight-faced. The older rookie shook his head before he finally flashed him a faint smile and sighed teasingly. "Can't let you out of my sight for five minutes..."

Reno snorted softly. "Fuck off," he snickered.

"Seriously, though... You alright?"

"Yeah... I'm fine. Ward's still bein' a pain in the ass about puttin' me back on full duty, though. Told me I had to gain at least four more pounds when I checked in this morning... but, I'm okay. How'd you even hear about what happened? You just got back."

"Tres," Rude replied with a shrug. "He hears about something, you _know_ I hear about it, too. So... gonna get back to materia training once you're cleared?"

Reno shook his head in the negative. "Nah. Turns out I can't even use it for the most part, and Viridia says I'll probably never get any better at it 'cause... I don't have affinity? Or some shit? Whatever... Not worth the headache."

"Hmph... Not really my thing either. Think I'll just go back to using my fists once we're through with the basics," Rude grinned. "So did I miss anything important at the briefing?"

"... Not really. Tres says he'll fill you in on today's briefing after materia practice," he replied, and then added with a mischievous smirk. "Oh... and _I'm_ gonna be trainin' Rufus this week."

An eyebrow rose in curiosity from behind the dark lenses of Rude's sunglasses. "Say what?"

The redhead laughed. "Yep. Tseng's got me trainin' the VP."

Rude snorted softly. "Nice knowing you, Reno," he chuckled.

"Ah, shut up. Worst case scenario, you're helpin' me hide a body tonight," he snickered, and Rude shook his head.

"Sorry... Not available for body disposal tonight. Margaret and I have a date."

"Yeah? Wanna hit up a club? Pretty sure I can find a date, too..."

"... Margaret's still pretty ticked at you."

"Geez... talk about holdin' a grudge. Wasn't even _her_ apartment..." the redhead muttered. Rude laughed softly.

"I'm free tomorrow night, though, if you can keep from killing him at least that long," he replied.

* * *

"I don't _care_ how. I want it by tomorrow," Rufus said sharply as Reno made his way into the lounge a short while later. The vice president flipped his phone shut with a sharp _click_ and looked up at the new arrival. "Ugh... It's about _time_. What took you so long?"

The redhead mentally groaned. Well... this was off to a great start.

"The morning briefing ran a little longer than usual, sir," he ground out, already annoyed. The Shinra heir snorted derisively and stood up.

"I can't _believe_ Tseng is making me begin this so-called training with _you_ , of all people," he muttered.

"Tch... the fuck crawled up _your_ ass this mornin'?" Reno shot back before he could censor himself... and immediately regretted it. Obnoxious pain in the ass or not, Rufus was _miles_ above him in terms of authority. He was the vice president of the company, for Ifrit's sake. Saying something like that was just... goddamned stupid.

Rufus narrowed his eyes at the Turk.

"Oh, _forgive_ me if I'm not in the best of _moods_ at this precise moment," he replied, his tone oozing condescension. "In case it's slipped your notice, _Turk_ , the situation with Wutai is rapidly deteriorating... and because of that accursed little island and their little propaganda campaign on the western continent, _I_ am on the verge of losing the deal with Corel for the construction of the new reactor! Over half a year's work... for _nothing_. Father is less than pleased."

The redhead blinked in surprise. That... was kind of a good reason to be upset, all things considered.

No wonder Rufus was in a shitty mood. He didn't know much about the Corel project himself, but Reno _did_ know that it had been Rufus' primary focus practically since he'd been named vice president. And he doubted Rufus wanted to disappoint his father any more than Reno himself wanted to disappoint Tseng. He actually felt a little sorry for Rufus, in that regard at least. Disappointing Tseng would be awful... but Reno had a feeling that if he ever did, Tseng would eventually forgive him and give him a chance to redeem himself. President Shinra, though... from what little interaction Reno'd had with him, he seemed to be a very demanding and exacting man. He wasn't so sure Rufus would have things quite so good.

It was right about then that the young executive seemed to realize that he'd perhaps said more than he intended.

"Nevermind," he scoffed, and the redhead thought he detected a faintly embarrassed note in his voice, "Let's just get this over with."

"... Uh... sure," Reno replied. "Figured we'd start on the firing range. This way, sir."

They boarded the elevator, and the rookie pressed the button for the thirty-third floor. Technically, Thirty-three was the domain of Building Security... but the Turks seemed to spend far more time there than the security teams did. In addition to the training hall and the gauntlet, the floor also housed the firing range.

"What is Tseng _doing_ in Junon all week, anyway?" Rufus asked on the way down, his tone still somewhat snotty, but some of the earlier venom gone.

"Hmph... movin' furniture, if it's anything like the week, _I_ spent down there," the redhead snorted. "Veld's settin' up a branch office for the Turks. Remy's gonna be runnin' it."

"Ah... Yes, I do vaguely recall hearing something about that. Though I hardly see the point. If Wutai _does_ decide that open war with Shinra Company is preferable to negotiation, I'm quite certain my father will want to consolidate forces here in Midgar, and that will include the Turks. Junon can fend for itself quite easily. Midgar's defenses are significantly less... robust."

Reno was caught off-guard by that little bit of information. "You think he'd just make us drop the branch office? Just like that?"

Rufus rolled his eyes.

"Well, _I_ certainly would and my father is no fool, nor does he have a death wish. Should Wutai attack..."

"... the company executives immediately become their top targets. Which means we'd be needed _here_... not in Junon," Reno mused, not needing much encouragement to see what direction this was going. Tseng's sudden desire to ensure that the Shinra heir have some training under his belt suddenly made a lot more sense, too.

Rufus smirked slightly.

"Hmph... You're not as stupid as you look."

The redhead smirked right back at him as the elevator doors opened.

"Think that _might_ be the nicest thing you ever said to me, sir," he said, stepping into the hall, "So... if Wutai's comin' for ya, I guess we better start teachin' you how to not get yourself killed."

* * *

Tseng grimaced slightly as he settled himself behind the unfamiliar desk. He didn't know where Remy had found these chairs, but they were far from comfortable. Ignoring it, he pulled up the latest news reports on the computer in front of him. Things weren't looking especially good between Shinra and Wutai, and though the company had done its best to keep it out of the media, more and more reports were slipping into the daily broadcasts. He didn't like where this was heading. If tensions continued to grow, they might well be looking at an all-out assault on his homeland before the summer even arrived.

He wasn't _entirely_ certain how he felt about that. It had, of course, been a looming possibility for some time now. No matter how long he was away or how far he traveled, Wutai _was_ still the land of his birth. It was where he'd grown up and where most of his family resided. He had many friends there, too, and he dearly loved his homeland.

But he dearly loved the Turks as well. One couldn't rise as high in their ranks as he had without developing a deep connection to the team and, by extension, to Shinra Company... and he knew that, ultimately, his loyalty was to them. He had never questioned that.

But he did wonder... what would happen to his beautiful Wutai if things truly devolved into war? It was one the tiny nation could never win. Shinra was far too powerful. In the end, Wutai would be sacrificing – possibly everything – just to prove a point. It would be far better for them if they simply acquiesced to Shinra's demands to build their reactors on the island. It would spare many of his fellow Wutaiians a needless death.

He blamed the country's leadership, and Lord Godo's stubborn pride. But then... it was a pride that many of his countrymen also shared. Even if Godo _did_ back down, he wasn't entirely convinced other factions would follow suit in a timely fashion.

At last, he sighed softly and tried to put it from his mind. There was, after all, still a chance that it wouldn't come to that. Godo may have been stubborn, but, so far as Tseng was aware, he wasn't suicidal. And President Shinra, he knew, wasn't eager for a fight. War was expensive, and expenses cut into the company's bottom line. Shinra would much rather be _sold_ the land to build on, than take it by force.

"Gil for your thoughts?" a voice interrupted, and Tseng looked up to see Viridia making her way into the office. He smiled slightly.

"You _do_ realized that our offices require command clearance to enter, don't you?" he teased. Technically speaking... he _should_ have been escorting her out. But the office wasn't officially commissioned yet, and wouldn't be until Veld had his final walkthrough next week. It was a loophole the Turk lieutenant chose to exploit for the moment.

Viridia smirked slightly and pointed to the set of narrow bars on her uniform's sleeve... there was a new one.

"You've been promoted?" he asked, pleasantly surprised as he stood and rounded the desk, making his way over to her. "Why didn't you _tell_ me you were up for promotion?"

"I didn't want to jinx it," she replied, laughing softly. "You may now address me as Lieutenant _Commander_ Viridia Nacelle, Base Security, Second in Command. The Commander finally saw fit to retire, which means both Quest and myself were promoted."

He pulled her to him and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"Congratulations, Lieutenant _Commander_ ," he said, smiling.

"I expect you to congratulate me _properly_ later tonight," she replied, with a suggestive grin. Tseng chuckled softly.

"I think that can be arranged."

Viridia giggled softly, before regaining her professional poise. "But... that's for later. Right now, business. The base Captain wants to see you. We've intercepted some messages from Wutai, and could use a translator. Given the current climate... I thought it might be prudent to make absolutely certain that translator was someone the President could trust implicitly."

"Of course," Tseng replied, and followed her out of the office and down the hall.

"By the way... how's Reno doing?" Viridia asked.

"Much better, now that he's been all but banned from even touching materia for the foreseeable future. Though I must confess, seeing him like that was... unpleasant. He was essentially comatose for nearly eight hours."

Viridia shook her head. "Poor thing. If he were one of mine, I'd be pretty POed at him, because he would have damn well _known_ better, but... I don't think he really understood just how draining materia use can be."

"Which... is my own fault," Tseng sighed. "And I can assure you that I _will_ be more diligent with _all_ of my rookies in the future."

"Sounds like someone's already given you the lecture I had in mind..." she snickered. "Was it Veld?"

"No. It was Dr. Ward. She was _not_ pleased when I brought Reno to her after he collapsed. She's _still_ beingrather short with me, as a matter of fact, and probably will continued to do so until she has decided that Reno has made a full recovery."

"I thought you said he was doing alright," Viridia said, concerned.

"He is. Justinia is simply being a bit overprotective, in my opinion. He managed to lose quite a bit of weight over the last few weeks, which is likely directly attributable to the materia training and the fact that he was too exhausted to eat. She won't clear him until he gains it back."

"Hmph... Well, I can't exactly say I blame her. That kid doesn't have a pound to spare. Don't you ever feed him?"

"Don't _you_ start in on me, too, Viridia," Tseng groaned, "Reno eats enough to feed the entire team several times over. He is most certainly _not_ being deprived in any way."

The security officer giggled at his reaction as they boarded the elevator. "I was only joking..."

* * *

"... Ya know, you're s'posed to hit the _targets_."

"Continue _antagonizing_ me," Rufus said, grinding his teeth, "and my next target will be your _head_."

The redhead glanced down the range at the paper target and its distinct lack of holes.

"Yeah... I'm not real worried."

Rufus glared at the Turk, and set the weapon down on the counter in front of him before rounding on him. Reno quickly raised his hands in placating surrender.

"Geez, learn to take a joke, will ya? Look... you're too fuckin' stiff. Just... relax and breathe."

To be honest, Reno hadn't intended to spend so long on the range on Rufus' first day of training, but... the asshole couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. It was only the fact that Reno really hadn't been any better when he'd first started that had kept his frustration in check thus far. For the most part. Admittedly, a few snarky comments had made their way past his filter. But by and large, he was able to keep reminding himself that Rufus had never done this before. He couldn't expect the executive to be a crack shot his first time out.

Rufus continued to glower at him for a moment before spinning back and resuming his previous stance with the handgun. Reno sighed.

"If that's what passes for 'relaxed' with you, I'd hate to see ya when you're _really_ tense," he snickered, and slid around behind the young executive. Rufus flinched slightly as the rookie adjusted his aim a bit, and let a hand rest on his elbow, coaxing it to bend and meeting with far too much resistance to be effective. "Tch... seriously? I'm not tryin' to molest ya, for fuck's sake. Loosen up a little."

Rufus muttered something under his breath that Reno didn't quite catch, but _did_ relax enough to allow the redhead to reposition him further.

"... 'Kay. Now try it again, and _this_ time, pick a spot. Don't look at the end of the gun. Look at the target. Look _exactly_ where you want your shot to hit."

The gun moved ever so slightly to the right as Rufus took aim. A moment later, it went off, and the blond boy's entire body jerked with the recoil of the weapon.

"Huh... what'dya know. You _can_ actually hit somethin'," the rookie smirked. Rufus blinked as his gaze focused in on the perfect, round little hole in the paper a hundred yards down the range. It wasn't anywhere near centered, but it wasn't a _bad_ shot, by any means.

"Ha!" came the unexpected cry of triumph from his student, though he very quickly cleared his throat and reclaimed his usual decorum. "Hmph... Perhaps _now_ , you'll take my threat of using your head for target practice seriously."

"Yeah... Considerin' that you've made one outta, like... a hundred shots... I think I'm pretty safe for now, sir," he snickered. Rufus snorted loudly in contempt.

"For _now_ , perhaps," the Shinra heir replied, haughtily. "Once I've had some additional practice, however, you'll be cowering like the pathetic little slum rat you are."

Somehow, Reno couldn't find it in himself to be insulted by that remark. He got the distinct impression that Rufus didn't really mean half of it. It was nothing more than a brag. An annoying one, but hell... the son of a bitch had worked for it. Reno had half-expected the brat to spend the day slacking off and ignoring him. The fact the Rufus was actually _trying_ made his success almost... gratifying.

"Yes, sir... I'm sure I will," he replied, grinning. "But, uh... it's almost noon. Think it's time for a break."

Rufus rolled his eyes. "I suppose _you're_ about to faint from hunger, then," he sneered. The redhead resisted the urge to roll his eyes right back.

"Not quite, yet, sir... But after last week, if I skip lunch again, the Doc's gonna skin Tseng alive for not makin' sure I'm followin' medical orders," he replied, smirking slightly. The vice president narrowed his eyes at the rookie.

"What did you do to get Tseng into such difficulty?"

"Long story. And it ends with Tseng gettin' reamed out by the medical staff for not preventin' it, so... ya know. I'd kinda like to avoid causin' him any _more_ shit."

Rufus eyed him for a moment or two, but finally set the weapon aside and folded his arms stubbornly over his chest. "Fine... I'll continue on my own."

"... Yeah, not gonna happen."

"And just why _not_?"

"'Cause there's no fuckin' way in _hell_ I'm leaving you down here, unsupervised, with a loaded gun. The Doc might skin Tseng alive if she finds out I missed lunch, but Tseng'll murder _me_ for pullin' somethin' like that _._ So, yeah... we're quittin' for awhile."

Rufus glared and drew himself up to full height, looking down his nose at the rookie.

" _You_ have _no_ authority to tell me what I can and can't do, Turk. You are _my_ employee, and you obey _me_. Don't for a moment think I've forgotten what a screw up you really _are_. I suggest you learn your place, before I come to regret saving your worthless hide from Heidegger more than I already do!"

"Tch... yeah, well, right _now_ I'm your teacher... so you do what _I_ say or you can fuck off right back up to your office."

"Watch... your... _tone_ ," Rufus spat in reply, eyes narrowing dangerously. Reno was treading on uncertain ground. On one hand, Rufus was the goddamned VP of the company. On the the other... he was a spoiled as fuck little shit who could stand to be knocked down a peg or two. Though as much as the redhead would have loved to have been the one to do that, he doubted it would end well for him.

The _smart_ thing to do would be be back down and let the son of a bitch have his way. And as much as doing the smart thing pained him in this instance... even as ticked off as he was rapidly becoming, he could still see that there was absolutely nothing to be gained from this beyond momentary satisfaction. With a frustrated growl, the rookie decided to swallow his pride.

"... Yes, sir," he ground out. Rufus shot him an insufferably smug look.

"Now... apologize for your rudeness."

"I'm sorry. _Sir_." The words seemed to leave a foul taste in his mouth. What the hell did _he_ have to apologize for? Rufus was the one being a dick.

"Hmph... that's a good little lapdog. It's high time _someone_ taught you your place around here, _slum rat_. You've grown far too used to Tseng's favoritism," the older boy snickered, turning back to the range and picking up the gun. A split second later, it was leveled at the Turk. "For example... If I truly _wanted_ to, I could shoot you right now, and nothing would come of it. _That_ is the level of your importance compared to _mine_."

The redhead froze, any retorts he may have had ready forgotten. This had just gone from petty bickering, to an actual threat... and at _that_ range, even Rufus couldn't possibly miss. Reluctantly, the rookie raised his hands in surrender. Rufus snorted in laughter and lowered the gun slightly.

"Pathetic," he muttered, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. "If _you're_ the future of the Turks, I don't have high hopes for them. You would _think_ you could tell when it's out of bullets."

To demonstrate, he pulled the trigger... and outright screamed in shock when the gun went off. Reno, meanwhile, screamed for an entirely different reason. The weapon dropped to the ground with a thud, and the redhead vehemently kicked it well out of the vice president's reach.

At first, the redhead was too surprised to completely register what had just happened. It was easily a full four seconds before instinct finally kicked in and his hand instinctively clamped down hard on his upper arm, where a dark stain was spreading down the sleeve of his jacket. He didn't think the bullet had done much more than graze him... but still. It fucking _hurt_.

"You fucking _shot_ me! What the actual _fuck_ is wrong with you?!" Reno yelled, in a mixture of pain and disbelief.

"I-I... I... I didn't... I..." Rufus stammered, as the color drained from his face. He stumbled backwards until he could go no farther, trapped against the divider for the lanes. Reno winced as he let up on the wound just long enough to slide the injured arm out of his jacket. The shirt sleeve underneath was saturated in crimson, and it didn't go unnoticed when Rufus' eyes widened at the sight.

Gritting his teeth, Reno released the pressure on the bloody mess a second time, to get a better look. It really wasn't _that_ bad. As he'd thought, he'd only been grazed. It was bleeding a little more than he would have _liked_ , but it was far from life-threatening.

"Tch... Well, we're definitely done _now_ ," the Turk said, glaring angrily, "'Cause _now_ I gotta go fuckin' explain to the Doc why I'm bleedin' all over the place instead of eatin' lunch."

He walked over to where the gun had landed and snatched it up, before shoving it into one of the secure lockers and slamming it shut. The lock engaged automatically. He looked back at the still-frozen executive.

"Don't. Fucking. _Move_."

With that, he stormed out of the range and headed for the elevator, awkwardly fishing his PHS out of his pocket as he did so.

"Ugh..." he groaned as the blood that coated his hand smeared over the keys. _That_ was going to be fun to clean up. For now, though, he ignored it, and pulled up his contact list, dialing Rude.

" _... Yeah?"_ his fellow-rookie answered.

"Uh... hey. You at lunch?"

" _Yeah, why?"_

"Ya mind goin' down to the firing range and babysitting Rufus for a little while?"

Rude snorted in laughter. _"Sick of him already?"_

"No, actually, the stupid son of a bitch just shot me in the arm, and I'm headin' down to Medical. Just... go and make sure he doesn't do anything _else_ while I'm gone, will ya?"

" _... What?!"_

"Yeah, don't worry. It's not that bad. I'm fine. Just go watch him, 'kay? And... maybe don't mention it to anyone else yet?"

" _..."_

"Look, I'll deal with it, okay? But right now my fucking arm hurts and I'm leavin' a trail of blood everywhere I go."

" _... On my way."_

With that, the call dropped and the elevator simultaneously arrived on the ninth floor. Reno pocketed his phone, and made his way towards the all-too-familiar door of the medical suite. He shouldered it open and peered inside, partially hiding behind the door. Ward was bustling about, refilling supplies. She looked up at the sudden arrival, and raised an eyebrow.

"It's only _noon_..." she said pointedly. "I just saw yeh four hours ago. What in the wide world could yeh have already done ta bring yeh down here again taday?"

"Uh... Got shot?" he replied, somewhat sheepishly, slipping into the room.

"How in Shiva's name... ?" she began, but then shook her head, and strode over to him, escorting her patient over to one of the exam partitions. She prized his fingers away from the injury and clucked her tongue as she examined it. "It's superficial... but yer going ta need a few stitches. Take that shirt off and sit yeh down."

As she turned away to gather what she would need to patch him up, Reno did as he was ordered, easing himself out of the bloodied garment and hopping up onto the table.

"Yer _supposed_ ta be on medical restriction," Dr. Ward said, crossly, as she disinfected the gash on his arm.

"Yeah, well... the firing range _seemed_ like a pretty safe option. Didn't count on there bein' an idiot wavin' around a gun he thought was unloaded."

"And just where was _Tseng_ during all this?"

"Geez, Doc... take it easy. Wasn't _his_ fault. The boss is in Junon all week."

"Hmph," was her only reply. "Alright... let's get this closed up."

She picked up a wicked-looking curved needle, and Reno's eyes widened.

"What the everlivin' _fuck_ is _that_?" he breathed, scooting backwards several inches on the table he was perched on. Ward snorted softly and shook her head.

"Watch yer language," she scolded him, "It's a suture needle. Just how do yeh _think_ stitches go in? Magic? Hold still... this'll only take a minute or two."

A minute or two seemed like an eternity, and after the first stitch, the redhead was forced to look away. He just couldn't watch that. It was _far_ worse than getting an injection. Worse still, he could feel the thread moving slowly under his skin as she pulled the edges together. It wasn't exactly a pleasant sensation. Thankfully, it was soon over, and Ward gently wrapped his upper arm in clean, white gauze.

"There yeh are, my little headache," she said at last. "Just keep it clean, and change the dressing once a day, and come back next week so I can check on it. I wouldn't think the stitches would need ta stay in much longer than that."

"Heh... Thanks, Doc," he said, hopping down. She cast him a rather stern look, as she held up a yellow sucker. He reached for it and she quickly snatched it back.

"And if yeh _haven't_ already, go and eat some lunch," the doctor added, before finally relenting and handing the treat over.

"Yeah, yeah... I'm goin' right after I take care of one last thing, Doc."

* * *

When Reno returned to the firing range, Rude seemed to be alone.

"Oh, great... _now_ where's that little shit run off to?" he asked, as he made his way over to his friend. The other Turk cast a glance over his shoulder, and Reno spotted his assignment for the week sitting quietly, and looking more than a little forlorn, on one of the long benches on the far side of the range. Reno popped the sucker out of his mouth and gestured at their superior.

"The fuck'd you do to him?" the redhead queried. Rude just shrugged.

"Nothing. Found him like that." He eyed the other rookie's bloody sleeve as Reno bent down to retrieve the jacket he'd left behind. "You okay?"

Reno carefully shrugged the garment on, careful not to aggravate the injury.

"Tch... Yeah. Like I said. Wasn't that bad. You can go back to eatin', if you want. I got this."

"You gonna tell me what happened?"

"Depends... You bringin' somethin' decent to drink when you come over tomorrow night or are ya bringin' the cheap shit?" he replied, grinning slightly. Rude snickered and headed for the door.

"Better be a good story. Sato raised his procurement fee," he called back to his friend. Once he was gone, Reno made his way across the range, stopping in front of the vice president and folding his arms over his chest.

"So where were we?" he asked, sticking the lollipop back into his mouth again, and feigning an attempt at remembering. "Oh, right... you fucking _shot_ me! What the hell?!"

Rufus suddenly looked up at him, an obvious sense of panic apparent on his face.

"Don't tell Tseng... please..."

" _Pretty_ sure he's gonna notice the nice big _hole_ in my arm whether I say somethin' or not," Reno snorted. The vice president ducked his head, and the rookie paused. This was the first time he'd ever really seen Rufus... cowed... and it took him a moment to remember that, at least in some ways, Rufus regarded Tseng in much the same way _he_ did. As a mentor, though on a very different level than the redhead thought of him. As a guardian. As someone he looked up to.

And that realization reminded him of all the times _he'd_ done something indescribably stupid he was certain Tseng would never forgive him for. There was also the little matter of Tseng having trusted the redhead with this assignment in the first place. It didn't exactly make _him_ look good, either.

He mentally groaned at the thought of what he was about to do.

"You get _one_ pass with me," the rookie said, "So... You yank that stick outta your ass so we can actually _do_ this training shit, and I'll keep my mouth shut. But if you _ever_ pull somethin' like that again, Tseng's gonna hear every Ifrit-forsaken detail. That clear?"

Rufus was silent for a few seconds, still avoiding Reno's gaze. After awhile, however, he seemed to compose himself, and stood, holding a hand out to the rookie.

"Consider it a deal," he replied. Reno smirked and shook the proffered hand.

"You're also buyin' me lunch," he quickly added, "And since I know you can afford it, I'm not gonna be a cheap date."

~end chapter 56~


	57. Crumbling

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 57: Crumbling**

 **by Desha**

Tseng frowned deeply at the transcript of the message and pinched the bridge of his nose. This wasn't good. Assuming this was legitimate and not some misguided ruse, things were far worse than even Veld had believed.

"... Sir?" Remy's voice prodded, and he looked up as she entered their new offices. "I... heard Junon intelligence intercepted a message?"

The Turk lieutenant wordlessly offered her the sheet of paper. Remy read through it, swallowing sharply as she, too, recognized the ramifications of what it said.

"Perhaps... perhaps we should verify this. Junon has a distinct lack of personnel fluent in Wutaiian. _I_ could go and give it a second listen. Who translated the audio?"

"I did," Tseng replied.

"... Ah. I... don't suppose there's much chance of it being a translation error then."

The Wutaiian Turk smiled wanly and leaned forward, retrieving the sheet from her grasp.

"Not unless I've been away from home far longer than I'd realized. I've already spoken to Veld. He's not recalling us to Midgar just yet. He's having Tres and Rude look into the veracity of this alleged operation first. But if they _do_ find evidence of an impending attack on Midgar, we'll be needed there. All of us."

Remy sighed deeply and settled in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Surely they must realize how futile such an attack would be... and that Shinra would inevitably retaliate."

"I'm sure they do," Tseng replied, "The problem is that they may not care... or perhaps worse, that may be their goal. But there's no need to panic just yet. This may be nothing more than a small splinter group looking to increase tensions and force someone's hand, rather than an official edict from Wutaiian leadership. And if that's the case, we will have ample opportunity to prevent it."

"Yes, sir," the other Turk breathed and she glanced around the office she'd put so much effort into preparing over the last several weeks. Tseng had little trouble deducing what she was thinking. Remy knew as well as he did that if this was more than just some troublemakers looking to spark an all-out war between Wutai and Shinra, the plans for the branch office would almost certainly be abandoned for the foreseeable future. And he knew what that would mean for her, personally. The loss of her one opportunity – aside from his untimely death and her subsequent promotion to second in command – for a true leadership roll within the Turks.

"Remy..."

"It's... alright, Tseng. It was always a possibility. I knew that going in. And after all... I'm a Turk. I do what Shinra needs me to do."

* * *

"Get _off_ of me, you neanderthal!" Rufus grunted from his current – and rather undignified – position, trapped beneath Rude's far bulkier form, face pressed into the floor mat, while the Turk roughly twisted his arm behind his back.

"..."

Rude glanced up at Reno, who gave him a nod. The rookie finally released his prisoner, and the executive scurried to his feet, glowering at the pair of them.

"And just what in Ramuh's name was _that_ supposed to teach me?" Rufus demanded.

"One... that there's more to fightin' than just brute strength. If you know what you're doin' that's actually a pretty easy hold to break. And two... that when you fuckin' _shoot_ me, I'm gonna respond by handin' your ass to you. Or, in this case, havin' Rude do it for me."

"That _excessively_ expensive lunch you forced me to provide you with wasn't _enough_ to make up for my error?" Rufus scowled, but otherwise his protests ceased. For the moment at any rate. Reno grinned and turned to his friend.

"Should we show him how it's _s'posed_ to be done?"

Rude silently smirked and cracked his knuckles as he prepared for round two. Without warning, he took a swing at the redhead, forcing him to the floor in a rolling dodge. Reno winced slightly as he jarred his injured arm, but regained his feet before Rude could pivot to face him again, and swept the larger Turk's legs out from under him, sending him to the ground... only to go down himself seconds later as Rude grabbed him by the ankle. He suddenly found himself in the same hold Rufus had been in just moments ago... but instead of struggling uselessly against Rude's greater mass, he kicked out with his leg. It struck the other rookie's knee, which, at the moment, was supporting a large portion of his weight, and knocked him off balance. As Rude fought to stabilize himself, the redhead slipped out of his grasp and righted himself.

He darted back, away from his opponent, in an effort to put a little distance between them before Rude recovered. The bald Turk got to his feet again.

"See? Nothin' to it," Reno said, looking over at Rufus. "Doesn't matter if the guy's twice your size if ya stay calm and go for his weak points instead of just tryin' to squirm your way loose."

By that point, the vice president's scowl had largely faded and he looked genuinely impressed by the demonstration... for a moment, at least. And then he seemed to collect himself, resuming his usual air of superiority.

To be fair, though, for the past hour or so, he'd been far less antagonizing than he'd been that morning. The brat seemed to be doing his best to stick to their 'deal', by not acting like the sneering pain in the ass his reputation had, quite accurately in Reno's opinion, labeled him as. Oh, sure, there was still the occasional insult and the snobbish demeanor... but Rufus seemed to have acquiesced to the idea that Reno actually knew what he was talking about, and that paying attention to the lesson was in his best interest. Over lunch, he had even occasionally asked questions that were surprisingly insightful for a beginner.

In fact, if he weren't such a stuck-up little prick ninety-nine percent of the time, Reno _might_ have even thought he could eventually get to like the son of a bitch. _Eventually_. Maybe.

Probably wishful thinking on his part, but... he was starting to understand why Tseng got along with the brat. Rufus certainly wasn't unintelligent by any means... and under that layer of ice, Reno had even seen the barest hint of a sense of humor once or twice today.

"Alright... Your turn again," Reno said, grinning at the young executive. "Let's see how ya do against someone closer to your own size."

Rufus smirked. "Who did you have in mind? _You're_ far too scrawny to fit that description."

The redhead snorted in laughter. "Yeah? Let's see ya take me down, then, sir."

"Sorry ta interrupt," a voice broke in from across the room, and Reno turned to see Saya striding purposefully toward them. She largely ignored the two rookies for the moment, and looked straight at Rufus. "The President has requested yer presence in the executive board room, sir. An emergency meeting."

Rufus looked mildly annoyed at the summons, but merely sighed. "Very well," he said glancing down at his watch, "Knowing the way my father likes to hear himself speak, we'll likely have to continue this tomorrow."

He hurried off to change out of his practice clothes, leaving the three Turks alone in the training hall.

"What's goin' on?" Reno asked, noting Saya's grim expression.

"Seems Junon picked up a message outta Wutai earlier. Might be some sort o' attack in the works," she looked over at Rude, "Tres needs yeh. Sooner rather than later."

The rookie nodded, and dashed off in the same direction as Rufus.

"This somethin' serious?" the redhead asked. Saya shook her head.

"We dinna know quite yet. Tres is lookin' inta things... But it's got the higher ups a might worried, that's fer sure. Come on, then. Yer with me fer a bit. I need a runner."

* * *

The week was a flurry of activity for the Turks. Training, for the most part, was put on hold... though still being on medical restriction, Reno _did_ manage to sneak in a handful of additional sessions with Rufus before more pressing concerns commandeered the majority of the young executive's free time. Enough to determine that handguns really didn't suit the young executive, and that a shotgun was far more effective in his hands, at any rate.

He might have just been imagining things, but the Shinra heir had _almost_ looked disappointed when he'd been forced to inform the Turk that further practice would have to be postponed.

Reno, meanwhile, was kept busy in spite of his Dr. Ward-enforced limitations. He'd been designated the Turks official gopher... essentially seeing to it that everyone else had what they needed to do their jobs, running errands, and – much to his dismay – taking over on some of Tseng's neglected paperwork while his mentor remained in Junon.

By the time the Friday rolled around, he was ready for a break... but it wasn't going to be a very long one. Veld had informed the team that they'd be working split shifts over the weekend. Thankfully, he managed to somehow end up with Saturday to himself, being assigned to the Sunday contingent instead. A good thing, too, as this was _supposed_ to be the weekend he was moving into his new place.

Of course, with Rude being on the Saturday shift... that was somewhat easier said than done. Without Rude, and his truck, the redhead had to settle for moving the few things he could carry himself on the train.

Around noon, Reno walked through the door of the empty little apartment, struggling to drag three stuffed bags in along with him. He kicked the door shut behind him and set them down, looking around, and sighed. This wasn't _exactly_ how he'd planned his moving day. But he'd just have to make do.

Most of his furniture was in storage... where it would have to remain until he had some way of moving it across town from Sector 5. For now, though, he unpacked his clothes into the cramped closet in the bedroom, and shoved a stack of towels into the tiny linen cabinet in the bathroom. The only kitchen item he'd brought with him – well... unless you counted the three bottles of bottom-shelf vodka from his small stash that had accompanied him on the trip across town – was dutifully set on the counter next to the fridge and plugged in, ready to make him coffee in the morning, and a sleeping bag he'd temporarily borrowed from Tseng's apartment was unrolled in his new bedroom.

On the whole, the effect was... depressing. His previous apartment had, at least, had a _little_ furniture left behind by previous occupants. This one was barren, waiting for him to fill it.

He sighed faintly and crept out onto the balcony, looking out across the city towards the edge of the Plate. It was odd how the city just... stopped... at that point, falling away into nothing. He snorted softly and mentally chastised himself for nitpicking. Things could be far worse... So what if his apartment was empty for the time being? He had a roof over his head, didn't he? Plate life was starting to spoil him. If he were still down in the slums, he'd be in a drafty little one-room dump with flaky heating and zero security. If he was _lucky_.

He needed to get out for a little while, he quickly decided. He needed to actually _do_ something to take his mind off of the events of the past week and relax. Preferably somewhere with people around. He grinned slightly and fished his fake ID out of one of his bags, tucking it into his wallet. One nice thing about living in Sector 3... the bars over here were a little less thorough in verifying your age. And a lot more lax in studying the ID presented to them when they _did_ bother. It was time to make the most of his weekend before he had to cut it short and go back to work.

* * *

Lips hungrily claimed his as his fingers twisted into her hair, pulling her closer. Dear Odin, he needed this after the day he'd had. It had felt endless.

He felt her hand drift downward, fumbling with the zipper on his pants for a moment, before finally yanking it downward and slipping inside the fabric. He groaned, eyes squeezing tightly shut and arched into her touch, and she laughed, delighted by his reaction.

Before things could go any farther, however, the unwelcome sound of his PHS broke through the haze of lust, and another groan escaped his lips... though for an entirely different reason.

"Don't answer it," she demanded, her fingers squeezing gently between his legs, and for a brief moment, he was sorely tempted to obey. The moment passed, however, and with a sigh, he extracted himself from her grasp. He rolled over and reached for his phone.

"... Rude here," he calmly answered, and anyone listening would never have suspected that he'd just been about fifteen seconds away from getting laid.

" _Uh... hey... so, funny story..."_ a familiar voice began, and the Turk rolled his eyes and cast a quick glance at the glowing red numerals of his alarm clock. Just before midnight.

"Don't tell me. Tseng's still out of town and you need someone to bail you out."

" _... That... and uh... bring me some clothes?"_

Rude snorted softly and shook his head. It figured.

"Where?" he asked, in a resigned voice.

" _Sector 3... The city police station over by The Tonberry Club,"_ Reno answered.

"... On my way."

" _You're a lifesaver, pal... I owe ya one."_

'You have no idea,' Rude thought to himself, but held his tongue, opting instead to simply hang up, and reach for his discarded shirt. When he turned back, Margaret was glaring at him with a very displeased expression on her face.

"Let me guess," she said, angrily. "That asshole friend of yours needs you to come save his worthless, drunk ass from whatever mess he's gotten himself into. _Again_. And you're just going to do it. _Again_. Why can't that obnoxious little leech find someone _else_ to take advantage of for once?!"

Rude shrugged his shirt back on, and found his shoes.

"Reno doesn't take advantage of me," he replied.

"Bullshit. Rude, that idiot blew a _hole_ in your ceiling a few weeks ago and didn't even apologize! And now he expects you to come post bail in the middle of the night? _Why_ do you put up with that little creep?!"

The Turk shoved his phone into his pocket, along with his wallet, and grabbed his keys.

"Because he's my friend," he said, "I'll be back."

He moved to kiss her, but she pulled away.

"I won't be here."

"..."

"I mean it, Rude. I'm sick of this. Reno is _toxic_. He's not _good_ for you. For _us_. If you leave right now, I'm done. I won't be here when you get back, and you can go right ahead and lose my number. If you'd rather spend all your time cleaning up that disgusting little pervert's messes, I don't want any part of it. It's me or the slum rat, Rude."

"... Don't call him that."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Why not? That's _exactly_ what he is, and you know it. You should just let him sitin jail for the night instead of running to his rescue. It's not going to kill him, and maybe he'll finally get the message that you don't like being treated like a doormat!"

Rude swallowed sharply. He hadn't wanted to admit it... even to himself... but things had been growing steadily more tense between them lately. He'd tried to tell himself that they'd work it out, but... they'd been arguing more and more often. And not _just_ over his friendship with the redhead. That was certainly the _sorest_ point of contention between them, but it wasn't the only one.

He didn't want to lose Margaret. The two of them had just seemed to... click... from the moment they met, and she was the first girl he'd ever had real feelings for. He truly believed they could work it out if they just tried. At least, he was _pretty_ sure. He wasn't certain yet where the relationship was going... but he desperately wanted to find out.

But Reno... Reno had clicked with him, too. He'd hadn't actually known him _that_ much longer than Margaret, to be honest... but he _felt_ like he'd known him half his life. And for someone as painfully shy as he could be at times, that sort of friendship was hard to come by.

He sighed, frozen for the moment in indecision.

* * *

Reno jumped up at the sound of the cell door opening.

"Oh, thank Ifrit..." It was about damn time. He smirked and stood up, heading for the exit.

"Not you," the officer stated, and cast a glance over the redhead's shoulder, and motioned his cellmate toward the corridor. "You. You're bail's been paid. You can go."

The Turk grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest as the other man in the station's drunk tank smugly got up and walked out. As he passed by the redhead, he swatted him on the ass and leered drunkenly.

"Almost sad to leave such a pretty... _lady_... behind," he cackled.

"Keep your hands to yourself, pal... unless you wanna lose 'em," Reno growled... though it was hard to look intimidating in a miniskirt and faux-leather halter top. That was the absolute _last_ time he was going to _that_ joint. He still didn't know which of the fuckers had run off with his _own_ clothes. And his wallet, his phone, his keys... his dignity... The next time he got it in his head to try and run a scam for a little extra cash, he'd stick to playing pool. At least with pool, he was a lot less likely to get scammed himself. Poker was _definitely_ not his game.

The only answer he received was a loud laugh, as the other man was escorted out.

Where in the nine hells was Rude, anyway?! He'd called him almost an hour ago! A few short minutes later his question was answered.

"Donovan! You're out of here, too!" the officer called out as he returned to release the redhead from his cage.

"'Bout damn time..." Reno muttered scurrying into the hall and following the officer up to the front desk, where he easily spotted his fellow rookie waiting for him. "The hell took ya so long?"

Rude didn't answer... he just looked the younger Turk over for a moment and shook his head before tossing him the set of workout clothes he'd brought with him. Reno grinned and gratefully pulled them on over what little he was currently wearing. Rude wordlessly turned and strode out to the street where his truck was waiting, the redhead not far behind.

"Aren't you even gonna ask?" Reno asked, playfully. "It's a hell of a story..."

Rude turned the key in the ignition and and put the vehicle in gear, pulling out of the parking space and into traffic... not that there was much at nearly one in the morning.

"So I met this girl... and her cousin..."

"I don't care," Rude stated, cutting him off, and the redhead blinked in surprise. He looked up at him, apologetically.

"Okay... so you're obviously pissed at me. I mean... I know it's late 'n all."

"Margaret dumped me."

"... Oh. Ouch. Yeah, I can see why you might not be in the best of moods," he responded, cringing slightly. He'd kinda _wondered_ if maybe something like this was coming. In spite of always sounding happy when the subject came up, Rude seemed to be talking less and less about his girlfriend over the past few weeks. Initially, Reno had just assumed that it was because the woman was still pissed at him for the whole blowing-apart-Rude's-ceiling fiasco... but the longer it went on, the more Reno had started to suspect that everything wasn't all peaches and cream in girlfriend-land. Even when Rude mentioned having a date, it wasn't with quite the same enthusiasm he'd once had.

To be honest, Reno had never been particularly fond of Margaret. She was awfully high-strung. Not to mention high-maintenance. And by now he was pretty well-convinced that she hated _his_ guts. But she _did_ seem to genuinely likeRude, and she made him happy. That was what was important, so the redhead had, by and large, kept his opinions to himself.

"So... what happened?" Reno ventured. Rude's jaw clenched, but he didn't answer right away. "Rude? Come on, man... What's the matter? There anything I can do? 'Cause you know I got your back... Just ask."

Rude gave a soft sigh and shook his head.

"It was you or her," he said at last, as they exited the freeway and stopped at a light.

"W-what'd'ya mean it was me or her?" Reno hesitantly asked.

"... She told me if I went to get you, she wasn't going to be there when I got back."

The redhead stared at him for a moment, disbelievingly. He'd know that he wasn't exactly Margaret's favorite person... but damn. Tseng had been right when he told him that ultimatums were the best way to kill a relationship. And as much as he felt bad for his friend right now, he was damned glad that he'd listened.

"You're a fucking idiot," he said at last, still staring the other rookie, wide-eyed. "Why the fuck didn't you just leave my sorry ass to rot? I'm not worth givin' up a _girlfriend_ for..."

Rude didn't answer. Reno sank back against the seat as they turned a corner. He could already feel the sharp stab of guilt in the pit of his stomach. Personal opinions on Rude's taste in women aside, he'd effectively just ruined his best friend's relationship. Even if it was because Margret had forced Rude to make that choice... it was still over _him_.

"Fuck... I'm sorry, Rude." It was barely more than a whisper. His friend remained silent for a minute or two, and instead turned into the parking lot of Reno's new apartment building.

"... Don't be."

The redhead looked up in surprise.

"It was _my_ choice, and I chose my friend. My _best_ friend. You're... like family." He managed a somewhat sad smile. "Probably wouldn't have worked out with Margaret anyway."

He opened up the door and hopped out, and Reno did the same.

"Yeah... well... You're still a dumbass for pickin' _me_ over someone you love."

Rude snorted softly and dragged the redhead into a one-armed hug. "You're a _bigger_ dumbass for saying something that ridiculous. I literally just told you you're like family. Come on. I know you've gotta have booze up there. You owe me a drink."

"Heh... Fair warnin'. It's the cheap shit. Haven't had time to properly stock the place yet," Reno snickered. He quickly sobered, however, as they made their way into the elevator. "Hey, um... I really _am_ sorry about Margaret, pal. I'll make it up to ya. Promise."

"Hmph... I'm not working tomorrow. You wanna make it up to me, get me good and drunk tonight."

* * *

Rude groaned as he attempted to roll over, only to find himself trapped in the warm confines of a sleeping bag. It took him a moment to remember where he was through the haze of a well-deserved hangover. He didn't remember _much_ of last night, but from what he _did_ recall, the way he currently felt was mostly his own fault. Even _Reno_ had tried to cut him off at one point before essentially shrugging at the futility of trying to prevent him from drinking himself into a temporary oblivion and passing him another bottle. His head throbbed painfully as he slowly sat up, looking around.

The room was largely empty, save for a few partially unpacked bags and the sleeping bag he was currently enveloped in. He fumbled with the zipper along the side, releasing himself from the warm little cocoon and staggered upright, making his way out into the other room.

It, too, was empty, and the rookie rubbed his eyes blearily, trying to ignore the bright sunlight that was streaming through the windows. He glanced down at his watch and noted that it was almost eleven. No wonder he was alone. Reno had been due at work hours ago for his obligatory weekend shift.

He vaguely wondered where the redhead had slept last night, as Rude had apparently taken the only makeshift bed and there wasn't a stick of furniture to be seen elsewhere. He shook his head... gently, mindful of his headache. He _should_ have taken Reno back to Tseng's place last night, and wasn't really sure why he hadn't. He supposed he'd just assumed that the redhead would have been busy moving, as planned, on his day off and thus would have preferred his own apartment. Which, in retrospect, was _kind of_ stupid, since Rude had been planning on helping him with that very task before their time off had been halved.

He stepped into the little kitchenette and snorted a quiet laugh. A bottle of aspirin was sitting in the center of the counter, waiting for him. He was only too happy to accept _that_ offer.

After swallowing four of the little pills, he leaned back against the counter before fishing his phone out of his pocket. He sighed, seeing no missed calls... no texts. Nothing. He'd been hoping that Margaret might have calmed down a bit and decided that she'd gone a little too far, but either she was still angry enough that she wasn't interested in talking to him, or... she'd really meant what she'd said last night. He wasn't too proud to admit that he wouldn't mind it being the former. He didn't _want_ to break up with her.

But he wasn't about to let her dictate who he could be friends with, either, nor was he going to let her continue to shit _all_ _over_ said friends. Yes, Reno had his issues. Yes, he had an absolutely filthy mind at times. Yes, he had practically no filter and could be a pain in the ass.

But, he hadn't been exaggerating when he'd told Reno that he was like family to him.

Reno... he was a kindred spirit. He'd felt it from the moment they'd met. Rude had never had to explain to him that, in spite of a relatively happy childhood, there had always been a nagging loneliness he'd felt growing up. Probably because the redhead was intimately familiar with it himself. Reno understood that side of him and shared in it. And, more than that, he seemed to perfectly fit that hard to explain void in his life. The more time they spent together, the more he came to think of Reno as the brother he'd never had until now.

He wished that Margaret would reconsider and give the redhead a chance... or at the very least just go back to avoiding the subject altogether... but deep down, he knew that wasn't going to happen. And if he had to chose between the two of them... well... he'd already _made_ that choice. And he didn't regret it for an instant.

~end chapter 57~


	58. Siblings

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 58: Siblings**

 **by Desha**

Reno scowled as he passed through building security on Wednesday. The entire building was on heightened alert. Even the parking deck, which already required you to present a company ID to enter, had added security personnel and checkpoints since last week. It took him almost ten minutes just to get _into_ the damn building... and it was going to remain that way for the foreseeable future.

Tres and Rude had concluded that the threat of a Wutaiian attack on Midgar was a valid one... and both they _and_ Sato and Saya were working to track down any further information on the operation. The rest of the Turks were largely in a holding pattern of sorts. Veld had decided that putting everyone on the same case was akin to advertising to Wutai the fact that they knew what was coming, and the Turk leader didn't want to tip their hand so soon.

So, while Rude was off playing spy with the little task force, Reno was, for the most part bored out of his mind. Thus far, the most excitement he'd had all week had been sitting in on the interrogation of a man Saya and Sato had brought in earlier. They hadn't learned much of anything new... but at least it broke the monotony.

Tseng and Rodney had returned from Junon on Monday, and they'd brought Remy with them. The senior Turk had been in a foul mood every time Reno'd tried to talk to her... so for the moment, he'd decided to avoid her until whatever had crawled up her ass finally crawled back out again. If Rodney had noticed the change in Remy's temperament, he was pretending to be oblivious... though at least he wasn't bugging her about whatever was on her mind.

Reno sighed and leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen between his fingers as he debated which of the piles of intelligence reports to start on. Even though Dr. Ward had _finally_ cleared him for duty on Monday, with Rude off running around Midgar with Tres, he'd been assigned the tedious task of dealing with the incoming reports on matters _not_ related to the tensions between Shinra and Wutai... and frankly, he was beginning to wonder how Rude managed to get through all this crap without going cross-eyed. No matter how many he read and summarized for Veld and the others, more just kept showing up on his desk.

He groaned in resignation, tilting his chair back onto it's back legs, as though the physical distance might make the pile look slightly less intimidating.

"Reno?" a voice suddenly called, and the redhead yelped in surprise... not only from the unexpected interruption, but also from the fall he suddenly found himself gracelessly engaged in as his chair tilted back just a little _too_ far. He hit the floor with a loud thud.

"... Ow."

Tseng snorted in quiet laughter and helped him back to his feet, while Cissnei tried her best to smother her own giggling from just outside his office door.

"I thought you might need a break by now," his mentor said, shaking his head, "Though the sort that could result from throwing oneself on the floor isn't quite what I had in mind."

"Boss, I'm about five seconds from shootin' myself in the foot just so I got an excuse to drag my ass down to Medical. I _seriously_ need to get away from these things..."

"There's no need for such extremes," the Turk lieutenant chuckled. "As it happens, I found Cissnei in much the same mindset a short while ago. I've decided to turn the two of you loose for an hour or so, and reserved time in the flight simulator. You may go now."

"Oh, _thank_ Shiva..." the redhead groaned in relief, heading for the door.

"Incidentally," Tseng called as the rookie brushed passed, "If you're not doing anything this evening... my sister is arriving later today. I assume you still wish to meet her?"

Reno paused and looked back, grinning. With everything that had been going on all week, he'd damn near forgotten about the impending visit.

"Hell, _yeah_ , I still wanna meet her," he replied.

"Good. Cissnei... You're welcome to join us, as well, if you're free..."

"Thank you, sir... That would be lovely," the rookie replied, smiling.

Tseng nodded and waved the two rookies off. Reno flashed him a grin and hurried off toward the elevators with Cissnei in tow.

"Is that really a good idea?" she asked as they made their way down the hallway, "His sister coming? With the way things are right now, I mean... It's not exactly the safest time to be traveling to or from Wutai."

"Tch... if she was _my_ kid sister, I think _I'd_ want her as close as possible. Not on the other side of the fuckin' planet. _Especially_ now."

"I guess," Cissnei replied, though she still sounded slightly unconvinced. At last she shook her head. " _Anyway_ , I'm glad we're finally getting a break. Do you have any idea how _aggravating_ transcribing interrogations can be? Ugh... especially the way Luca mumbles to himself sometimes."

"If it's anything like readin' report after report after report all day... yeah. I got a pretty good idea."

The other rookie smirked slightly. "Well... at least we don't have it as bad as Rodney. I think he's starting to regret volunteering for Veld's 'special' assignment. He looked absolutely miserable when I saw him this morning."

Reno couldn't help but laugh at that. Rodney had been the first Turk with his hand in the air when Veld had asked for a volunteer from amongst the Turks still in headquarters... and it had bitten him in the ass. The redheadknew better than to volunteer for something without knowing what it was first, and apparently so did Cissnei... and pretty much everyone else in the room. Which meant that Rodney had ended up filling the roll of official liaison to the executive board all week... working directly under Heidegger.

"Heh... better him than me. Literally. I'm pretty sure _I'm_ still at the top of Heidegger's shit list."

Cissnei snickered as they entered the elevator. "Hey... Can I ask you something?"

"If it's about why Heidegger looks like he wants to strangle me every time he sees me... no," he joked, grinning widely. His fellow rookie laughed and shook her head in the negative.

"No. Though now you've got me curious," she laughed, "But... no. I was just thinking... does Rude seem... I don't know, a little down lately? Granted, I haven't seen _much_ of him this week, but when I do he's just so... quiet. Er... More than usual, I mean."

Reno sighed and leaned back against the wall of the elevator car as it carried them off toward the flight simulators.

"Yeah... uh... maybe don't bring that up around him right now. Girlfriend dumped him over the weekend. He's tryin' to play it cool 'n act like it's not botherin' him that much, but... yeah. I think he's takin' it harder than he's lettin' on. He really liked her."

"Oh. Wow... Poor guy. That's always rough."

"Heh... and that's why _I'm_ only interested women for the sex. You let 'em hook ya like that, you're practically _beggin_ ' to get your heart ripped out."

Cissnei feigned an affronted look and paused, mid-stride, setting her hands on her hips.

"Oh, is that so...?"

"Er... I didn't mean _you_ ," he quickly backpedelled... and realized that _that_ probably sounded even worse. "Wait... That didn't come out right..."

Fortunately, Cissnei just laughed.

"I know what you meant. Just you wait Mr. I'm So Cool I Don't Need a Girlfriend. One of these days you'll meet someone who'll have you changing your tune."

"Tch... _Never_ gonna happen," he snorted derisively as the elevator dropped them off.

* * *

Rude sighed and nudged an empty can away from the edge of the alleyway. With a furtive glance to make sure no one was around, he kicked it, booting into the encroaching shadows with a loud clatter. It didn't make him feel any better.

And that annoyed him. He was _supposed_ to be out here, keeping watch while Tres was inside talking to one of his more paranoid informants. Instead, he kept finding his thoughts drifting – as they had been for days now – back to Margaret. He hadn't heard from her at all... and the times he'd tried calling her, she hadn't picked up.

Deep down, he knew it was over. But his heart stubbornly refused to give up the tiny flicker of hope that if he could just _talk_ to her, they could still work this out. He'd even gone so far as to plant himself outside of her apartment building last night, waiting for her to get off work... until he'd suddenly realized how stalkerish skulking around in the landscaping made him look and awkwardly beat a hasty retreat home before she'd shown up.

He knew he needed to let it go... but he just couldn't seem to do it.

"Rude..."

Maybe if he sent her something. Flowers... _something_. Just to let her know that he still cared about her, without actually pushing his physical presence on her.

"Hey... Rude."

Or would that just make things worse? She'd made it _pretty_ clear that they were done. And even if she didn't mean it... or meant it at the time but was having second thoughts... maybe he should just give her time to reevaluate rather than making pleading overtures.

"Fuckin' A... _Rude_!" Tres' voice – and not-so-gentle smack to the back of his head – broke in on his silent musings over his love life. Rude stumbled forward a step or two before turning to face his mentor, a decidedly embarrassed look on his face. Tres, meanwhile, looked less than pleased.

"Okay... What's goin' on with you? And I don't give a _shit_ if it's none of my business. You've been mopin' around since Monday, and now you're out in the field, lookin' like you're thinkin' about everything _except_ your job. Fuckin' lucky I wasn't some asshole comin' up on ya with a knife. What gives?"

The rookie mentally groaned.

"..."

Tres folded his arms over his chest and stared him down.

"We ain't goin' nowhere 'til you spill it..."

"... I got dumped," he finally admitted. Tres rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Goddammit..." he muttered, shaking his head in exasperation, "Fuckin' _teenagers_. Alright, you listen, and you listen good. I like ya, kid, but you need to pull your head outta your ass and focus. We're lookin' at a potential _war_ here... and trust me when I say, Wutai doesn't give a _shit_ about your love life. That girl? She doesn't matter. The _job_ matters. Work now... sulk later. Or get yourself a rentgirl for the night. Whatever, so long as it's on your _own_ time. Otherwise I'll send ya back topside to sit behind a desk 'til you can pay attention to somethin' other than your dick and the fact that no one's ridin' it anymore."

"..." Rude ducked his head slightly. He knew Tres was right, but it still hurt to hear him say that. His mentor sighed.

"Rude... I'd _love_ to give ya a shoulder to cry on. I really would. I've been there before, and yeah... it sucks. But we just don't have that luxury right now. So you need to either get it together... _immediately_... or tell me to send you back to headquarters. Save the pity party for when you're off duty. Got it?"

"... Got it," Rude replied, chastised.

"Good... 'cause we got at least four more visits to make down here, and one of 'em's over in Sector 2. Ask the redhead sometime... you don't fuck around in Two. I need to know you got my back."

Rude took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, forcing himself to let the lingering thoughts of Margaret go. Maybe he could fix things. Maybe he couldn't. But Tres was right... he couldn't let his attention keep wandering back to his broken relationship when they were in the middle of trying to stop a war. If he did, he was liable to get them both killed.

* * *

Veld was still scanning through the document. It wasn't a long memo, by any means. The fact that he had to have reread it at least six times just since Tseng had entered his office, however, told him that whatever it said, his superior wasn't happy about. At last, he set it aside and massaged his temples, leaning back in his chair.

"Not the news you were hoping for, I take it?" the Turk lieutenant surmised, taking a seat in front of his desk. Veld snorted softly.

"You could say that. The executive board wants any Wutaiian infiltration teams eliminated with extreme prejudice. If and when we find them, we take them out."

Tseng curiously raised an eyebrow. "They don't want them interrogated first?"

"No. They don't. And they would prefer it be public, if at all possible. Make sure the people know that Wutai was the aggressor in this situation."

"Where's this coming from?" he asked, surprised. Shinra Company had, for almost three years now, taken the position that open conflict was to be avoided at all costs. Veld shook his head grimly.

"I believe that the thought of being attacked here at home has struck a chord with the President. He's also toying with the idea of sending Rufus to stay in Junon until either the current situation is resolved or one of us finally declares war on the other."

"I don't imagine Rufus is overly thrilled with _that_ idea," Tseng replied, barely suppressing a groan. Rufus hated it when his father became too overprotective of him. And sequestering him inside Shinra's most powerful fortress for an indeterminant amount of time certainly fit the bill. No... the vice president would _not_ be pleased if such a thing came to pass. Veld only gave a short, clipped – and rather mirthless – laugh.

"I very seriously doubt it," he agreed, "Assuming he's even been told yet, which given that he hasn't made an appearance _here_ yet to whine to _you_ , I suspect he hasn't."

"Sir..."

Veld held up a hand, halting any further commentary.

"Yes, I know... You dislike it when I say things like that. I will _grudgingly_ admit that he's been far less prone to that sort of thing since being named to his new position. But you're still far too accommodating of him, Tseng. You always have been."

"Not without reason, sir," the Wutaiian Turk responded, stiffly. Rufus was a minor point of contention between the two of them. Veld was of the opinion that Tseng allowed Rufus entirely too much leverage at times. The Turk lieutenant maintained that Rufus was a special case and his unusually close relationship with the young man was ultimately beneficial to the whole team... a point which Veld acknowledged but didn't entirely like. The Turk leader chuckled softly and shook his head.

"Well... let's save that old argument for another time, shall we? I think we have more pressing matters at the moment."

"Yes, sir," Tseng replied, glad not to have to rehash old conversations on the subject. "Have you heard anything from the investigation teams yet?"

"Saya and Sato are on their way back now. They seem to have come up empty over in Sector 5. Tres and Rude are still down below. They checked in a little over an hour ago, saying they _might_ be onto something."

"Are we planning on a late night?" Tseng somewhat hesitantly asked, and hoped that it wasn't apparent in his voice. Mayu was due to arrive not long after he was done for the night... and he'd promised to meet her. His little sister was not going to like being stood up. Veld smirked slightly.

" _I_ certainly am. You, however, are going to see to your family. I think I can spare you, and the rookies, for _one_ evening." Tseng blinked in surprise, and his mentor laughed. "I overheard Reno and Cissnei talking about your guest earlier today. You should have said something."

"Sir..."

"Tseng, when was the last time you went home?"

Tseng paused for a moment. "Almost a year ago. I returned for one of the spring festivals..."

"Precisely. Spend some time with your sister. If I find I can't get by without you, I'll call you."

The Turk lieutenant smiled gratefully. "Thank you, sir."

"Besides which... after the last time she visited, I'd hate to think what Mayu might do to me if I deprived her of her brother a _second_ time..." Veld added, teasingly.

* * *

Reno groaned and rolled his neck from side to side, trying to work out the annoying kink that had developed at some point over the last four hours. The flight sim had been a nice distraction, but he'd returned to his office to find that they pile of reports had only grown in his absence. He jumped slightly when a hand softly squeezed the back of his neck and started a gentle massage, and turned sharply to look at his unexpected visitor. Cissnei snickered at his expression.

"For fuck's sake," he muttered, rolling his eyes, "What... are you takin' lessons on sneakin' up on people from Tseng now?"

"I'll take _that_ as a compliment," she laughed, "How goes the paperwork?"

"Rude's gonna kill me when he sees how bad I've fucked up his filing system..." He glanced over at the clock and smirked. "But thankfully, I'm not gonna be here when he sees it. Quittin' time!"

"What was that about me killing you?" a voice asked, and the aforementioned rookie appeared, hovering near the doorway. The redhead groaned.

"Anyone ever tell ya it's rude to eavesdrop?" he shot back. Rude chuckled.

"Guess my parents named me right, then... You ready to go?"

"Heh... Tseng invite you to the party, too?"

The other rookie nodded. "And Rodney. They're waiting for us in the lounge. Which of you is riding with me?"

Reno raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and Rude simply shook his head.

"Rodney's bike is in for repairs and neither one of you have a car... and Tseng's picking up Mayu at the train station on the way, so between her and her luggage, it's probably going to get a little cramped with all five of you jammed in there," he explained.

"... Good point," Cissnei replied, "I'll go with you. I _hate_ tight spaces."

Rude nodded, and the group made their way down the hall towards the lounge, just in time to see Tseng and their fellow rookie, emerging from the room as well. Cissnei flashed the other rookie a warm smile as they approached... a gesture that wasn't returned. Instead, it was met with a borderline scowl.

"Tch... What's with you?" Reno asked.

"Rodney is less than pleased that I'm unable to find someone to replace him on Heidegger's detail," Tseng supplied, and for just a moment, the redhead was certain he spotted the barest hint of a smirk on his mentor's lips.

Reno sniggered loudly. "Yeah, well, maybe next time he'll wait to hear what the assignment actually _is_ before volunteerin'..."

"Sir, why don't I switch with _Reno_?" Rodney replied, staring pointedly at the other rookie. "After all... I _could_ use more experience with the intelligence reports."

"Because I would like Reno to _survive_ to see his next birthday," Tseng chuckled. "Somehow I don't think putting him at our department head's beck and call would be conducive to that goal. Heidegger has _already_ tied to kill him once."

"Yeah, okay... You _definitely_ needto tell me what that's all about," Cissnei laughed, nudging the redhead with her elbow.

"... Some other time. Preferably when I'm _really_ drunk," Reno snickered, prompting a reproving look, followed by faint laughter, from Rude.

"And on that note..." Tseng said, glancing at his watch, "... we should get going. My sister will be arriving at the Sector 1 station shortly."

Rodney looked as though he wanted to continue the conversation, but held his tongue, opting instead to follow the Turk lieutenant towards the elevator. Moments later, they were descending towards the parking deck. When they reached their destination, Rude and Cissnei split off, heading for Rude's truck, while the rest of the group made their way over to Tseng's waiting car.

"Shotgun!" the redhead shouted, rushing ahead of Rodney and aiming for the passenger side door. He heard a faint growl of annoyance behind him and quickened footsteps as the other rookie took off after him. Neither of them got very far.

Reno was unexpectedly jerked to a sharp halt as something seized hold of the collar of his shirt, and a split second later, Rodney pulled up short next to him with a loud _urk_.

"Back seat, both of you," Tseng commanded, finally releasing his grip on the pair, and smirked, "Mayu has priority seating."

"Tch... like we couldn't've switched when we got there?" Reno muttered, rubbing his neck. But he obeyed, clambering into the back alongside Rodney. For once, they other rookie looked to be in agreement with the redhead... though of course he didn't actually _voice_ that opinion. Reno settled in and pulled the seatbelt across his body.

Conversation largely stalled as they pulled out onto the street, driving headlong into the evening commuter traffic. As much as Reno was looking forward to the day that he could finally afford a decent car of his own, at the moment, he was grateful to have Tseng as a chauffeur. He wasn't exactly... _confident_... in his own driving abilities quite yet – owing largely to the fact that he spent far more time in the Turks' helicopter than behind the wheel of a car. Heavy traffic still made him a little nervous, and this time of day, everyone was jostling for position, both on the city streets and on the freeway, in the effort to get home as quickly as possible.

It didn't even phase _Tseng_. The man drove as though he owned the road itself. Of course, it probably helped that seeing the shiny, sleek black sports car coming up fast in their rearview mirror with no signs of slowing down tended to make other drivers get the hell out of the way.

They made it to the station in under twenty minutes... which, considering how bad traffic really _was_ tonight, was nothing short of a miracle. Tseng guided the car neatly up to the curb, pulling to a stop in the loading zone and getting out. As soon as he did so, Reno spotted a young woman, waving enthusiastically from a short distance away.

"... Whoa." he breathed, eyebrows rising in an expression of surprise. " _That's_ Tseng's _sister_?"

She was absolutely gorgeous. A perfect, heart-shaped face framed by jet-black hair that hung in a long braid that trailed down past her waist, and dark eyes, accentuated with a soft violet eyeshadow and long lashes. She was dressed in pale purple skirt that clung tightly to her hips before flaring outwards at mid-thigh and falling just past her knees. A white collared blouse, and black school girl-style tie completed the look. Reno watched as she dragged a heavy suitcase towards them, and as Tseng finally reached her, he took the bag from her.

The girl responded by throwing her arms around him in a warm hug. Tseng returned the embrace, and Reno grinned widely. The senior Turk wasn't exactly known as one of the most affectionate people in Midgar... but you certainly wouldn't know it from the way he greeted his little sister.

At last, he escorted her back to the car, tucking her luggage into the trunk and opening the door for her. She climbed inside and immediately twisted around in her seat, to face the pair of rookies in the back.

"Hi!" she said, warmly, with a wide, friendly smile, "I'm Mayu."

~end chapter 58~


	59. Mayu

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 59: Mayu**

 **by Desha**

The redhead grinned widely.

"I'm –" he began, only to be cut off by his seatmate.

"Rodney Galena," the other rookie stated, all but shoving him out of the way as he leaned forward. Reno was knocked back into his seat with a soft _oof_. He glared at the other Turk in irritation.

"Hi, Rodney," Mayu said in response. Reno at last righted himself, and elbowed the other passenger sharply in the ribs.

"And, like I was sayin' before _someone_ just had to get the first fuckin' word in... I'm Reno."

"It's nice to meet you both," Maya replied with a faint giggle just as Tseng was climbing back into the driver's seat. "Tseng talks about 'his rookie's' _constantly_ , you know... especially, you, Reno." She dropped her voice to a rather loud stage whisper. "He says you're going to be one of the best... if you can manage to stay out of trouble for more than a week at a time."

The Turk lieutenant cleared his throat, and Maya giggled again before turning back around in her seat.

"And now you know why _I_ was recruited for the Turks rather than my sister," Tseng sighed, "Mayu has a terrible habit of repeating anything she's told."

"Only when I think it's something someone else should hear," she shot back, brightly. "Leviathan knows _you'd_ never tell him that directly. Prying compliments out of you is like pulling teeth... from a surly nibelwolf."

Tseng muttered something in Wutaiin that made his sister laugh, and Reno snickered in response... but the grin that spread across his face had nothing to do with seeing the normally unflappable Turk's current discomfiture as they pulled into traffic. Mayu was right... open compliments from Tseng were hard-won, and knowing that that's what he _really_ thought of him sent a surge of pride through the redhead. Rodney, meanwhile was rolling his eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the seat in a huff.

By the time they reached Tseng's apartment, Rude and Cissnei had already arrived... the latter seated on the bed of Rude's truck, animatedly talking to the bald Turk. Reno laughed quietly at the sight. Rude really hadn't had the opportunity to spend _that_ much time with the other rookie outside of work. Neither had the redhead, for that matter, but the pair of them tended to have breaks around the same time during the day, so he'd gotten to know her a bit more than his friend had in the weeks since her promotion. Rude looked a little overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of conversation and distinct lack of anyone else to take the focus off of himself.

As such, as soon as he was able to extract himself from the back seat, Reno grabbed Mayu's hand and guided her over to meet the two of them... much to Rodney's annoyance, apparently, because the older rookie quickly fixed him with a look that plainly wasn't pleased. Cissnei hopped down from her perch as they approached.

"Mayu, this is Rude and Cissnei," the redhead said, completing the introductions. Rude smiled somewhat shyly and gave a friendly nod, but Cissnei's face immediately split into a wide grin.

"A pleasure," Maya said, with a slight bow. She looked around at the quiet neighborhood for a moment and laugh, "It's been _so_ long since the last time I was here! I'd forgotten how huge everything in Midgar is!"

"Then might I suggest visiting more than once every five years?" Tseng chuckled, as he and Rodney made their way toward the group, luggage in hand.

"Had I been able to convince Father to allow it before now, I'd have been here every chance I got," Mayu shot back. "But you know how he is." She dropped her voice to a rough approximation of a low male tone. "Midgar is full of nothing but perverts, thieves, and murderers. Far too dangerous for my little girl. You tell Tseng that he's not to let you out of his sight!" She giggled loudly and shook her head. "For Leviathan's sake... You'd think I was _eight_ , not _eighteen_."

The redhead smirked and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her tightly against his side.

"Aw, what do ya got to worry about? You got us Turks lookin' after ya. No perverts, thieves, or murderers are gonna be botherin' you on _our_ watch."

Cissnei snorted in laughter. "Says the city's biggest pervert," she teased.

"Oh, I'm not scared of that sort of thing. My father is just over protective of me. _I'm_ not worried one bit," Mayu replied, smirking slightly. The next thing Reno knew, he was bent over double, unable to stand up, as the young woman gripped his wrist with little more than a feather-light touch and forced his arm behind his back and upwards. His other wrist joined it a moment later, effectively rendering him immobile. "I know how to take care of myself."

"Hey!" the rookie cried as he tried to get free. Somehow, though, he couldn't get the leverage he needed to break her grip.

"Shall we go inside?" Tseng asked, ignoring his rookie's predicament as he walked past them and started down the little walkway leading to the front door. Mayu nodded and released her prisoner, trailing after her brother.

"... Did I really just get shown up by Tseng's kid sister?"

Rodney snorted laughingly and followed the pair inside and Rude merely shook his head, chuckling.

"Yes. Yes, you did," Cissnei replied, patting her fellow rookie on the shoulder before turning to join the others.

* * *

Thursday came and went with little news on the Wutaiians. Tres had it on good authority that something was going to happen, and it was going to happen soon... but even _his_ network of informants didn't seem to be able to give him anything more specific than that. By Friday afternoon, the entire team had taken to wildly speculating what the island nation might be plotting.

"I'm tellin' yeh... They've got theirselves a bomb. Probably smuggled it inta the city through the slums," Sato declared.

"Tch... You think _everyone_ has a bomb," Tres muttered, somewhat petulantly. It was becoming clear to everyone that his lack of progress on the intelligence front was eating at him, and he'd grown increasingly short-tempered over the last few days.

"Well, that's how _I'd_ do it," Sato replied, defensively. Reno snorted softly.

"Fuck you, Sato... That's how you'd do damn near anything. If you could figure out how to do it without killin' yourself, you'd probably be usin' your bombs to wipe your ass, too."

The comment sent both Saya and Kai into barely concealed giggles.

" _Personally_ , my money is on them trying to infiltrate the company," Rodney speculated.

"Because that would be so simple to do?" Cissnei queried, doubtfully.

"Easier than you'd think. And effective, too. Take us out from the inside. For all we know, they could have had operatives in place for years, just waiting for the opportunity to cripple us. If you ask me, we _ought_ to be questioning a few of our own employees. There's more than a handful of Wutaiian's working for Shinra, you know..."

"Who would you care to start with?" a voice piped up from across the room, and the rookie suddenly went very still upon recognizing it. He slowly turned, and much to his horror found himself face to face with not just Tseng, but Remy as well.

"I-I... er..." he sputtered, his face going a somewhat blotchy red as he attempted to backpedal. Tseng simply shook his head and took a seat at the large conference table... but Remy remained standing for a few moments more, glowering at the rookie.

"Geez, Rod... talk about putting your foot in your mouth," Kai commented.

"But he's not _wrong_ , now is he?" Shay suddenly interjected. The younger Turk had been largely silent through most of the discussion. "That's not to say that either you two would ever even _consider_ betraying the Company, but it's not exactly far-fetched to think that others might."

Remy rolled her eyes and took a seat at last. "Of course it's not far-fetched. That's why it's already been investigated." She looked pointedly at Rodney. "And just for the record, _most_ of the people of Wutaiian descent working for Shinra in Midgar, myself included, weren't even _born_ in Wutai. I, for instance, am at least two generations removed. I don't even have living family there anymore, aside from some of my grandfather's cousins I've never met... much less political interests."

Sato sniggered loudly from across the table. "Aye... but yeh'd be top o' the suspect list if Shinra were warrin' with Mideel, now wouldn't yeh? Last I heard, yer ma's side o' the family was still alive 'n kickin' back home."

Remy snorted in contempt. "Yet _another_ place I've never actually lived."

"Oh, shut yer hole, Sato. Yer hardly one ta talk," Saya scoffed, "If anyone'd be at the top of _that_ list, it'd be the bloody lunatic who sets off explosives in the office fer fun. 'N yeh'd probably drag _me_ down with yeh just fer bein' related ta yer sorry arse."

"Well, I can tell you how _I'd_ do it," Luca spoke up. "You really want to cripple Shinra, you hit them where it does the most damage. The reactors. We all saw what happened when Sector Six blew, and that wasn't even sabotage. Imagine all eight of them blowing at once. The whole city'd be gone, just like that, and the executive board right along with it."

Reno involuntarily shuddered at the thought. Luca was absolutely right. If Wutai got to the reactors – all of the reactors – there'd be nothing left. The Sector 6 accident had been devastating, both on the Plate and in the slums below. Midgar would simply... collapse. Hell, even just getting to one would throw the city into chaos.

"Well, _I_ still say it's going to be an assassination attempt. Take out key members of the board... Or hell, just off all of 'em," said Kai, breaking the awkward silence that had followed Luca's dire pronouncement.

"Tch... if that's their plan, I hope they go after Heidegger first," Reno jokingly replied. Tseng shot the younger Turk a warning look.

"I'm sure we all realize that was a joke... but I would strongly suggest not voicing such opinions at present. I don't need to remind you what happened _last_ time, do I?"

The rookie immediately went red and sank down slightly in his chair. "Uh... no, sir. You definitely _don't_."

Rude, who'd been silently observing up until that point, swatted him on the back of the head... which seemed to break a little of the tension that had been building in the room and drew a few quiet laughs from around the table.

"Ya know what... I'm just gonna quit talkin'," the redhead muttered.

"Hmph... that'll last all of thirty seconds," Kai teased. "Hey, Tseng... when's Veld planning on gracing us with his presence this morning? Briefing was supposed to start almost ten minutes ago."

The Turk lieutenant shook his head. "He was supposedly on his way back downstairs from the boardroom when I spoke to him on the phone a short while ago. I'm not certain _what's_ held him up."

"It was more of a who," the Turk leader answered as he strolled through the door, his tone highly unamused. He took a seat next to his lieutenant and folded his hands in front of him on the table. "Director Faine wished to discuss a... cooperative... arrangement between Soldier and the Turks to deal with the current crisis."

Faine.

Reno had never actually met the – somewhat infamous – director of Soldier... but he'd certainly heard stories. Illandra Faine was known for her no-nonsense, borderline dictatorship, approach to management. She'd started out in the Shinra infantry and been scouted by the Soldier program within months of completing her basic training. She'd risen through the ranks quickly, culminating with her promotion to director six years ago. Since then, she was equally respected and feared by her subordinates. The Turks, as a general rule, tended to give her a rather wide berth... not that they typically interacted much with Soldier to begin with. Turks kept to the shadows. Soldier was under no such restriction. When they did work together, it was generally in the 'Soldier goes in guns blazing, Turks clean up the mess' capacity.

"As such," Veld continued, "You can expect to be seeing representatives of Soldier in our offices from time to time, and possibly being sent to _their_ domain on occasion, as well. She's requested that she or one of her subordinates sit in on our afternoon briefings until this is resolved."

Sato scowled and folded his arms across his chest. "She better not be thinkin' of sendin' that bitch ex-wife 'o mine..." he muttered, and all four of the team's rookies turned to look at him with varying expressions of shock.

"W-wait, wait, wait..." Reno said, shaking his head, "You wanna run that one by me again?"

Saya cackled in laughter while her cousin continued to scowl. "Aye, Reno, someone really _was_ insane enough ta marry this idiot once. Well... more'n once, actually. She's his _third_ ex."

"Aye... and the worst of the lot," Sato added. "Learned my bloody lesson with _her_ , I did. Never again. Only thing worse'n bein' married ta her was the Odin-be-damned mother-in-law that came with her."

Veld seemed to cringe slightly, noting something down on the edge of the folder he'd carried in with him. "I'll be sure to remind the director of that matter before this afternoon."

* * *

Reno stretched his arms over his head and gazed up at the ceiling of the archives room for a moment. He was on research duty again... this time looking for information on a name that Tres and Rude had turned up earlier in the day after several long hours of searching out new intelligence.

Fuhito. No one seem to know if it was his given name or a surname. Hell, they weren't even a hundred percent sure it was a guy. But, Reno was stuck here, scouring the archives for any mention of the name. Thus far, he'd come up empty.

Not that going through the massive amount of information the Turks had accumulated over the years was the easiest process in the world. There were so many cross-referenced files, it made the rookie's head spin... and not _everything_ had been processed. The last year or so of reports were backlogged, and had to be combed through manually rather than using the main filing index.

The electronic lock on the door beeped, and Reno glanced up.

"Hey," Luca said, stepping inside. "I'm here to take over for awhile."

"Oh, thank Shiva," the redhead sighed. "I'm starvin'."

The senior Turk snickered and plucked the files the teenager was currently holding from his hand.

"Tseng says to report to him before you take off for lunch."

"... For another assignment?" he asked, somewhat hesitantly. Not that he'd mind getting out of the archives for the day, but the rookies tended to get the shit jobs, and there _were_ worse things he could be assigned to. But Luca merely shrugged.

"Didn't say, but I doubt it. You get through files almost as fast as Rude does... and Rude's with Tres today." He sighed and shook his head. " _One_ of these days, I'm finally going to convince Veld that our archived reports need to be stored electronically. It would make this _so_ much easier."

"Heh... Ya need someone to back you up on that, just let me know. Findin' shit at the touch of a button sounds pretty good to _me_."

Luca laughed and smirked at him. "You say that now... but bear in mind, you're a rookie. Who do you think's going to be _entering_ all that data?"

"... Nevermind. You're on your own," the redhead quickly replied, prompting a deep laugh from his fellow Turk. Luca waved him off, and Reno headed down the hall to Tseng's office, knocking on the closed door.

"Come in," the Turk lieutenant's voice called from within. Reno eased open the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind him.

"Hey, boss. Luca said to see you before I headed off to scrounge up some food. What'd ya need me for?"

Tseng smiled faintly and stood up, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair and shrugging it on.

"Nothing. I merely wanted to know if you'd care to join Mayu and I for lunch. I had intended to invite the other rookies as well, but they seem to have all been commandeered by the rest of the team."

Reno grinned. "Depends... we eatin' downstairs or are we goin' out?" he asked.

" _Out_ , of course," the senior Turk replied, decisively, "As if I would subject my poor, innocent sister to the Shinra Cafeteria..."

"Heh... Count me in."

* * *

The pair were greeted with a smiling wave as their waiter escorted them into the dining room of an upscale restaurant in Sector 4 a short while later. Mayu hugged her brother before he could take a seat, and then turned her attention on the redhead.

"... Uh... you're not gonna pull that same move ya did on me the other day, are ya?" he teased, hanging back slightly. Mayu laughed and shook her head.

"Not as long as you behave yourself."

Tseng snorted softly and pushed him down into one of the chairs.

"Which likely means we'll be paying a visit to Midgar General before lunch is over," he chuckled.

"Geez... what, did ya just bring me along for comic relief or somethin'?" the redhead groused, only half-serious, as the pair joined him at the table.

"So? How's work today?" Mayu asked, picking up her menu. "Having fun skulking around in the shadows and kidnapping people?"

"Tch... if by that you mean diggin' through a room full of filing cabinets all mornin'..."

"Or filling in for Veld during a board meeting..." Tseng added, in an equally less-than-thrilled tone.

"Or gettin' hassled by building security every time you gotta head down to the records department to cross-reference somethin'..."

Tseng sighed heavily. "Or attempting to keep tabs on four rookies who keep getting passed around from one senior Turk to another..." He took a sip of water from his glass and laughed softly. "Frankly, I'd _welcome_ a little skulking or a quick kidnapping at this point."

Tseng's sister giggled from behind her menu. "Oh, come on. You make it sound as though you have the most boring job in the world. Surely _something_ interesting must have happened."

Reno smirked. "Well... Sato _did_ manage to clog the toilet, and then tried to _unclog_ said toilet with underwater explosives. Went about as well as ya might imagine."

The Turk lieutenant froze and openly stared at his protege. "... Just _when_ did _this_ happen?"

"While you were upstairs hangin' out with the execs." He shrugged. "Figured you knew. Remy said she'd deal with it."

Tseng turned to his sister. "I may be somewhat late returning home this evening. There's a very high likelihood I'll be attending a funeral."

Mayu laughed again, but didn't comment, and Reno couldn't help but grin.

"Heh... How long are you stayin' in Midgar, anyway, Mayu? 'Cause since you got here it's _almost_ like Tseng grew a sense of humor," the redhead joked.

"Oh, just through the weekend," Mayu replied, and then smiled somewhat coyly, "For _now_..."

Tseng's eyebrows shot up and he regarded his sister with no small amount of suspicion.

"What do you mean 'for now'?" he asked. Their waiter chose that moment to return with fresh-baked bread and to take their orders, and the conversation was put on hold for several minutes as the three of them made their selections. Once he had disappeared back into the kitchen, Mayu grinned.

"Well... I wasn't going to say anything until it was official. I _actually_ had an ulterior motive for coming to visit," she began, and picked up a slice of the warm bread to nibble on.

"... What 'ulterior motive'?"

"Oh, Tseng... I swear, you sound more and more like Father every time I see you," she teased, giggling.

"Mayu..."

"Oh, for Leviathan's sake..." she breathed, "I applied to Midgar University. I came to see you, of course... but I'm also here for my admissions interview. Which I had this morning, by the way. _And_... I got in!"

Tseng expression of uncertainty quickly transformed into a wide smile.

"Mayu... Congratulations," he replied.

"Heh... Guess that means we'll be seein' a lot more of you, then," Reno said, snickering.

"You'd better believe it. Of course... it's all contingent upon me finishing the school year back home. But after that, I'll be a bonafide college student."

"So... what are you gonna be studyin' to _be_?" the rookie queried, curious. No one he'd grown up with had bothered with any kind of formal education beyond learning to read and write. Hell, he knew a few people who didn't even get _that_ far.

"I want to be a teacher," Mayu said, excitedly, "It's been my dream for... well... for _ever_!"

"It's true," Tseng chuckled. "When she was little, she used to sit by the garden pond after school every day and repeat her lessons to our mother's koi fish."

"And they're _still_ the smartest little fishies in Wutai," Mayu proudly proclaimed, causing Tseng to choke slightly on the sip of water he'd just taken.

Reno had to admit. He liked seeing Tseng like this. His mentor was so much more... _relaxed_... around young woman. He let his normally rigid persona drop a bit and let his guard down. And Mayu herself was hilarious... She didn't have the same raunchy sense of humor that Lira did, but Reno seemed to find himself with a perpetual smile on his face any time he was around her, all the same.

She really wasn't what he'd expected when Tseng had first informed him that she'd be visiting. He'd just been picturing a slightly younger, female version of the Turk lieutenant. Not the lively and giggly young woman who'd shown up.

And he very quickly decided that... having her living in Midgar was going to be awesome.

~end chapter 59~


	60. Light in Looming Darkness

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 60: Light in Looming Darkness**

 **by Desha**

"Ugggggh..."

When his pained moan was met with no response, he tried again. Louder.

"UGGGGGGHHH!"

"I'm not switching jobs with you," Rude said, not bothering to look up from his present task.

"... Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Reno sighed and sat up in his chair. "Tch... fine. Be that way."

The other rookie smiled slightly, but said nothing. He didn't really blame the redhead for trying, even if only half-heartedly, to get out of the assignment. _None_ of them wanted it, and it had only fallen to Reno after Rodney had unexpectedly ended up in the medical suite earlier that afternoon. Something about an allergy, apparently. Rude was still working on finding out what exactly had befallen their fellow rookie.

But... Rodney's absence had – rather conveniently for _Rodney_ , all things considered – left Shay without a partner. Veld had put Reno on the job.

"Hey," Shay called out, poking his head into their tiny office, "Ready to go?"

Reno snorted softly. "No... but since me not bein' ready to go trudgin' through the sewers for the rest of the afternoon isn't gonna get me out of it, let's just get it over with," he said, sourly. Rude repressed the urge to snicker.

"I'm not _exactly_ looking forward to it myself, you know," Shay acknowledged, "But Tres says there's reason to think the sewers might be their avenue of attack. That means it has to be checked out."

"Yeah, yeah... I'm comin'..." Reno stood and grabbed his jacket, shrugging into it, before following the senior Turk out into the hallway. Rude smiled faintly to himself as they left. He felt a little bad for the redhead, but, hey... at least it wasn't _him_.

A moment later, his friend peered around the doorframe and glared at him.

"Just so ya know... the next time you get stuck with a job that's _literally_ shit, I'm not switchin' with _you_ , either, Rude."

Rude at last deigned to look up from the stack of folders he was leafing through and gave him a little wave goodbye and a wide smirk.

* * *

At the sound of a sharp knock on his door, Tseng set aside the latest intelligence summary from Tres and looked up.

"Come in."

The door opened and a moment later, a familiar figure slipped inside, hurriedly closing it behind him. The Turk lieutenant's eyebrow rose in curiosity.

"Sir?" he queried. Rufus breathed a loud sigh and took a seat in one of the chairs across the desk from the Turk.

"I apologize if I'm interrupting... but I am slowly going _mad_ in my own offices. This matter with the Wutaiians has driven my staff utterly out of their minds. Their paranoia-induced gossip never ceases, and I'm sick of listening to it. I needed to get away from it."

Tseng chuckled softly. "I see. Well... I suppose there's no harm in you hiding out here for short while."

Rufus straightened in his chair, defiantly. "I am _not_ 'hiding'. I'm simply... taking a much-needed break. Where very few people would be able to locate me."

"Of course, sir," Tseng said with a barely concealed laugh. The Shinra heir sighed again and let his body relax into the seat.

"Tell me... are _you_ as worried about this alleged plot as everyone else seems to be?"

"It's part of my job to worry about such things."

Rufus snorted in contempt. "Yes, I _know_ that. But I mean personally... Do you _really_ think they would risk it, knowing Shinra will retaliate?"

Tseng slowly exhaled and let his elbows rest on the desktop as he steepled his fingers in front of him. The vice president frowned deeply.

"It's never a _good_ sign when you take that stance..." he commented before Tseng could speak, and the Turk smiled very briefly before resuming his more serious attitude.

"Rufus... At this point, I do not think it's a matter of _if_ Wutai will attack. It's a matter of when. I still have my doubts as to whether it will be officially sanctioned by Emperor Godo... but it _will_ happen, whether it's the Wutaiian government giving the orders or merely a terrorist cell, or some combination of the two."

Rufus was silent for a very long time as the other man's words sank in. At last, he dropped his gaze to his lap.

"Would you think less of me if I admitted that... I'm scared?" he asked, hesitantly.

* * *

"... Yuck."

Reno grimaced as he lifted his foot out of the puddle of sludge he'd just stepped in. Shay glanced back over his shoulder, and shined his flashlight at the rookie.

"I thought you of all people would be used to this sort of thing," he commented. "It's not that much different from some parts of the slums, after all."

"Tch... _first_ off, I never made a habit of crawlin' around in raw sewage, even as a kid. Second... You _really_ don't get down below much, do ya, Shay?"

The senior Turk shrugged. "Well... no, I suppose I don't, to be honest. What I've seen of the place has been more than enough to tell me that I prefer the Plate, though."

"Yeah, well, for the record... the slums aren't just one big shithole. 'Least not in the literal sense," Reno said as his boot squelched unappealingly in another deceptively deep pile of muck. "Ugh..."

"Duly noted," Shay snickered.

"How _did_ you manage to wrangle spendin' most of your time topside, anyway?" the redhead asked, curiously.

"I'm more _valuable_ topside," Shay answered, "So that's where most of my assignments are centered. My family connections can be invaluable at times." He paused for a moment and cringed slightly. "Er... Did that come across as stuck up?"

"Heh... maybe a little," Reno teased.

"It's not that I'd _refuse_ an assignment in the slums. Or anywhere else, for that matter. I don't think I'm better than any other Turk," he quickly explained, "I just... well... The plain and simple fact is that my family is undeniably well-off. And that status gets me into places and gives me access to people that other Turks might have a greater difficulty with, because that segment of society knows who I am. It's _not_ because I'm stuck up about having money."

The rookie held his hand up in surrender. "Easy, Shay..."

"... Sorry," he replied, shaking his head. "I... got a lot of grief about that as a rookie from some of the others. And not _wholly_ undeserved at times, I'll admit. I always felt like I had so much more to prove than everyone else, because I came from such an easy life."

The pair continued on through the tunnel until they came to a junction. Shay aimed his light at the wall up ahead, where a large neon orange arrow stood out sharply on the concrete, pointing to the left. As they approached, he reached out and ran his fingers over it.

"Looks pretty fresh," Shay said. Reno turned his own light in the direction it was pointing, but all that was there was more tunnel extending into blackness.

"Pointin' towards Sector 7, I _think_... You think someone's leavin' markers for later?"

"Could be... Let's see if it leads us to another one."

He headed down the tunnel, the rookie trailing behind him.

"So..." Reno ventured after a few more minutes, "They hassled ya for bein' rich, huh?"

"Not _everyone_ ," Shay admitted, "Actually... It was _mostly_ just Tres. He hadn't even been _with_ the Turks all that long when I was promoted, but I was just a rookie and he was my superior. And Tres can be... a real asshole sometimes."

"Seems like ya get along fine now..."

The senior Turk barked a laugh and paused. " _Now_ , yes. And it only took getting stranded in the Nibel Mountains, alone with him, for three days. Worst assignment _ever_. But... it gave us a chance to talk a few things out, and we _both_ came to the realization that there were some misconceptions between us. I think he tries a little harder not to be so judgmental about people now. And, I guess, so do I. Or at the very least, I'm a lot more aware that some of the things I say without thinking might _seem_ like I'm judging."

They rounded a bend in the pipe and were suddenly face to face with arrow number two.

"Well, shit," said Reno, "That's probably not a good sign."

"It seems we've stumbled onto a trail of breadcrumbs," Shay agreed with a nod. The redhead sighed.

"We're gonna be down here awhile, aren't we?"

"Probab–" Shay began, only to pause mid-word. The tunnel was... rumbling.

"Uh... what the fuck is _that_?" Reno asked, in a worried tone.

* * *

Tseng leaned back slightly in his chair and regarded the young man for a moment.

"Rufus... if you weren't scared, I'd think you were a fool," he said at last. "You have a target hanging over you, simply due to who you are. Anyone would be concerned."

"... Did you know that Father wants to send me to Junon?" the young executive asked. He crossed his arms over his chest and snorted in irritation. "He wants to lock me up inside a fortress to prevent anything from befalling me."

"Junon _is_ exceptionally well-guarded, sir..."

"It's little better than a prison," Rufus shot back, "I wouldn't even be permitted to visit the village, I'd be guarded at all hours, and I wouldn't have _anyone_ to talk to. I'd be safe. And miserable."

"Is this going somewhere, sir? Or are you merely using my undivided attention as an opportunity to vent?" the Turk asked, with a faint smile. Rufus responded with an annoyed glare, but eventually shook his head.

"I'm _not_ going to Junon. Not if I can avoid it, at any rate. But my father will take some convincing. That's why... as much as it _pains_ me to say this... I would like to resume training with the slum rat."

Tseng blinked in surprise, thoroughly caught off-guard by the request. Before he could reply, though, Rufus continued.

"I do realize that the Turks have their hands quite full at the moment... and... I understand that you likely would be unable to accommodate such a request personally. But surely someone still in training themselves would have a bit more flexibility in their schedule? Even if only for a few hours a week..."

Tseng was silent for a moment. It was true... the Turks _did_ have their hands full. But Rufus was correct in assuming that they could probably spare the rookie for a training session now and then, even with with added complication of trying to prevent a war that was probably unpreventable. And in the long run, those training sessions might prove very valuable indeed.

"I... will have to clear it with Veld first," he finally said, "but I have no objections. Though I must admit, I _am_ a bit surprised. I was under the impression that you and Reno had little more than an uneasy truce preventing you from attempting to superglue one another to various office fixture and the like."

A truce he was grateful for. He could certainly do without the constant threat of having to deal with the aftermath of a poorly time prank. Rufus squirmed somewhat uncomfortably in his seat.

"That rookie of yours is an obnoxious pain," he replied, haughtily, before conceding, "... But, he's also a fairly good instructor, and loath as I am to assign any _more_ redeeming qualities to him... I feel that I can trust him."

"I... see," Tseng managed somewhat in a state of shock as he wonder how in the nine hells _that_ change in attitude had come about.

* * *

"Any news?" Saya queried upon locating Tres in the lounge. The other Turk poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Some. I think. Shay and Reno might've found something. They're on their way back now." He raised his mug and smirked. "So... If ya want any you'd better get it before the redhead gets here and we have to wait on makin' more."

The Mideelian Turk snickered and helped herself to a cup as well.

"Now why d'yeh have ta go 'n talk like that? Reno's a sweetheart," she chuckled, adding a little sugar to her drink.

"Tch... Yeah... A _real_ sweetheart. Just ignore the fact that the goddamn coffee fiend never brews a new pot when he finishes it off. _And_ he eats everything in sight."

" _Oh_ , so yer just salty 'cause got ta the last donut this mornin', then," Saya replied, smiling over the rim of her mug. "He's shapin' up ta be a damn good Turk, 'n yeh know it."

"... It was _my_ donut. I called it before he even got here," Tres muttered, and Saya laughed loudly. She shook her head and raised the mug again, inhaling deeply... and promptly gagged as her nose was inundated by a stench so foul she very nearly dumped its contents out.

"What in _Titan's_ name... ?" she finally managed. Tres, too, seemed to have recoiled from the odor, and she quickly followed his gaze to the door of the room where the aforementioned redhead was now standing, looking soggy and pissed off. "What in the nine hells have yeh been swimmin' in?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to _think_ about it," Reno replied in a disgusted tone. He strolled over to Tres and handed him a roll of film. "Here. Got some photos of what we found. Shay says _you_ can deal with this. I'm goin' down to the showers to try 'n scrub the stink offa me."

"Ugh..." Tres groaned, tentatively accepting the film, before waving a hand in front of his face, trying to dissipate the smell, "You might wanna try bathin' in some bleach instead, kid. And for Ifrit's sake... burn those clothes."

Reno wordlessly turned and walked back out of the door, his footsteps fading in the direction of the elevators. Saya glanced over at Tres and shook her head with a quiet laugh.

"Poor thing... I wonder how he managed ta –" she began, only to be cut off by a loud voice from the hallway.

"Oh, sweet Shiva... What _stinks_?!"

"Don't even fuckin' start with me, Kai..." the rookie's voice responded.

* * *

Reno closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, allowing his lungs to fill with sweet, sweet nicotine. He leaned back against the little railing that ran the perimeter of Tseng's back porch and slowly exhaled, breathing out a long plume of smoke. It had been a long day. And he could swear that he could _still_ smell the sewers on his skin.

It could have been worse, he supposed. He and Shay hadn't exactly been expecting to be swept up in a sudden deluge of murky, stinking sewer water... but at least they'd both managed to come out of their little adventure with nothing but a few bruises.

He _had_ taken Tres' advice and burned his clothes, though. There was no saving them.

The door behind him opened and he glanced over his shoulder, spotting Mayu as she emerged from Tseng's apartment, smiling widely.

"Rude says dinner will be ready in five minutes," she informed him. Her eyes fell on his cigarette. "Um... Can I?"

Reno raised an eyebrow in surprise, but wordlessly handed it over to her. She took a long drag off of it... and immediately choked and started coughing violently. The redhead stood, concerned, and grabbed the lit cigarette before it could do any damage, before patting her on the back until the coughing fit passed.

"Yep... Smoking is _definitely_ not for me," Mayu wheezed, "Good to know."

Reno snickered. "Ya _usually_ don't start out tryin' the smoke the whole thing in one breath," he teased.

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied, "But I think trying it once is going to be _more_ than enough for me."

"Heh... why the sudden desire to take up a bad habit?" he asked, grinning. Mayu took a seat on the steps leading down to the sidewalk, and he quickly joined her.

"I'm all _about_ trying new things. Some people find a few things they like and get stuck in a routine for life... I want to experience a little of _everything_."

"Can't fault ya for that, I guess," the rookie laughed. "That why you're comin' here for school?"

"Well... that's _one_ reason," Mayu giggled. "Honestly... my parents would rather I go to school in Wutai. And teach in Wutai. And never _leave_ Wutai. I'm the baby of the family... and their _only_ daughter. I love them both dearly, but it can get a little... er... smothering? I just... want to spread my wings a little. _Without_ them watching over me every second."

"Not concerned about Tseng smotherin' ya?" he said, jokingly. Mayu giggled.

"Oh, no... of course not. Tseng's been my best friend my whole life. _He's_ the reason they've finally let up a little on me. They never would have signed off on me going to school here if _he_ weren't here already. Especially my father." Her grin quickly widened. "And then, when I _finish_ school, I'm going to travel for awhile. I'll find places where I can teach along the way... see the world... maybe fall in love... And when I've finally seen it all, I'll find someplace beautiful – someplace where I'm needed – to settle down, and I'll have my students to look after. _That's_ the sort of life I want. And Midgar is my first major step towards it."

"Sounds like ya got it all planned out," Reno said, and he laughed. "My biggest plan in life was to somehow end up on the Plate one day. At this point, I'm just kinda wingin' it."

"What? No dreams of high adventure and storybook romance?"

"Well, I'm _already_ a Turk, so I think I got the adventure thing covered," he smirked. "Not really that big on romance... unless your idea of romance is a three-way. _That_ I would totally be into."

Mayu rolled her eyes at him and lightly flicked him in the center of his forehead with her index finger.

"Cissnei was right. You _are_ a pervert," she teased.

"Never claimed otherwise," Reno said, proudly. Mayu ducked her head, shaking with laughter.

"You're lucky you're as cute as you are," she said at last, before getting to her feet. "Come on. Dinner should be just about ready by now."

The redhead scurried to follow after her.

"So ya think I'm cute, huh?" he repeated, eyebrows waggling suggestively. The comment earned him a smile... followed by a not so gentle punch in the shoulder.

~end chapter 60~


	61. Following a Lead

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 61: Following a Lead**

 **by Desha**

"We were already leaning toward the idea that they've infiltrated the city. Between my informants, and Shay and Reno's investigation yesterday, we're all but certain now."

The screen at the far end of the conference room displayed a series of photos that Reno easily recognized as the ones he and Shay had been forced to swim through a river of filth to obtain. He shuddered slightly at the memory.

"The arrows mark a path leading from the Sector 3 station all the way to the Sector 7 reactor. We believe that's one of their targets, if not their _primary_ target. Intel says the group is small... six to eight people max. They probably don't have the manpower to hit more than one or two targets at once if they're haulin' explosives through the sewers. I think the the Number 7 Reactor is what they're aiming at... and I think that Number 3 may be a backup in case they're cut off from it. Possibly even a secondary target once they've successfully destroyed the first."

"Why Number 3?" Luca asked.

"Gotta admit it's just an educated guess. But unless they hit 'em at the same time as seven, six and eight are out. There'll be too much mako contamination in the area to get anywhere near 'em and hope to get out of it alive. Plus, three is on the opposite side of the city... Every resource we've got will be focused on seven, and then Number 3 blows? It'd be a nightmare," Tres answered.

"Are you any closer to locating them?" Veld asked, grimly, from the head of the conference table, and Tres shook his head.

"No. Wherever they've gone to ground, they haven't made so much as a peep since they got here."

"What about identities?" Tseng pressed the other Turk.

"Fuhito is the only name we've identified in connection... and even there, we still don't know who he is. Can't even confirm he's in the city. He might be... or he might be callin' the shots from somewhere else. Only thing I _do_ know is that he _is_ the one callin' the shots, 'least in the field."

"Alright," Veld said. "From here on out, we're working around the clock. Plan on being either here or on the streets until this situation is dealt with."

* * *

Working around the clock, as it turned out, was a whole lot less interesting than it sounded, at least for the rookies. All except for Reno, who was informed, as he was making his way out of the briefing room, that he had a 'special' assignment. Tseng had dutifully walked him up to the training hall... and left him with Rufus with instructions to continue his self-defense lessons.

"Heh... What? You missed me so much ya had to go 'n beg Tseng for more trainin'?" Reno asked, as he sauntered up to the young executive. Rufus snorted in contempt, arms folded over his chest.

"Though, I'm sure, coming from that cesspool down below, you're intimately acquainted with such techniques, _I_ do not _beg_ for anything," he retorted.

"Tch... Lose the attitude already, will ya, sir?" Reno shot back, " _You_ asked Tseng for _me_ , remember?"

Rufus glowered at him, but after a moment, his posture relaxed slightly.

"... Fine. Shall we begin?"

The redhead snickered quietly. "Man... if I'da known it was _that_ easy to get you to stop being such an asshole I'da said somethin' a long time ago."

The vice president sniffed haughtily, but instead of the expected comeback, or admonishment for Reno to 'remember his place', he strode towards the younger man.

"I... appreciate... you not mentioning the incident that occurred earlier in my training to Tseng," he said somewhat awkwardly.

Reno smirked. "You mean _shootin'_ me? That 'incident'?"

"Yes... _that_ incident," the Shinra heir responded through his teeth, "I suspect others would not have quite been so amenable to silence. And quite possibly far more inclined towards blackmail. I'm... grateful."

"You're welcome," the redhead said, in as smug a tone as he dared use, given Rufus' rank. That seemed to be as close to a thank you as he was going to get. He could live with that. "So... the boss kinda sprung this on me outta nowhere this mornin', so I didn't exactly have have time to plan anything. You got any particular place you wanna start today?"

"A return to the firing range, I think," Rufus replied. "I took the liberty of commissioning a slightly more appropriate weapon for myself since the last time. Now would be an excellent opportunity to see if it meets expectations."

"Long as you're not plannin' on pointin' it at _me_ again, sir..."

* * *

Friday morning dragged into the afternoon and afternoon dragged into evening. Normally, by now, Tseng would have been at home, sitting comfortably in his favorite chair with a cup of tea, watching the evening news before dinner. Tonight, he _should_ have been doing so with Mayu... but his duties came first. She had been disappointed when he'd called to let her know... but understanding. At least he'd had _some_ quality time with her, even if he was missing out on her last few days in the city.

Plus, he still had her starting school at the university next fall to look forward to. He'd missed her greatly since becoming a Turk, and Wutai seemed very far away at times. It would be... nice.

A knock on his office door pulled him from his musings.

"Yes?" he called out. The door swung inward and Reno poked his head inside.

"Hey... just wanted to let you know I'm done with Rufus for the day 'n we both survived it," he said, "I'm heading downstairs to get somethin' to eat. You wanna come?"

Tseng raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You've been with Rufus all _day_?" he queried. The redhead shrugged.

"Eh... we got into a rhythm. Think he was actually _enjoyin'_ it by the end."

"And you're certain he's still alive?" the Wutaiian Turk teased gently. Reno snorted softly in laughter.

"Yeah... he's still alive. I swear..."

Tseng shook his head slightly and got to his feet. Dinner _did_ sound good right about now. Even dinner from the Shinra Cafeteria. He hadn't realized it until the interruption, but he was famished. And upon noticing _that_ ,he also realized that he'd somehow managed to forget to eat lunch. Which certainly explained the hunger. Reno grinned as he followed him to the elevator.

"Why in Leviathan's name are you in such a good mood?" Tseng asked, somewhat suspiciously. They were essentially trapped here, forbidden to return to their personal lives, until the present situation was resolved, one way or another. No one was overly thrilled by the idea. It was merely something they accepted as necessary. Reno, though, seemed downright giddy at the moment.

"No reason..." he replied, just a little too innocently.

"Hmm..."

"What?" the rookie asked.

"You're up to something."

"Who... me?" he snickered, still grinning.

The elevator delivered them to the thirty-fifth floor, and the pair stepped out into the hallway, making their way towards the cafeteria. Tseng froze momentarily as a thought suddenly occurred to him.

"For the love of Da Chou, please tell me that you and Rufus haven't teamed up to inflict some Leviathan-forsaken prank war upon the rest of the company..."

"Tch... would you just relax?" Reno laughed. He, too, paused for a moment, however, obviously thinking it over. "Might have ta maybe bring that up to him some time, though..."

"Reno..."

The rookie rolled his eyes as he resumed his path towards their destination. "Seriously. Relax. You'll like this."

The Turk lieutenant was still wary, though, as his ward led him through the doors to the cafeteria. He was half expecting Sato to leap out at him with one of his dubious homemade bombs. Probably to 'relieve the tension of a stressful day', as he occasionally put it. Sato's idea of relaxation had a tendency to veer toward unhinged.

"Tseng!" a familiar voice called out to him, and it took him less than a second to locate its source... especially as Mayu was waving enthusiastically at him from one of the tables. He glanced over at the redhead, questioningly, who simply shrugged again.

"What? Figured since she doesn't have the security clearance for headquarters, I'd just have ta drag your ass down _here_ instead."

By then, Mayu was gleefully bounding toward the pair, and Tseng soon found himself caught up in a tight hug.

"Hurry up... I brought take-out," she said as she pulled away, smiling. "I've heard enough stories about this place from you over the years to know not to eat anything they serve... and Reno _confirmed_ them all."

"Hmph... not that the slum rat minds eating the garbage they churn out of that sad excuse for a kitchen." Tseng turned to find that Rufus had, at some point, walked in behind them. The vice president regarded him for a moment and then shook his head. "Well? I expect a proper introduction, Tseng."

Tseng chuckled faintly.

"Of course, sir," he replied. "Mayu, allow me to introduce you to Rufus Shinra, vice president of the company. I'm afraid he was out of the city during your previous visit. Otherwise, you would have met sooner. Sir... my younger sister, Mayu."

Rufus gave a somewhat formal smile and nodded towards her. "A pleasure."

"Oh, so _you're_ Rufus..." Mayu giggled. "I've heard _all_ about _you_..."

Tseng sharply cleared his throat and shot his sister a look that very plainly screamed 'shut up' in the most polite manner possible. She only laughed, and took Rufus by the elbow, guiding him over to the table.

"You'll join us, of course, won't you? There's plenty. I just assumed everyone would be down here at some point, so there's enough to feed every Turk in the building."

The Shinra heir seemed slightly taken aback by the young woman's forwardness, but obligingly let her lead him off. Reno turned to Tseng.

"Heh... Mayu heard any stories about Rufus I haven't?"

"Only the most benign of encounters that wouldn't compromise him in any way. And even were that not the case, just what makes you think I'd repeat them for your benefit?"

"I didn't... Figured if she had somethin' juicy, I'd ask _her_ , not you," the redhead replied with a smirk, before hurrying off to join the impromptu party. Tseng snorted quietly in laughter and shook his head. Given the chance, Reno and Mayu would probably end up being very good friends. The two of them shared the same rather adventurous spirit. Which, he mused, likely meant that he'd have to keep an eye on them once Mayu moved to Midgar on a more permanent basis. Otherwise, Leviathan only knew what sort of mischief the redhead would get her into... or vice versa. Mayu wasn't afraid of anything... and Reno was willing to _try_ anything. At last he made his way across the room and took a seat beside his sister.

* * *

The following morning, Reno was awakened by insistent knocking at the door of his temporary quarters in the Turk offices.

"Whaddya want?" he muttered in bleary irriation, yawning as he opened the door to his room in response.

"Tch... Wake the hell up, rookie," Tres replied, "We got work to do. You're with me this mornin'."

"... Huh?" the redhead managed, blinking in surprise. It was barely six. He wasn't even on duty yet.

"Get up, get dressed, get your ass in gear," the senior Turk said. "I need ya."

"Y-yeah, 'kay... gimme a sec," Reno managed through another yawn. He rubbed his eyes, and slipped back into his room, groping in the shadows for his clothes and weapon as he tried to force himself into some semblance of wakefulness. The entire team had crammed themselves into headquarters' sleeping quarters for the night. As he dressed, he wondered what the hell was going on. Had something happened overnight? It must have if he was being dragged out of bed so early.

A minute or two later, he was standing in the hallway, hoping that someone had the coffee going already.

"Come on, kid... I wanna get down there early. We'll find ya some caffeine on the way."

The next thing he knew, he was following Tres towards the elevators. It took him until they hit the sub-basement before he realized that it was _just_ Tres. No one else seemed to be joining them.

"... Where is everybody?" he asked.

"Hmph... Still asleep, for the most part. Tseng and Veld are on the track in the gym. Saw Remy in her office."

Reno blinked. "So why the hell are _we_ awake?"

"You're _really_ not worth a damn thing 'til you get some coffee in you, are ya?" he snorted with an undisguised chuckle. "I got a tip from one of my watchers. I'm checkin' it out, 'n you're comin' with me."

"Uh... not that I'm objectin' or anything, but why me?" the rookie asked, surprised, "You usually take Rude with ya for stuff like that."

The elevator dinged and the doors opened in the sub basement. It took the redhead far longer than it should have to figure out where they were headed, but he finally did when Tres marched him towards the doors that lead out into the Sector 0 train station.

"For one... Tseng's been complainin' to me that it's somethin' you should be doin' more of. For another, I take Rude with me when I know he'll be more of an asset than a liability, or when I'm teachin' him somethin'," Tres replied. "Today, though, I need someone who knows the slums as well as I do, and that's _you_. And it _also_ doesn't hurt that you don't turn six shades of red whenever someone so much as mentions the Honeybee."

"So we're hittin' up Wall Market, then?"

Tres grunted in the affirmative. "Word is one of our targets couldn't keep it in his pants last night 'n paid the rent girls a visit. We're gonna go see if any of 'em remember him sayin' anything useful."

There weren't many people in the underground station so early in the morning, but it was far from empty. The two Turks made their way through the small crowd disembarking from a recently arrived train and took a seat inside. Tres sprawled out on one of the long benches, his hands behind his neck propping up his head as he regarded the rookie.

"So..." he began as their transport started to move, "Speakin' of Rude... while I got your full 'n undivided attention, I assume you heard about him gettin' dumped."

"... Uh... yeah. You could definitely say I _heard_. I... was _kinda_ the whole reason it happened, apparently," the redhead confessed. He still felt awful about that, even though his friend didn't seem to harbor any ill-will towards him for it. Tres' eyebrows rose in interest.

"How the fuck'd you manage _that_?"

Reno shook his head. "She didn't like me," he replied. "Like _really_ didn't like me. Rude said that when I called him to... uh... get me out of some trouble one night –"

Tres snorted in amusement. " _You_ got picked up by the cops again, didn't ya?"

"– she basically told him that if he went to get me, he could go right ahead 'n lose her number," the rookie continued, ignoring the inquiry.

"Tch... Goddamn kids," Tres muttered. "So Rude picked you over his girl, huh?"

"Yeah... the idiot," Reno replied, smiling faintly.

"Hmph... Ya ask me, that was the smartest move he coulda made," Tres retorted. "You're gonna be worth a lot more to him in the long run than some controllin' little piece of ass. Assumin' I don't strangle him before he finally gets the hell over her. Son of a bitch can't tell if he's comin' or goin' half the time."

"There a reason you're tellin' me this?" Reno asked, somewhat suspiciously. Tres wasn't usually quite so... forthcoming... when it came to gossip. He collected it like there was no tomorrow, and hoarded it away like gold until it was at its most valuable. If he was giving it up this freely, there was either something in it for him, or he wanted a favor.

"He's too distracted lately. The kid needs to quit wallowin' and remember there's more than one place he could be gettin' his dick wet."

"Heh... Hope you're not askin' me to volunteer. I'm not into guys, and I'm _pretty_ sure Rude ain't either..." Reno snickered.

Tres rolled his eyes and sat up. "Just do us all a favor 'n get the guy laid, will ya? I _know y_ ou got plenty of hookups. Hook him the hell up with one of 'em."

"Yeah, sure, I could probably find someone for him, but... what if he's not interested?"

He had a feeling Rude _wouldn't_ be. He wasn't really the kind of guy that did shit like that... plus, as much trouble as he had talking to women?

"'Least give him the opportunity," said Tres, "Desperate times 'n shit, ya know? Kid can't be thinkin' about his ex all the time when we're sittin' on the brink of war. It's gonna get him killed, and I want that shit nipped in the bud _before_ it gets to be an issue." Reno barked a laugh, causing Tres to raise an eyebrow. "You think I'm fuckin' around?"

"Nah... it's just bizarre as fuck that you're basically tellin' me that Rude livin' through this war is dependent on _me_ gettin' him a date."

Tres sniggered and shook his head. "Alright... _maybe_ I'm bein' a little over dramatic. But don't try 'n tell me you haven't noticed how withdrawn he's been since she dumped his ass. He needs this."

"Yeah, okay... I'll see what I can do," Reno replied as the train glided into the next station. Tres _did_ have a point. Rude may have been shy, but he wasn't a goddamn monk. Maybe getting with someone new _would_ help him put Margaret behind him. It was worth a shot, anyway... and if he wasn't into it, he could always turn the offer down. Besides which... it was kind of the least he could do after being the one who fucked things up between them in the first place.

Two more stops and they'd be in Sector 5. From there, they'd hop the train to Wall Market... which left the redhead with about thirty minutes or so to spend considering who to try and set his best friend up with, before he had to switch over to work mode.

~end chapter 61~


	62. A Market of Information

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 62: A Market of Information**

 **by Desha**

Tseng slowed slightly, and Veld quickly matched the new speed. Running wasn't especially conducive to conversation... but they could manage well enough if they toned it down a bit.

"Something on your mind?" the Turk leader asked, correctly interpreting the reason for the change in pace. "Or are you just getting tired?"

Tseng chuckled somewhat breathlessly. "Tired, sir?" he replied, "Of course not... I was merely concerned that you might be overdoing it."

"Hmph... I really shouldn't let you get away with a comment like that..." Veld laughed, "What is it?"

"I was hoping to ask your advice on a personal matter," he said.

"Well? Let's here it."

"I've been thinking," Tseng continued, having been granted leave to do so, "Mayu is to return home tomorrow. If we fail to prevent this attack, she may well return to a battleground, and even if we _do_ prevent it, you know as well as I do that it's only a matter of time. My family won't entirely approve, but I'm beginning to wonder if I should simply insist that she remain here in Midgar. She'll be returning for school in the fall anyway. She has less than three months remaining of her education in Wutaii... She could easily finish it here. Perhaps even be granted an early graduation. Mayu has always been an excellent student."

"I can certainly see your point," Veld replied, "But I don't think you should, as you put it, ' _insist_ ' on anything."

"Sir?"

The older Turk slowed to a stop, and spent a moment catching his breath.

"She's not your subordinate, Tseng," he chuckled, "She's your sister. And from what little time I've spent with that girl, I get the feeling she's just as goddamn stubborn as _you_ are. You start insisting, and she'll be back in Wutai before you've finished the sentence... out of pure spite. In fact, as I recall, that's much how _you_ ended up _here_ against your father's wishes."

"Yes, sir," Tseng replied, with chagrined smile. He was right of course. 'Insisting' had been entirely the wrong word to use. Mayu had never liked being told what to do anymore than Tseng did.

" _But,_ that being said, I do think it would be wise to, at the very least, suggest it to her. _I_ would in your position." He suddenly smirked. "Of course, you might want to consider the dangers of her living _here,_ as well..."

"Sir?"

"Keeping her away from your rookie, for instance?" he teased. "You'd have to be blind not to notice what a lovely young woman Mayu's become. Reno _isn't_ blind."

Tseng laughed quietly. "I think Mayu can fend off any unwanted advances from Reno."

"Hmph... That little devil's already got my sweet Felicia smitten with him, and all he had to do was say hello. What makes you so sure they'd be unwanted?" Veld asked... and then resumed his run before his protege could stammer out a reply.

* * *

"So tell me," Tres said as they stepped off of the train and into Wall Market, "What do you actually _know_ about Corneo's setup?"

Reno downed what coffee remained in his cup – they'd made a brief detour when switching trains in Sector 5 – and shrugged.

"Well, I know he's a fuckin' pervert..." he replied. Tres snickered.

"Says our _own_ resident pervert..."

"Tch... I got nothin' on Corneo. Lira's told me some shit."

"Such as?" Tres prodded. The redhead frowned slightly and shook his head.

"Like the fact that the fat bastard makes the new girls fuck him before he starts payin' 'em to fuck everyone else," he replied in obvious distaste.

"Hmph... If that's the _worst_ you've heard, you ain't heard shit. Remind to to tell ya why I _left_ his employ sometime... ya know, when we're not tryin' to stop shit from bein' blown all to hell."

"I always just figured the Turks made ya a better offer..."

Tres paused mid-stride and smirked. "Better offer, huh?" he laughed. "Hate to break it to ya, but I took a pay cut joinin' up with Shinra, kid. Fuckin' worth it to get away from that sick son of a bitch. But I'll tell ya that story later... Right now, I wanna make sure you know what we're walkin' into. We got a truce of sorts with Corneo and I don't need you gettin' pissed off 'n doin' something to fuck that up. You ever actually been _in_ the Honeybee?"

"... Uh... not really. I mean, I've walked Lira to work a few times when I've been down here. Never saw much more than the lobby, though. I wasn't payin' and some asshole who looked like he'd _probably_ be able to snap me in half didn't seem to want me hangin' around if I wasn't lookin' to spend some gil."

"Oh, so ya met Moss," Tres chuckled. "Yeah, he's a prick. None too bright, though. It's his little brother ya gotta watch out for. Not a whole lot smarter, but Kotch is a goddamn psychopath. That little shit'll probably end up being the Don's right hand one of these days on ruthlessness alone. Look... some of the regulars have some... eh... _interesting_... fetishes. Just stay off security's radar while we're in there. No matter _what_ you might see goin' on. Don't give 'em a reason to get pissed at you, and we'll be fine."

The pair made their way through the narrow streets of Wall Market. Despite the early hour, the place was definitely open for business. Girls... and more than a handful of attractive young men, as well... were already vying for the best corners and setting up shop, while others were gradually working their way in the roughly same direction as the Turks. Probably the Honeybee Inn's morning shift.

As they slipped past a small shop, a hand reached out and clamped around Reno's upper arm, yanking him roughly towards the open door before either he or Tres could react.

"Hey! How much?" The man towered over the rookie and stank of alcohol and stale cigarette smoke... among other things. Reno jerked his arm out of his grasp and darted back.

"Tch... More'n you could afford, asswipe," Tres sneered, and pointedly put himself between the man and Reno before steering the rookie away from his would-be customer. They rounded a corner, leaving him behind, before the senior Turk finally relinquished his hold on the redhead's shoulder. "Hmph... You're too goddamn pretty, ya know that?"

"Hey, _you're_ the one that woke me up from a perfectly nice dream at an ungodly hour 'n dragged my pretty little ass _down_ here," the teen shot back. Tres snorted in amusement and gently shoved him forward.

"Fair enough, kid."

The next street over led straight to their destination and Reno watched as the two ladies out front, dressed in the brothel's trademark provocative bee outfits where replaced by two identically clad girls from inside. One of them yawned gave a tired wave before disappearing inside. It took the redhead a moment to realize that he recognized one of the replacements and he couldn't help but grin at her as he and Tres approached.

"Don't you say _one_ goddamn word, Reno..." Lira warned him... though the way her antennae flopped angrily on top of her head didn't exactly make it easy to take her seriously.

"What?" he replied, innocently, "I was gonna say that's a _great_ look for ya..."

Lira rolled her eyes and set her fists on her hips.

"What are you doing here?" she sighed, ignoring the teasing. Her gaze fell on Tres and she gave him a quick once-over. "Judgin' by your friend there, I'm guessin' it's business... not pleasure."

"Lookin' for a girl who had a client from out of town last night," Tres replied. Lira snorted softly.

"Like we ask about that sort of thing."

"Lira... come on. It's important. We're lookin' for a Wutaiian... definitely not a local. He was s'posed to have been here last night."

"Alright, alright..." she replied, shaking her head, "Look, I just got here, so I haven't had time to catch up on the gossip yet, but I overheard Sera mention somethin' about an unusual client while I was gettin' dressed. You wanna talk to her, better hurry. Her shift's just endin' and she likes to sneak out the back."

"Thanks," Tres said and climbed the steps, pushing open the doors to the Honeybee.

"Seriously love the outfit," Reno snickered, and hurried after him before Lira could smack him.

"One more comment like that, and you can just forget about gettin' any from _me_ this weekend," she hissed in reply.

"Workin' this weekend anyway," the redhead shot back, and as he vanished through the doors, he distinctly heard Lira's fellow bee giggle beside her. Teasing her like that was probably going to come back to bite him in the ass later. He'd heard endless rants from his friend about how much she hated 'bug duty', but he'd never actually gotten to _see_ the woman in one of those ridiculous costumes before. He just couldn't resist.

The heavy doors closed behind him, and he turned to find himself in the vaguely familiar lobby. Security was elsewhere, apparently, and the pair of Turks walked up to the young woman waiting to greet new customers.

"We're lookin' for a girl named Sera," Tres said, without preamble.

"Sera's off, sweetie," the girl answered, with a decidedly fake smile. Apparently, she'd already decided that she didn't like him.

"Yeah. I know. Go grab her before she hauls ass outta here."

"I already told you... she's _off_. You'll just have to pick another girl."

Tres sighed and shook his head. "I don't fuckin' have _time_ for this. Rose around?"

"Yes..." the girl said, warily, eying them both now.

"Go get _her,_ then."

"... Wait here," she replied, and rushed off to one of the rooms in back. Tres elbowed the rookie and pointed towards the back of the lobby.

"Down that hall, all the way to the back. Grab the girl, keep her here 'til I get permission to talk to her, and for the love of Ifrit, don't get caught by security."

"On it..." Reno replied, and dashed off in the direction Tres had pointed.

The hallway was dimly lit, but hardly silent. With each door he passed, some sound or another emanated from within. He cringed slightly at a particularly loud crack of a whip, and a faint whimper, and tried not to wonder if it had come from one of the rentgirls or her client. At the far end of the hallway, he found an exit door, leading out behind the building, and just around a corner was another door... this one labeled "Employees Only". He ignored the sign and pushed it open, slipping inside.

"What are you doing in here?! Get out!" a voice immediately demanded, and a moment later, he was pegged in the chest by a flying hairbrush.

"Ow! The fuck was that for?!" he instinctively replied before looking up. The woman who'd thrown it was half undressed and clutching what looked like a yellow sweater to her otherwise bare chest, glaring openly at him. It suddenly dawned on him that this was the employee dressing room. "Uh... oh. 'kay, I guess I mighta had that comin'..."

"I'm callin' security," she stated, reaching for what looked like a small switch on the underside of one of the makeup tables.

"Wait! H-hang on, okay? I'm not lookin' to cause trouble or anything. I'm a friend of Lira's and if I start pissin' people off in here, she's gonna kill me. Just tell me... are you Sera?"

"Why do you want to know?" she asked suspiciously, but she did, at least, retract her hand from the alarm.

"I'm with the Turks. We're lookin' for a guy that was here last night. Wutaiian. Lira said he mighta been one of yours."

She scowled slightly, and eyed him of a long moment. "Turn around."

"Uh... Why?"

"Because I'm off the clock, and _I'm_ not givin' away a free show just 'cause _you_ claim to be a Turk. Now turn the fuck around so I can finish gettin' dressed."

The redhead obligingly turned his back on her, and after a few second of rustling clothes, he heard her sit down in the chair next to the makeup table.

"So you're Lira's Turk friend, huh?" Sera said, and Reno took that as an invitation to look at something besides the dressing room door. "What was it, again? Rene?"

"Reno," he replied, taking a seat in one of the chairs himself. Sera folded her arms over her chest.

"Well, _Reno_ , my shift ended ten minutes ago, my kid's waitin' for me to bring him breakfast, and the _last_ place I wanna be right now is _here_. So let's get to the point. If you want information, it's gonna cost ya. So what's in it for me?"

"Uh..." Tres had just asked him to detain her until he could get back here himself. He hadn't actually given him any instructions beyond that. Nor did the rookie have much of anything on hand to offer her. What little cash he had on him at the moment would probably have been a joke to someone who made Honeybee Inn money. Thankfully, he was saved from having to spontaneously come up with some form of payment by the arrival of his partner for the day.

"You find her?" Tres asked, trailing a slightly older woman into the room. The rookie nodded.

"Sera, tell them whatever they want to know," the woman said.

"B-but, Rose..."

"Don't worry. You're gettin' paid for it. I've already seen to that."

Sera scowled and leaned back in her chair. "I'd _better_ be. I've been workin' all fuckin' night. I got better shit to do today than waste my time talkin' to the Turks..."

"Girl out front heard you say somethin' about an unusual client last night," Tres said, taking her response as an agreement to talk. "I wanna know about him."

"Tch... The Wutaiian guy? Ugh. Yeah, he was mine. Fuckin' pig. Looked like a halfway decent guy when he walked in. Real polite, paid upfront, didn't hassle the other girls or nothing while he was waitin'. Seemed like he just wanted to get his rocks off 'n leave. Hmph... don't I wish. I _always_ get stuck with the weirdos. Asshole wanted me to –"

"Not interested in his perversion of choice," said the Turk, cutting her off. "Did he _say_ anything to you?"

"Oh, he said _plenty_ to me. I don't speak a whole hell of a lot of Wutaiian, though. But then, I've had enough clients like _that_ over the years to know when they're callin' me 'Mommy' no matter what language they're speakin'."

Tres shook his head, and Reno could practically feel the man's frustration. He shared it. This wasn't really getting them anywhere.

"Did he say anything about _himself_? Even just his name?"

"Nope. We played his little game, he got what he wanted, 'n then he left. Heh... you could _see_ the shame in eyes after he finished. He knows _exactly_ how fucked up he is. Gave me a decent tip, though."

"Dammit..." Tres breathed. He sighed and stood up, shaking his head. "Thanks anyway. Come on, kid... looks like this was another dead end."

Reno moved to follow.

"Hey... um... hang on. He _did_ say somethin' weird as he was leavin'. Not about himself, though."

"What was it?"

"He... asked me if I ever went to Sector 5. I _do_ 'cause I got family there, butI told him no, 'cause I thought he might be fishin' for personal information. I've had a few that got to like me a little too much 'n tried to find out where I live 'n see me outside of the Honeybee. But he didn't ask me anything else. He just said... good."

Tres blinked in surprise. "Sector 5? You're absolutely certain he said _five_?"

"Yep. He definitely said five."

* * *

As the train wound it's way up Midgar's central pillar, Tres rubbed his hands over his eyes and let his head thump back against the window.

"It doesn't make any fuckin' _sense_ ," he said at last, breaking the silence that had lingered between them for a good seven or eight minutes now. " _Everything_ we've learned has been pointin' toward the reactors in Sectors 7 and 3. What the _hell_ does 5 have to do with anything?"

Reno picked at the cracked vinyl on his seat's armrest and repressed a faint groan as his stomach growled. The coffee had woken him up, but he still hadn't had breakfast.

"Maybe they know we're onto 'em. Maybe they planted the info, knowin' you'd track down the girl."

Tres snorted in contempt. "These fuckers are smart, but they ain't _that_ smart."

"You sure? Maybe they're smart enough to assume that's exactly what you'd _think_..."

"Bullshit," the senior Turk declared... but something in his voice told Reno that he was giving the possibility at least some consideration. Another silence settled between them, only to be broken a few minutes later. "It _still_ doesn't make sense. It doesn't jive with any of the other intelligence we've collected. It's completely random. If they were tryin' to legit throw us off the track... why not point us to somethin' we already _suspect_ they might be targetin'? Like the Number 3 Reactor? I thought three might be a backup... but it could just as easily be a red herring. Why five and not three?"

The redhead turned his gaze out the side window, watching as the slums slowly grew more and more distant the higher they climbed. Around and around the central pillar. It was hard to believe that one of these days _all_ of the Sectors would be on the rail system... but construction of tracks and a station in Sector 1 had been approved by the executive board just last week. All to funnel more money to Wall Market, really. From what Reno'd heard, Shinra was getting a nice little kickback from Corneo in exchange for shuttling in more customers from other parts of the slums...

"Maybe you're lookin' at it backwards?" he mused.

"Meanin'?"

"What if _this_ was the slip up... and everything else you found was planted? I mean... forget what I said a minute ago. What are the actual odds of you hearin' about one random guy payin' for a quick fuck at the biggest whorehouse on the goddamn planet?"

Tres sat up slightly and frowned. "Keep talkin', kid..."

"Tch... well... look at what we found in the sewers. They left us a goddamn _trail_ to follow down there. Like, a _literal_ fuckin' trail. Of neon orange arrows. Yeah... maybe they just figured we wouldn't think to look there, or even if we did, that we wouldn't stumble across it in all those tunnels. But... doesn't it seem just a _little_ convenient that we _did_ find it?"

"You're givin' 'em an awful lot of credit plannin' out something like that."

Reno shrugged and turned his attention to the window again. Really, who the hell was he to be telling a seasoned Turk... one who was regarded as a goddamn _master_ when it came to intelligence... that he was wrong?

"Yeah, maybe. But I'm just sayin'... maybe you're not givin' 'em _enough_. I mean... whoever's runnin' shit obviously knows what they're doin' even if the assholes he sent to pull it off are just a bunch of hired goons. All you know about this Fuhito guyis his name."

Reno was convinced, in the silence that followed, that Tres had dismissed his idea... until the next time the senior Turk spoke, that is. It was only a single word.

" _Fuck_."

~end chapter 62~


	63. The Needs of the Many

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 63: The Needs of the Many**

 **by Desha**

By the time they arrived back at headquarters, the rest of the team seemed to be wide awake and ready to start the day. Tres immediately commandeered Rude the moment he spotted him and hustled the rookie off to his office to share their findings from Wall Market, leaving the redhead to fend for himself. Reno tried not to take that _too_ personally. If he wasn't needed, he wasn't needed. Simple as that.

Instead, he headed downstairs in search of the breakfast he hadn't had time for earlier. He found the team's _other_ two rookies, along with Shay, sitting at their usual table and hurried through the line so that he could join them.

"Reno! Where have you been?" Cissnei asked as he finally took a seat.

"The Honeybee Inn," he replied, before cramming three strips of bacon into his mouth at once and savoring the deliciously salty taste.

"What? You finally ran out of women to sleep with here at the office?" Rodney said, rolling his eyes.

"Ha, ha..." the redhead returned, "I went with Tres to follow up on a lead about the Wutaiian attack."

The information seemed to leave a sour look on the other rookie's face, and Reno got the distinct impression that Rodney felt that _he_ should have been the one to accompany the senior Turk... but if that was his opinion, he didn't voice it.

"Did you find out anything?" Shay queried. Reno swallowed a mouthful of hashbrowns and chased it with a large gulp of orange juice.

"Just that these guys might've been playin' us from the start. All that shit you 'n me found in the sewer? Think we might've been _meant_ to find it to throw us off their real target."

A worried silence enveloped the table as his teammates looked at one another. It was Cissnei who finally broke it.

"So... what's their _real_ target, then?"

Reno shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe somethin' in Sector 5. Could be the reactor. Could be somethin' else. I'm guessin' that's why Tres snagged Rude soon as we got back 'n disappeared. Wanted to compare notes."

"Well, of course it's the reactor," Rodney piped up. "What else _could_ it be? There's absolutely _nothing_ else they could possibly target that would do even close to the amount of damage as destroying one of the reactors would."

He was right, Reno thought. He'd personally _seen_ the aftermath of a reactor explosion... _and_ helped drag out survivors. Hell, there might not have even _been_ any survivors if Shinra hadn't stabilized part of the Plate before...

Reno suddenly choked on a bite of eggs. It took several second of Cissnei thumping him on the back before the resulting coughing fit ceased.

"Reno? You okay?" Shay asked, as he caught his breath.

"Uh... I kinda hate to say it, but... there _is_ something they could target that'd be worse than a reactor..." he finally managed.

Rodney eyed him incredulously. "Oh, yeah? What?"

"... One of the pillars."

The redhead was almost certain his fellow rookie paled slightly at his pronouncement, and Cissnei let out a startled gasp. Shay, meanwhile, was already on his feet, making a beeline for the exit.

* * *

Their PHSs went off simultaneously just as they stepped aboard the elevator. The three rookies had only lingered long enough in the cafeteria to polish off their meal and chat a bit before making their way back upstairs, but apparently it had been toolong for Veld's taste. The message on his phone summoned him to the briefing room. Immediately. And by the looks on the other two rookies' faces, theirs said the same.

When they arrived at headquarters, the others were already taking their seats. A few looked perplexed by the unexpected meeting... but most seemed concerned. Reno silently slipped into a seat, and was a little surprised when Tseng settled in next to him instead of occupying his usual position at the head of the table with Veld. That space, for the moment, seemed to have been taken over by Tres.

"What in the name of Odin's balls is going on _now_?" Luca grumbled, crossly, "I'm on a tight schedule, Tres... Especially since you keep bringing me more people to interrogate. At this rate I'll be lucky to get through them all by next _week_."

"Forget about them. We've located the targets," Tres said. The other Turk immediately shut his mouth and sat up.

"And what's more, thanks in large part to Rude's efforts last night and early this morning, we know where they are. Or at least where they _will_ be in about thirty minutes," Veld added.

"So what the hell are we doing sitting around here?" Kai demanded, "Let's go take the fuckers down!"

"Therein lies the problem," said Tseng, "We know where they are, and where they're going, but we still don't know _who_ they are."

"They're moving via train," Veld explained, "Likely individually or in small groups, coming from different sectors. But they're all heading for Sector 5. Unfortunately, since we don't know any of their identities, they're going to be difficult to spot. Short of stopping every Wutaiian in every station and on every train, it's just not going to be possible until they ultimately meet up with one another."

"So? We get to where they're going and wait," Kai proclaimed.

Tres shook his head. "We do that 'n we're screwed. They're headin' for the Sector 5 train hub. The one that sits right on top of the goddamn Sector 5 pillar... which, as Reno pointed out a little while ago, would be an absolutely devastating target. They make it that far, and anything we do'll be too little, too late."

"I-It would destroy the _entire_ sector if it gave way," Remy said, in abject disbelief. "Both the Plate _and_ the Slums. Dear Leviathan... the death toll would be in the tens of thousands!"

"We suspect they've dispatch someone to rig the lower section of the pillar as well. Sato and Saya are already on their way down to find them and disarm the bomb if necessary. But a large enough explosion topside, on its own, could still destabilize the structure enough to cause a collapse. We need to stop them before they can trigger one."

"What makes you think they haven't already planted these bombs?" asked Kai.

"We _know_ they haven't," said Veld. "They've been hiding up here... biding their time... bringing in components for their bombs a few at a time to avoid detection, and going out of their way to put us on the wrong scent. Rude successfully tracked down one of their couriers just an hour ago. He made his last delivery this morning."

"And me 'n Reno traced one of 'em to the slums earlier, too," Tres said, "Didn't catch up to him, but I'd put good money on him bein' one of the ones down there to plant the first bomb while his friends took care of the second."

"The second is the one that concerns us the most right now. The pillar doesn't offer much in the way of hiding places. Saya and Sato will have little difficulty dealing with _that_ ," Veld continued. "But at least _some_ of the others are heading for the Sector 5 hub as we speak. Plenty of places to hide both themselves _and_ explosives. Weekend routes are in effect. That means that, no matter where they're coming from, to get to 5 they'll all have to take the Sector 3 outer branch lines at some point. Those trains will be making an unexpected stop at the station in outer Sector 3... well away from _that_ pillar, just in case they get any bright ideas. Tseng has suggested a military strike on the station itself, and Heidegger received approval from the board of directors just before I summoned you all."

"W-wait, what?" Reno suddenly spoke up, eyes going wide. "It's a fuckin' _train station_. There's gonna be tons of people there! What's gonna happen to _them_?"

"They'll die," Rodney replied, in that annoying, know-it-all tone of his, "Obviously."

The redhead turned his gaze on his mentor, gaping.

"We have no time for a precision assault targeting only the enemy. There are more than twelve thousand people living in Sector 5. At _least_ half that many more below in the slums," said Tseng, in answer to his ward's unasked question, "We are sacrificing perhaps a few hundred early morning travelers to save them. It is... unfortunate... but necessary."

"This isn't open to debate. It's already in motion. Shinra forces will be disguised as Wutaiian combatants. Shinra will publicly condemn Wutai for an egregious attack on the city. War will be declared, with Wutai as the aggressor... but on _our_ terms, not theirs. We were too slow in catching up to them. All we can do now is minimize the damage," Veld explained. His eyes locked onto Luca, who had pulled out his phone, "And until we receive confirmation of a successful strike, we will be under a complete communications blackout. Put that phone away."

"Sir... my aunt –"

Veld shook his head. "A _complete_ blackout," he repeated, "No exceptions. We can't risk word leaking and our targets getting off of that train early... we may not have another chance like this."

"... Yes, sir," the other Turk said, grudgingly tucking the phone back into his pocket.

"That being said... there are going to be a lot of people injured. We would also, ideally, like to identify the Wutaiian agents behind the attack. Half of you will be working search and rescue. The rest will be positioned at Midgar General and its satellite clinics in Sector 3. Flag any survivors who lack identification for eventual interrogation."

Tseng stood then, and joined the Turk leader at the head of the table.

"Remy, Luca, and Kai... you'll be in the field," he ordered. "Shay, I'll need you in the helicopter with me. Tres... you'll take the others and see to identifying everyone who comes in for medical treatment. Fatalities as well, if possible, but primarily concentrate on the survivors for now. Dead men are of little threat to us. Veld will coordinate from headquarters and keep the executive board apprised of the situation."

There was a faint murmuring amongst the Turks seated at the table, but in seconds, they had separated into their assigned groups and were making their way out the door to gather what they'd need.

Reno slipped away for a moment into the lounge and poured himself another cup of coffee. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day, and the extra caffeine was probably going to come in handy. He downed it, and hurried off to join up with the others... but as he was making his way past Luca's office, he heard the other Turk's voice. Curious, he peered through the partially open door, just in time to see the senior Turk pocketing his PHS.

"Reno! Quit dickin' around 'n move your ass! We're headin' out!" Tres suddenly shouted from the opposite end of the hallway. The rookie jumped at so suddenly being called out and hurried to catch up to the group, leaving Luca behind. He couldn't help but wonder, though... had the senior Turk disobeyed orders and slipped away to call someone in Sector 3? And if so... should he say something about it, or let it go? After all... it was already done. If it ended up fucking them over, snitching on Luca wouldn't change that. And he couldn't _really_ be sure he'd seen what he thought he'd seen, anyway...

He shook his head and scrambled aboard the elevator. There were more important things to worry about at the moment. He and the other rookies were going to have their hands full.

* * *

They sat in the waiting area of the lobby of the clinic, trying their best to look inconspicuous... though between Reno's hair, and the fact that Rude looked about as much like the stereotype of a Turk as was humanly possible, the redhead had his doubts that they were passing as mere casual observers. Rude glanced at his watch for the eighth time in as many minutes.

"How much longer, ya think?" the redhead asked, careful to keep his voice low. The waiting room wasn't exactly packed... but he didn't want to chance being overheard. Rude shrugged.

Reno wasn't entirely sure they were close enough to the station to hear what was going down once it started... but within minutes of it being over, the communications blackout would be lifted, and Veld would notify them to be ready for the onslaught of patients arriving. His stomach twisted uncomfortably at the thought.

It was one thing to kill someone who was out to screw over Shinra. Or who was trying to kill _you_. But Ifrit only knew how many innocent people were going to be in that station when SOLDIER, or whoever was in charge of pulling off this nightmare scenario, went in guns blazing. The thought didn't sit well with him.

But then... Tseng had made a good point, too. If they didn't take this opportunity to off these assholes, and they made it through to their target – or they got away and tried this shit again and the Turks _didn't_ hear about it in time – tens of _thousands_ of people could die. Either way, there were going to be a lot of innocent lives lost today... and as much as he wished he had a better idea, he simply didn't.

What _really_ bothered him, though, was how cool everyone else seemed to be about doing this. No one else had seemed shocked or even especially hesitant. Surely he couldn't be the _only_ one wondering if this was the right thing to do...

He swallowed somewhat nervously and glanced over at Rude.

"... I don't like it either," he said, before the redhead even had a chance to ask. Reno sighed quietly and leaned back in his seat. In the end, he supposed it didn't matter whether _any_ of them 'liked it' or not. An order was an order, and Turks followed orders.

He jumped, startled, at the sudden buzz that came from inside his breast pocket, and it took him a moment to realize it was his PHS. He pulled it out and read the short message.

"Get ready," he said, quietly, to his fellow rookie, "They're on their way."

* * *

It was bloody. Whatever had happened in that train station, it had done a _lot_ of damage. Far too many of the people Cissnei saw being brought in to Midgar General's emergency room were dead already, not having survived the trip. Others were clinging to life, but only just. Her heart wrenched at the sight of a young boy, sobbing in pain, as the medical personnel tried desperately to stem the flow of blood from a deep wound in his chest.

"Think I got one," Rodney said, lifting the sheet from over one of the patients who'd been dead on arrival. It was an older man... Wutaiian, and heavily battle-scarred. He patted the body down, searching through the man's pockets, and eventually came up with a folded sheet of paper and some sort of electrical component. The note contained a crude map of what, Cissnei assumed, was the Sector 5 transport hub. Three areas had been marked in red.

"Should we let Tres know?" she asked. Rodney shook his head.

"Come on, Cissy, get with the program. Tres is busy and this guy's not going anywhere. It'll keep. We're looking for any that might have survived, remember?"

She glared, annoyed at the use of her much-hated nickname. It was a simple question, requiring only a yes or a no. Sometimes Rodney _really_ got on her nerves. But as much as she would have liked to have told him off just then, they had a job to do, and any personal issues needed to be put on the back burner. That thought in mind, she wordlessly moved on to the next group of incoming patients.

A moment later, she almost wished she hadn't.

"... Oh, sweet Shiva..." Cissnei breathed. The Turk took a step back from the gurney, and watched as it was rolled passed her, the two paramedics that had accompanied it, working in desperation to fight what was almost certainly a losing battle. She could see it in the young woman's eyes, which stared, unseeing, at her as they went by. She was already gone.

"R-Rodney?" she stammered, and turned to find that he, too, was in something of a state of uncharacteristic shock.

"I... um... I-I'll call Tseng," he finally said, reaching for his phone. Before he could dial, Cissnei finally managed to shake herself out of her stupor.

"For Titan's sake, are you out of your mind?!" she hissed, dragging him off into a small corridor, away from the busy emergency department, "I mean, seriously... is your really nose so far up Tseng's ass that _that's_ your go-to plan? He's out in the field right now, flying an Ifrit-forsaken helicopter, with Odin only knows how many people depending on him. You can't just call him up an tell him something like this!"

Rodney hesitated, staring at the PHS in his hand. She shook her head in frustration. For someone who was considered top of their class in the recruitment program, Rodney could be an utter moron at times.

"Call _Veld_!"

The other rookie jumped slightly at her angry tone, and seconds later, was placing a call to the Turk leader back at headquarters, hands shaking.

* * *

Reno was exhausted. Everyone was. The entire Sector 3 station was decimated. Hundreds dead or injured. And some of the injuries had been... sickening. He didn't know what the hell had gone down to cause much of what he'd seen come into the clinic, and at the moment he wasn't much interested in having anyone fill in the details. All he really wanted to do was go home and stop thinking about it. Not that there was much chance of that.

But first, he needed to check on Tseng. His mentor had hadn't returned to the office after the majority of the casualties had been handled. Shay had been piloting the helicopter when it arrived at headquarters, and the Turk lieutenant hadn't been with him. He was still missing at quitting time.

Veld had been busy with other matters by then. The Turk leader had seemed more on edge than usual, and was deep in conversation with Remy at the time. The redhead hadn't wanted to interrupt.

Instead, he and Rude had been dismissed by Tres and told to take off before the senior Turk had fucked off to give his own report to Veld. They'd lingered for a bit, hoping to say goodnight to their fellow rookies, but Rodney and Cissnei were mysteriously absent as well... and Reno vaguely wondered if Rodney had talked his way into helping out with whatever assignment Tseng was off working on right now. It'd just figured, the little brown-noser.

But... apparently that wasn't the case, because Tseng was here.

The lights were off... which was odd. Tseng's car was parked in its usual space, the curtains were drawn tightly over the front window of the apartment, and the door stood slightly ajar.

And the moment he saw the open door, Reno knew something wasn't right. Slipping silently inside only confirmed it.

Reno stopped short just steps beyond the threshold and backed into the shadows, one hand reaching for his EMR, the other slowly easing the toppled floor lamp out of his path in case he had to make a hasty retreat during his investigation. Tseng's apartment had been trashed. _Completely_ trashed. Furniture was overturned, books were scattered, décor had been torn from the walls and flung aside... Virtually nothing he could currently get eyes on had been left untouched.

A part of him wondered if he ought to be calling for backup. The place looked like a battle to the death had been waged there not long ago. It was only the distinct lack of blood or a body that made him push forward alone. He crept through the darkened living room to the nearest door... which happened to be the guest room he'd spent the better part of a year living in... and cracked it open, peering inside. Though just as dark as the rest of the apartment, it was clear that, for some reason, _this_ space had been left entirely untouched. It also didn't escape his notice that there was no sign of Mayu. All her things were still there... but the young woman herself was absent.

Once he was satisfied that no one was hiding in the shadows, he shut the door and moved on.

The kitchen was, like the living room, destroyed. Drawers had been ripped from their docks, their contents scattered. One seemed to have been flung violently into the wall, leaving behind a gaping hole in the plaster. Reno's grip tightened on the handle of his weapon as he moved stealthily down the hallway towards the master bedroom. As he approached, he heard a faint sound. Heavy breathing... shuddering, gasping breaths. His pace quickened as he imagined Tseng, attacked and injured in his own home.

The reality was so much worse.

He was seated on the floor next to the window, knees drawn up towards his chest, head in his hands. He didn't even look up when Reno hit the wall switch, bathing the room in light.

"... Boss?" he ventured, not certain what was going on, or how he should be handling this. Tseng still didn't look at him.

"I killed her..." came the muffled admission from his mentor, in a voice laced with more sadness than Reno had ever dreamt it possible for three little words to convey. The redhead looked around, half-expecting to see a corpse laid out on the floor. There was only the general destruction of the man's bedroom. He tucked his mag-rod back into his jacket and knelt down beside the senior Turk. The familiar – though decidedly out of place – scent of hard liquor that hit him as he did so took him by surprise. Tseng virtually never drank to excess. A mostly empty bottle that rested beside him, and the shattered remains of a second across the room seemed to indicate that today was the exception.

"Who?" he prodded, confused. Tseng had killed several people in the time Reno had known him. That was their job. He'd never seen his superior react like _this_ , though. The Wutaiian drew another shaky breath and finally lifted his head.

Anguish. Horror. Disgust. Self-loathing. Gone was the poised, unflinching exterior Reno had come to know so well. Tseng's eyes revealed it all. The tears that ran freely down his face only added to the unmasking, and Reno recoiled slightly in shock. Nothing got to Tseng like that... Nothing.

"Mayu..." he whispered, voice cracking with emotion. Reno's eyes widened.

"W-what?" he managed after a moment. That couldn't be right... but the look in Tseng's eyes confirmed it. The vibrant, friendly young woman that, in a few short days, he'd become very fond of himself, was dead.

Tseng let his head drop back into his arms with a sob, and Reno was torn between staying with him or slipping out of the room and calling for that backup after all. Veld had known him far longer than Reno had... The Turk leader would _surely_ know what to do...

Reno swallowed sharply. Seeing Tseng so distraught was terrifying. He'd come to believe that the man was unshakable. Watching him fall apart right in front of him left his feeling helpless... and more than slightly worried. He didn't know _what_ he should be doing. He didn't even really know what the hell had happened... and he wasn't sure if he should press for more details or if that would only make things worse.

There was _one_ thing he knew he had to do, however. He wasn't certain it was strictly necessary, but he wasn't about to take the chance. Reno reached into Tseng's jacket and removed his gun from it's holster, tucking it into the waistband of his pants behind his back... well out of the Turk lieutenant's reach.

"Come on, Tseng... Let's get you off the floor..." he said a moment later, urging the other man to his feet. It took some effort. Tseng was thoroughly wasted... and Reno wondered if the two bottles he knew about were just the tip of the iceberg. They'd almost certainly come from the remainder of the redhead's little stash in the kitchen he hadn't gotten around to relocating yet... and he'd had a lot more in there than just the two. He helped Tseng stagger over to the bed, and sat with him until he finally passed out.

* * *

Reno yawned as he tied off the last of the trash bags and shoved it out the door. He'd deal with them properly after he'd gotten some sleep. It had taken all night. The apartment was far from pristine, but at least it no longer looked like a pack of raging nibelwolves had gotten inside. Though he wasn't sure _what_ to do about the hole in the kitchen wall...

It still seemed a little unreal.

Tseng had still been sleeping off last night's binge drinking when he'd checked in on him a little while ago... and prior to that, Reno'd had the dubious pleasure of placing a late-night call to Veld and telling him what was going on, as it was obvious that the man would be in no shape to head into the office the next day. If Veld had been surprised, it hadn't shown... and he'd given the rookie leave to stay with him for the day, which only made Reno more concerned. The Turk leader had sounded worried. Veld _never_ sounded worried.

"... You cleaned."

The rookie jumped slightly at the unexpected observation, and turned to see his mentor, looking pale and drawn as he leaned against the wall for support. Apparently even hungover and exhausted, Tseng could still sneak up on him.

"Tried to, anyway. Figured you wouldn't be up to it for awhile."

Tseng nodded slightly and made his way over to the couch, silently collapsing onto the cushions.

"So... You gonna tell me what last night was all about?"

The older Turk flashed him a pained grimace and sighed heavily. "Sector 3 was my idea. My _fault_. I don't know what I was thinking, suggesting something like that. And Mayu paid for it..."

Reno took a seat next to him, watching him carefully. That made a little more sense than the scant answers he'd been given last night... both by Tseng _and_ by Veld... at any rate. Obviously, his sister had been at the Sector 3 train station yesterday... No wonder Tseng was blaming himself.

"Wrong place at the wrong time... You couldn't've known..."

Tseng turned to him, a look of rage on his face.

"But I _did_ know! I could have warned her!" he shouted, suddenly standing. Without warning, he upended the coffee table, sending it flying several feet from where it had rested. "I could have saved her... with one. Leviathan-forsaken. Phone call. A _minor breech of protocol_ is all it would have taken!"

"Tseng..."

"Leave me alone."

"Boss, I don't think –" Reno began, only to cut himself off at the nearly homicidal look in the other Turk's eyes. He quickly swallowed what he'd been about to say.

"Get out, and _leave me alone_!"

He didn't try to argue. Something told him that trying to talk to him right now wasn't going to be especially productive... and might very well prove hazardous to his health. Reno stood and slowly backed away until he was sure he was out of range. He couldn't recall ever being legitimately afraid of Tseng. Intimidated, certainly, but he'd never had the impression that he might actually harm him. Right now, though... he wasn't so sure about that.

Right now... it seemed to be taking everything Tseng had in him to restrain himself.

He didn't want to leave. This wasn't like Tseng at all, and Reno had no idea what the man might do once he was gone... but there wasn't much choice. Decision grudgingly made for him, he turned and started towards the door. Tseng said nothing further... not even when the redhead scooped a small object off of the side table before he departed.

Reno closed the door behind him. As he made the short walk down the front path, his hand clenched around Tseng's gun in a white-knuckled grip. He didn't know what the man _might_ do... but there was no way in hell he was going to leave him with the temptation to do something that couldn't be _undone_.

He couldn't go through that again.

* * *

He'd seen the fear in his rookie's eyes... and though the pain of that frightened expression stabbed at his heart, he couldn't help but think it was for the best. Even _he_ didn't know what he was capable of at the moment, and if he unwittingly harmed the young man, lashing out in all-consuming grief... he would never be able to forgive himself.

Not that it was likely he ever would anyway.

Mayu. His beautiful Mayu... perhaps the only truly good and pure thing in his life... was gone. And it was all his fault. It was a guilt he wasn't certain he'd be able to live with. In fact, there had be a moment last night when he was absolutely certain he could _not_. It had lead him on a rampage through his apartment that had only truly ended when he'd stumbled upon several bottles of vodka the rookie had left in his care until he was settled in his new apartment.

Disturbingly enough, the fact that Reno had never gotten around to reclaiming them had probably saved his life. The alcohol had dulled the pain enough that Tseng was merely distraught... not suicidal. Though if he was honest with himself, he hadn't yet dismissed the idea altogether.

It would have to wait, however. He didn't dare die and leave Mayu, cold and alone in the morgue at Midgar General. Someone needed to take her home... to see to it that she was laid to rest with the dignity and honor she deserved. That duty fell to him, and him alone.

Tseng snorted in grim amusement. Killing himself might not even be an option once he confessed his sins to his father. The family's patriarch might well choose to take matters into his _own_ hands at that point. And Tseng wasn't sure if the man would regard that as an act of vengeance or of mercy. He wasn't even sure which of the two _he_ might consider it to be.

"Your rookie is utterly terrified."

Tseng gave only a barest acknowledgment of the new arrival. He knew he'd be coming sooner or later. Apparently Veld had chosen sooner. He, however, wasn't interested in company at the moment.

"I was already only my way over when he called and told me you'd thrown him out," the older Turk continued.

"He _should_ be terrified. I destroy everything I touch," the Wutaiian Turk spat in disgust. His mentor approached him, and calmly let a hand rest on his shoulder.

"He's not afraid _of_ you, Tseng. He's afraid of what you might do. To _yourself_ , not to him. Should he be?"

Tseng turned away and said nothing.

"He took your gun," Veld added, and the Turk lieutenant's hand instinctively sought out the holster beneath his jacket, only to find it empty.

"I have others," he replied... and the sincerity of his own voice even frightened _him_.

* * *

Rude watched his friend pick in disinterest at the plate of meatloaf in front of him. He hadn't managed to get much of it down himself, either, but for a wholly different reason. It was dry as the Corel Desert, and about as flavorful, too. Reno, though, would normally have wolfed it down and then asked if he could finish Rude's plate as well.

Today, though, food seemed to be the last thing on the redhead's mind.

He'd heard what had happened, of course. They all had, by now. He was still in something of a state of disbelief about Mayu's untimely death, personally. She was so young... It just wasn't fair. And from what little he'd managed to pry out of his fellow rookie, Tseng wasn't handling it so well.

"You wanna talk?" Rude finally asked. Reno gave an uneasy sigh and lifted his gaze from the largely untouched plate.

"Fuck, man. I'm worried about him," he replied, " _Really_ worried. Like, I can't eat 'cause my stomach hurts level worried." He tossed his fork aside and glared at the plate. "Fuck it. I give up on lunch."

"... Is he that bad?"

"Sure seemed like it this mornin'," said Reno. "I half thought he was gonna send me flyin' out the door if I didn't leave willingly... for my own safety. He's _beyond_ pissed. At himself, mostly, but I think when you're _that_ angry, it's gotta go somewhere, and I was right in the line of fire. I could tell."

He visibly winced, one hand clutching his stomach.

"You okay?"

"Tch... yeah. I'm fine. I wasn't kidding... This shit's got me so freaked out, my stomach's killin' me. You didn't see him last night, Rude. He was just... completely _broken_." The redhead swallowed sharply. "And then this mornin'..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

Before Rude could inquire further, the other rookie's PHS chimed, alerting him to a new text message. Reno fished the phone out of his pocket and and eyed the screen for a moment.

"Guess it's a good thing I'm done eatin'. Veld wants to see me."

"About Tseng?"

Reno shrugged. "Doesn't say. But what else would it be about? I'll see ya later."

Rude watched him go and sighed as he turned back to his own meal. _He_ wasn't very hungry either, all of a sudden. And it had nothing to do with the quality of the food.

* * *

Reno knocked softly at the door to Veld's office, and, once granted permission, stepped inside, closing it behind him. He had been hoping to see Tseng there... but wasn't exactly shocked that he wasn't. Instead, Remy was seated in front of Veld's desk. The rookie made his way to the chair beside her and sat down.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" he queried.

"Yes. I did," Veld began, "I'll be speaking to everyone a little later, but... I thought it best to tell _you_ first."

Reno swallowed nervously. _That_ didn't sound ominous, or anything...

"Tseng will be taking a leave of absence, effective immediately. First and foremost, to return his sister's body to Wutai and attend the funeral, and then... to take some personal time."

"F-for how long?" he asked, eyes widening. Was this _really_ just a leave of absence? Or was this... a resignation?

"Three weeks, at the minimum," Veld replied, "But... I've left it up to him to decide when he's ready to return."

"What if he... ya know... _doesn't_?"

"I don't think it will come to that. But... _should_ that ultimately be his choice, we will respect it."

"... Yes, sir," the redhead breathed. He couldn't imagine the Turks without Tseng. Just the thought left him feeling chilled.

"I realize that this puts you in a somewhat awkward position, being that you won't be eighteen for several more weeks yet. Tseng has asked that Remy temporarily take over as second in command while he's gone... including taking responsibility for your guardianship until your birthday. Or until he returns," Veld continued. "Of course... if you have an alternate preference..."

Reno shook his head. "Remy's fine," he said. It wasn't as if he needed a babysitter. Just... someone to sign shit that needed signing, or whatever else he wasn't allowed to do on his own yet. Any one of the other senior Turks could do it. Hell, once his birthday got here, he wouldn't even need _that_. He'd be an adult, and wholly responsible for himself. His stomach gave an unpleasant heave in response to that thought. "... Is... that all, sir?" he asked.

"For now," Veld replied, "I'll be addressing the team in about an hour to update them on the situation. I would prefer you not discuss this with anyone until then."

"Yes, sir," Reno replied, and at Veld's nod of dismissal, hightailed it out of his office. The hall was mercifully empty, but he couldn't shake the sudden sense of being trapped that assailed him. He needed to get out of there. Now.

The redhead all but ran for the elevator, and jabbed the button that would take him up to the roof. Somehow, he made it the entire way without anyone else boarding, and he was grateful for that... because at the moment, he probably looked like he was five seconds away from losing it. As the doors opened, he virtually _threw_ himself out into the open space and dropped to his knees, breathing in long gulps of fresh, cool air.

He stayed like that for several long moments before staggering to his feet and making his way over to the railing that encircled the Shinra Building roof. He gazed out across the city... before at last turning his back on the view and sinking down to the ground, leaning back against the short wall that supported the railing. Reno hugged his knees to his chest, and tried to calm his shaky, overly rapid breathing, groaning softly as the new position aggravated his already painfully upset stomach.

He wanted so badly to believe that this was temporary. That Tseng would come back and things would go back to... well... maybe not to the way they were, but to some _semblance_ of normal, anyway.

But the more pessimistic side of him refused to be silent. And it kept telling him that he'd just lost _another_ parent.

~end chapter 63~


	64. Abandoned

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 64: Abandoned**

 **by Desha**

The remainder of the day was spent walking on eggshells. After Veld let everyone else in on what was going on, no one seemed to want to broach the subject... least of all Reno. In fact, it had crossed his mind more than once that it was _because_ of him. In spite of the fact that he'd been doing his best to put on a brave face... he had a feeling they all knew how much this was affecting him anyway.

And it didn't help that the pain in his stomach refused to go away. In fact, though it still came relatively sporadically, it had steadily been growing more and more frequent all day, and seemed to be aggravated by movement. By the time the day was over, it was near-constant with sharp spikes every now and then, and all he wanted to do was try and get some sleep... but he turned down Rude's offer of a ride home in favor of catching the train to Sector 1. If he wasn't going to be seeing Tseng for fuck only knew how long... he wanted to at least say goodbye.

It took far longer than it should have. The trains all seemed to be running late, having to route around the mess in Sector 3. It was almost eight o'clock by the time Reno finally made it to Tseng's apartment. And when he did, he discovered that he was too late. His car was there, but the apartment's doors were locked, the windows dark. He wasn't home. Dejected, the redhead sat down on the front porch and pulled his knees up to his chest, letting his head rest on his arms.

He'd missed his chance. But more than that, it hurt that Tseng had just... left... without so much as a word. In spite of understanding _why_... it still hurt. Badly. Headlights suddenly flashed across him as a car turned into the parking lot, and for a moment, he dared to hope that it was Tseng.

It wasn't.

The driver _did_ pull up next to Tseng's car, however, and shut the engine off. Remy stepped out a moment later.

"I was _afraid_ I might find you here," she said, "Things happened so fast. I... wasn't thinking. I should have made _sure_ you knew. He left hours ago. Veld arranged transport for him and his sister this afternoon."

The redhead let his gaze drop but said nothing. He didn't trust his voice not to betray the whirlwind of emotions that seemed to assail him from every direction. He couldn't decide if he was angry with Tseng for abandoning him without even a goodbye... disgusted with himself for being so selfish as to expect someone who'd just lost an _actual_ family member to give a shit about the needs of the former slum rat he'd taken in... or devastated that all of this had happened at all. He finally settled on a feeling of general misery.

"Come on," Remy prodded, "I'll take you home."

Resigned, he obediently followed her to her car, and climbed into the passenger seat.

"... Have you eaten yet?" the senior Turk asked after several blocks of driving in heavy silence. Reno shook his head. He didn't have much of an appetite. To be honest, he'd been feeling a little queasy since lunch. That, and the now almost constant ache in his abdomen, didn't leave him feeling especially hungry. "Do you want to stop somewhere?"

Another shake of the head. They stopped at a red light, and Remy turned to look at him for a moment.

"Reno... I want you to know that Tseng made me _promise_ to look after you, and I'm not about to let him – or _you –_ down. Alright?"

The rookie didn't answer right away... and Remy didn't push him. They continued on into Sector 3, turning towards his apartment building. It wasn't until they were pulling into his parking lot that he finally spoke.

"Do you think he's comin' back?" he asked, cheeks flushing in minor humiliation at the way his voice cracked on that single question. She pulled into a parking space, and stared straight ahead, unable to make eye contact.

"I'd like to tell you yes," said Remy, "But the truth is... I really don't know."

The redhead nodded.

"Thanks for not lyin' to me, at least," he sighed, "I'll... um... see ya tomorrow."

"Reno?" she called after him as he was climbing out of the car. He paused and looked back at her. "Call me if you need anything tonight, alright? Even if it's just someone to talk to. I'll... probably be up for awhile. I have a lot of Tseng's notes and schedules I need to go over before tomorrow. But even if I'm not..."

"Thanks, Remy," he said, managing a weak smile.

* * *

The following morning was brutal. Reno was exhausted. First, it had taken him for-fucking- _ever_ to fall asleep. Then... what little sleep he _had_ managed to get had been anything but restful. But the unpleasant dreams were very quickly forgotten once he was awake, their memory shoved aside by the sharp pain that lanced across his lower abdomen at irregular intervals – and just about every fucking time he tried to roll over. He finally found _some_ relief by curling up on his left side... but by then, it was nearly six in the morning and he no choice but to just give up and haul his ass out of bed, or risk being late for work.

He groaned as he caught sight of his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He'd looked better _hungover_.

"Oh, _wonderful_..." he muttered, "Just when ya think shit can't possibly get any worse, now I s'pose I'm gettin' _sick_ , too." 

The temptation to call Remy and tell her he was staying home today was strong. But he quickly dismissed the idea. There was a lot of shit that still needed dealing with after the Sector 3 attack, and with Tseng on leave for the foreseeable future, they were a man down. Plus, she'd probably rat him out to Ward, and that would mean a demand from the doctor to pay her a visit at some point. He'd just have to slog through the day as best he could and hope it didn't get any worse.

He showered and dressed, and ate a hurried breakfast... though he still wasn't feeling much like eating. It was only the knowledge of how much crappier he'd feel later if he _didn't_ eat that convinced him to choke down some toast with peanut butter and a slightly over-ripe banana... though by the time his train pulled into the Sector 0 station, he was regretting it. The constant movement of the train car brought his stomach dangerously close to violently rejecting everything he'd just put in it.

Somehow, though, he managed to keep it together... and once his feet were back on solid ground again, he felt moderately better.

"Holy Hades... You look like _hell_ , Reno..." Shay greeted him as he stepped off the elevator and into headquarters.

"Oh... good. It's _not_ just my bathroom mirror, then," he replied.

"Er... Seriously. Are you alright?" the other Turk queried, no small amount of concern in his voice.

"Slept like shit last night. I'll manage."

Shay side-eyed him as he turned to resume his course toward Luca's office. "Well... if you _say_ so..."

Reno headed off in the opposite direction, making his way to his own office. Rude was already there, engrossed in the morning's influx of reports from Sector 3. He didn't look up right away... until the redhead sat down at his desk with a muffled groan.

"... Reno."

"Don't say it. I know. I look like a leftover chocobo turd that's spent about five minutes too long in the microwave."

"... I don't even want to know why you think someone would have one of those just laying around, much less think to microwave it. But... yeah. You sort of _do_."

"Tch... rough night," he replied. Rude raised an eyebrow behind dark lenses.

"You sure that's all it is? You weren't feeling so great yesterday either..."

The redhead opened his mouth to reply, only to be cut off as Kai unexpectedly poked her head into their office.

"Veld's wanted upstairs. We're doing the morning briefing _now_ , and it's going to have to be short and sweet, so move your butts."

"Yeah, yeah, we're comin'..." Reno said. Kai had already moved on to the next office on her list by the time he'd forced himself upright again. The rookie sucked in a breath as a particularly sharp stab of pain in his belly caught him off-guard. He quickly shook it off and trailed his friend out into the hallway.

"... You should go down to Medical," Rude stated as they started towards the briefing room.

"Ugh... Don't say that. I'm fine. I'm _not_ gettin' sick. I fuckin' _refuse_ to get sick. Not now. We got too much shit to do."

Rude frowned and shook his head, and then started off towards the briefing room with renewed determination. It took Reno all of two seconds to realize what he intended.

"Fuck... Rude! Don't you dare!" he called after him, grimacing in pain as he did his best to hurry after him. By the time he caught up, Rude had already zeroed in on Remy, who was standing off to one side of the room, talking to Saya.

"Goddammit, Rude..." he hissed through clenched teeth, trying not to draw attention. He was pointedly ignored by the other rookie, who stopped directly in front of the team's temporary second in command.

"Reno's sick," he stated, without preamble. Both Remy _and_ Saya looked up in concern, their gaze immediately going from Rude to the notably pale redhead behind him. He quickly stood up as straight as he could manage, holding his hands up to wave them off.

"I'm _fine_ ," he insisted, though even to his own ears, he didn't sound particularly convincing. Remy immediately strode over to him, her hand flying toward him so fast he half thought she intended to smack him. Instead, the back of her fingers came to rest gently against his forehead.

"Fine? You're burning up," she declared, after a few seconds. "Medical Suite. Now. Rude... make sure he gets there, and don't let him leave until he's seen by someone."

"Yes, ma'am," the other rookie replied, and the redhead caught sight of the smug look of triumph on his face before he physically turned Reno to face the door and marched him out, past the others who had begun to filter into the room.

"Asshole," he muttered, annoyed, as he was escorted back to the elevator.

"It's for your own good."

* * *

Dr. Ward clucked her tongue in disapproval as she took in her patient's obviously ill appearance.

"Open," she commanded. Reno scowled. " _Open_ , or I'll have yer friend come back here and hold yeh down, and yeh'll be getting one in the _other_ end instead."

Not willing to risk _that_ indignity, the redhead grudgingly opened his mouth and allowed her to slip the thermometer under his tongue. After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor retrieved it. She glared at it.

"A hundred and one point three," she reported, "How long have yeh been feelin' off?"

"Just... ya know... this mornin'..." he replied, hoping to salvage his day. Rude loudly cleared his throat from the other side of the privacy screen. "Tch... fine. I didn't feel so great last night, either."

The sound repeated itself, insistently.

"Or... most of yesterday afternoon," he added with an irritated glare in the general direction of his fellow rookie.

"Hmph... Well? Let's have a list of symptoms, then. Besides the fever, how do yeh feel?"

"Tired as all fuckin' hell... I didn't sleep for shit last night." At her disapproving frown, the redhead rolled his eyes. "Doc, I've had a _really_ shitty couple of days, next to no sleep, and I feel like crap right now... so don't bother tellin' me to watch my goddamn language. You can _keep_ the fuckin' candy."

"Symptoms," the doctor demanded again.

"Tch... I don't know. Like I said... I'm tired 'cause I couldn't sleep... haven't been feelin' hungry like... at _all_... stomach's kinda been hurtin'..." He winced slightly as the pain chose that moment to spike again, and instinctively pressed a hand against the point it seemed to radiate from... which, unfortunately only made it worse. When he looked up again, Ward's frown had deepened.

"Hmm..." She patted the exam table beside her. "Climb up here, and lay down for me."

The redhead grumbled, but did as he was told, hoisting himself onto the little platform and settling onto his back. Ward pulled on a pair of gloves, and reached for him, undoing his belt and unzipping his pants.

"Tch... what? Just 'cause I got no appetite you're not even gonna _offer_ to buy me dinner first?"

Ward shook her head in amusement. "Just try ta relax and tell me where it hurts the most."

Her fingers pressed firmly against his belly, slowly shifting location as the doctor gauged how much discomfort her patient was in. It wasn't until she moved a bit to his right side and applied pressure that Reno, quite literally, saw stars as white-hot pain blossomed. He yelped loudly and tried to curl in on himself to protect pain's the point of origin.

" _Fuck!_ " he groaned, arms now wrapped around himself, "The hell'd ya _do_ to me?"

"That's what I was afraid of," Ward responded, shaking her head as she stripped off the gloves. Her hand comfortingly squeezed his arm. "I hate ta be the bearer of bad news, my little headache... but I'd wager good money that _yeh've_ come down with appendicitis. We'll take yeh over ta Midgar General ta confirm, and ta get yeh inta surgery."

At the mention of surgery, the redhead was immediately at attention.

"W-wait... _surgery_?" He vehemently shook his head. "Nuh uh... No way, Doc. The _last_ time I had to do that shit, I was stuck on medical restriction for weeks and damn near drove myself _nuts_. Fuck that... It's not _that_ bad. I'll just fuckin' deal with it hurtin' 'til it gets better."

"No, yeh _won't_. Because it's not _going_ ta get better on it's own. That appendix needs ta come out before it ruptures," Dr. Ward replied, but the redhead was already on his feet again and straightening his clothes as he made his way out into the waiting area. He glowered as he suddenly found his path blocked by Rude.

" _Seriously_?" he growled when the other rookie refused to let him by. Rude folded his arms over his chest.

"Yeh just sit yerself down. Yer not going anywhere," Ward said. She looked at Rude. "I'll see ta getting him ta the hospital. _Yeh_ go and let that mentor of his know what going on."

"Tch... good luck with _that_ ," the redhead muttered petulantly, "Tseng's on leave for awhile."

The doctor cocked an eyebrow at the new information, and glanced over at Rude for confirmation. He nodded.

"... His sister died. The Sector 3 attack. He's in Wutai for the funeral and then he's taking some personal time. We're not sure when he'll be back."

 _'Or_ _ **if**_ _he'll be back,'_ Reno couldn't help but think for the umpteen millionth time in the last twenty four hours. He didn't dare say so, though. That would require far too much explanation, and the Turks' and Shinra's involvement in the attack was supposed to be a secret.

"I see..." Ward replied, her tone softening slightly. "Well, that doesn't change the fact that yer going ta need surgery. Rude, yeh go and tell _Veld_ what's going on. Leave this little troublemaker ta me."

Reno groaned as Rude left to do Ward's bidding and the doctor led him back to the examination area, and settled him in a chair behind the screen.

"Don't yeh worry. I'll stay with yeh until they put yeh under."

The redhead snorted in contempt. "I don't need you to fuckin' babysit me."

But he _did_ have to admit that it wassomewhat less daunting to know that he wasn't simply going to be left to his own devices. Still, though... why the hell did this shit have to happen _now_? Things didn't suck enough at the moment? Life had to throw in a little emergency surgery, too?

"Yer going ta be in bed for a few days... and on medical restriction for a week or two after that while yeh heal. I can only assume that Tseng thought ta leave yeh under the care of one of the other Turks while he's gone. Who's supposed ta be looking after yeh?"

"... Remy."

"I'll be sure she's kept up ta date, then," Dr. Ward said with a nod. "Alright... let's get yeh bundled off ta Midgar General."

* * *

Rude road the elevator back upstairs in silence, ignoring the other passengers who occasionally boarded or disembarked on the way. They ignored him right back. A part of him was still vaguely in disbelief. He'd had appendicitis when he was twelve. It had hurt so much that _he_ could barely stand up at the time. How Reno was still _walking around_ , much less insisting that he'd just work through the pain, was beyond him.

The elevator chimed, announcing his arrival at headquarters and he stepped out... only to be nearly bowled over by Shay as he dashed past.

"Sorry!" the other Turk, called over his shoulder... before running headlong into Luca while his attention was focused on Rude. The collision sent both men to the floor in a shower of paper as the bundle of files Shay had been carrying went flying.

"For Odin's sake, Shay..." Luca muttered, picking himself back up.

"Sorry... these kind of got put on hold last week, and they need to be turned in by this afternoon," he replied, scrambling to retrieve the files. Rude snorted a soft laugh and edged around the pair without offering to help. He'd been told to speak to Veld... but he suspected the Turk leader was still busy upstairs. Which meant he needed to commandeer a few minutes with Remy, instead... before the woman became utterly absorbed in her assignments for the day.

He found her in Tseng's office, looking over the rookies' training schedules.

"Oh... Good. I was just going to come looking for you. Tseng has you scheduled for your pilot's certification this afternoon. If you don't have any objections, I'd actually like to do it before lunch and then have you working with Rodney this afternoon instead. He and Reno were supposed to be with Luca for armed sparring, but I assume Reno has been sidelined for the day and sent home by now."

"... Not _exactly_."

The senior Turk looked up in surprise. "He can't _possibly_ have been cleared..."

Rude shook his head. "He's on his way to Midgar General with Dr. Ward."

"H-he's _what_?!" Remy sputtered.

"Appendicitis."

"... Appendi – Oh, for _Leviathan's_ sake. What _else_ can go wrong today?!"

"Um... Is this a bad time?" a new voice queried, and Rude turned to see Cissnei peering around him from the doorway. He silently shuffled out of her way. Remy sighed.

"No... No, of course not. What did you need?"

"Saya sent me to tell you that Security has decided to take over the firing range for their personnel's firearm recertification. They said they notified Tseng last week that it wouldn't be available."

Remy glanced down at the schedule in her hands. "There's no _note_ of that..."

Before she had time to flip through more than a page or two of the information, Shay elbowed his way into the room as well.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, somewhat breathlessly, brandishing a haphazardly stacked bundle of papers.

"What are _those_?" Remy hesitantly queried.

"The requisition forms for the month. Well, _most_ of them, I think. Er... long story. They need to be approved, signed and turned in by three today," he replied, setting them on the desk.

"And you're bringing them to me because... ?"

"Well... because Tseng _usually_ takes care of it now. Veld assigned it to him. I just assumed that since you were taking over his other duties..."

Remy held up a hand, silencing the other Turk, and took a deep breath. She slowly released it.

"Just... leave them there. I'll deal with them later."

Shay set the stack down. It immediately teetered, and the pile slumped over, sending papers cascading across Tseng's desk. "Uh... Okay, there ya go!" he said, quickly, and beat a hasty retreat.

"Cissnei, tell Saya that I'll speak with Security as soon as I have a free moment, and find out when range practice can resume. I'm sure she can find something to keep you rookies busy for awhile."

"Yes, ma'am," Cissnei replied. She cast Rude a friendly smile before retreating from the office as well. Remy lowered herself into the chair behind the desk and shook her head.

"How in the nine hells does he keep this all _straight_?" she groaned to herself. She glanced up at Rude again. " _Appendicitis_?"

The rookie nodded.

"Alright," Remy sighed, " _You_ go on and catch up to Saya and the other rookies. I'll... let Veld know about Reno as soon as his meeting with the executive board is finished, and then I'll check in with... you said Ward was looking after him?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'll check in with Ward, and see how he'd doing."

"... I _could_ stay and help you with that," Rude offered, nodding towards the mass of paperwork that had been dropped on her, but Remy shook her head.

"I can _handle_ it," she replied... though Rude was almost certain he heard a note of uncertainty in the senior Turk's voice.

* * *

Reno eyed the tube that ran from his inner elbow up to a bag of clear fluid hanging from a pole beside his bed. He hadn't actually watched them do it... but he still _swore_ that the needle they'd shoved into him was absolutely massive. He shuddered thinking about it there... lodged under his skin and taped in place. Apparently, in addition to having an appendix that had decided that right this fucking second was a great time to keel over and die, he was also 'slightly dehydrated'. The needle was supposed to fix that before they operated.

All in all, he supposed it could be worse. Ward had left him for the moment to see to some paperwork, but the nurse who came in to check on him while she was gone had been pretty. He was _relatively_ comfortable, having been given something to dull the pain... which by now had shifted more to his right side... though Dr. Ward had been _very_ particular about what they used on him, after his previous reaction to painkillers. And he had the room to himself, which, from what he'd heard anyway, was something of a luxury.

He would still rather have been just about anywhere else, though. The sheets on his bed were stiff and scratchy... and the stupid little gown that oh-so-conveniently opened in the back made him feel ridiculous. And, of course, there was that Ifrit-be-damned needle in his arm... not to mention that annoying as fuck thing nearby that was wired up to sticky pads on his chest and beeped constantly.

The fact that he was attached to various pieces of equipment, and thus couldn't get up and move around, also made him _want_ to move. Desperately.

The last time he'd been here hadn't been nearly as bad. Of course, he really didn't _remember_ much of _that_ visit, given that he'd been drugged out of his mind for half of it, and out cold for most of the remainder. All he really recalled was waking up to find Tseng sitting beside him.

" _I could never simply abandon you."_

That was what Tseng had told him then... and the redhead had believed him. As it turned out, he was a gullible little idiot... because certainly _felt_ like Tseng hadabandoned him now. The worst part was Reno couldn't even be mad about it. Not really. Not after what had happened to Mayu. But that didn't make him feel any better about the validation of his fear that – when it came right down to it – Tseng _wasn't_ his family. His mentor had his _own_ family, and they would always matter more than he did.

And he knew damn well how selfish he was being about that, too... but goddammit, he was sick and he was scared, and he desperately wanted Tseng to be here right now! He didn't like this place. He didn't like the smell or the endless whiteness. He didn't like all the tubes, and wires, and needles. And he sure as _hell_ didn't like the idea of being knocked out and cut open.

He suddenly realized just how worked up he was making himself, and forced himself to breathe before wiping away the moisture that had gathered in the corners of his eyes with the back of the one hand that _wasn't_ connected to something. Just in time, as it turned out, because a moment later, Dr. Ward returned, with the pretty nurse and another doctor in tow.

"I'm just going to give you a little something to make you sleepy," the new doctor said, producing a syringe. The redhead cringed, and heard Ward chuckle quietly next to him.

"Relax, my little headache... No more shots for awhile. That's what the IV is for," she said. He breathed a faint sigh of relief when he saw that the man was injecting it into the bag of fluid rather than his arm. "Just lay back and let it go ta work. The next thing yeh know, it'll all be over."

"Hey, Doc? Can ya do me a favor?" he asked, as he settled back against the pillow. "Can ya maybe let Tseng know I'm okay?"

Ward patted him on the shoulder. "I spoke ta Remy a bit ago while I was filling out yer intake forms. She said she'd let him know what's going on."

"... 'kay." Whatever that shit they gave him was, it worked fast. He could already feel it taking hold. He didn't bother trying to fight it. Instead, Reno closed his eyes and let the darkness claim him.

* * *

Tseng let his mind drift, eyes closed against the light that streamed through the little window beside him, and did his best to tune out the noise of the plane's engines. It _almost_ worked. But all too soon, his treasonous conscience reminded him of the fact that his sister was stowed below in the cargo compartment, and of his mother's wails of grief and his father's quiet fury when he'd called home to tell them.

He exhaled slowly and raised a hand to his face, rubbing his eyes. He was holding himself together... but barely. How he was going to make it through the next few days, he wasn't sure. Hopefully, it would be... easier... once he arrived. Though he doubted it. He had yet to tell his parents the _whole_ story.

And he knew that he had to. His guilt would never again allow him a moment's peace if he didn't.

His phone suddenly vibrated in the inside breast pocket of his jacket and he instinctively reached for it. The screen displayed Remy's name. Under normal circumstances, he would have answered it immediately... but these weren't normal circumstances. For a moment, he simply stared it.

And then he realized... he didn't _want_ to answer it. He didn't want to be beholden to _anyone_ at the moment, least of all Shinra Company. Whatever she wanted, he simply couldn't bring himself to care. It wasn't his problem right now. He just wanted to be left in peace for awhile. So he let it ring.

Eventually, it stopped. When it did, he shut the phone off entirely and tucked it back into his pocket.

~end chapter 64~


	65. A New Second in Command

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 65: A New Second in Command**

 **by Desha**

Rude groaned softly and nudged what the cafeteria menu _alleged_ was sautéed spinach away from the rest of his lunch, effectively banishing it to the far side of his plate. It didn't go willingly, leaving a trail of green slime in its wake.

"It could be worse. Remember the carrots they were serving _last_ week?" Cissnei pointed out.

"Remember them? I'm still having nightmares about them," the bald rookie deadpanned. The young woman snickered and stabbed her fork into today's rendition of tuna casserole.

" _How_ can a company as powerful as Shinra fail so completely at the relatively simple task of feeding its employees?" Rodney groused.

"Ugh... if yeh ever figure that'un out, let me know," Sato interjected as he carried his own plate over to their table and took a seat across from Rude. Saya joined him a moment later and slid into the chair next to the rookie.

"Hmph... I don't know how _any_ of yeh can eat with Reno in the hospital. I don't suppose yeh've heard anything yet?" she asked, pointedly looking at Rude. He shook his head.

"Oh, quit yer worryin'," Sato replied. "Not like the kid got hurt or anything. Just a little appendectomy. They do a million of 'em every day. 'Sides... first one they're gonna contact is Remy, innit? Tseng named _her_ his guardian while he's gone. Go 'n pester _her_ fer awhile."

"The _last_ person I want ta pester right now is Remy. Poor thing's completely overwhelmed tryin' ta learn how ta do Tseng's job on the fly. I dinna think she quite knew what she was in fer. He always made it look _easy_ ," his cousin replied, before lifting a forkful of the spinach to her mouth and taking a bite. She immediately grimaced and spat it into a napkin. "Ugh! That's absolutely _foul_!"

The table collectively snickered at her reaction, and those who hadn't already done so quickly pushed their own servings of the vegetable of the day off to one side.

"Oughta send Rude here inta the kitchen..." Sato commented, "Might actually get somethin' edible fer once."

"Edible? From what I hear tell, we'd have a bloody _gourmet_ lunch fer a change," Saya laughed, wrapping an arm around the rookie in question. Rude couldn't help but blush slightly at the compliment.

"I didn't know you could cook," Cissnei said, glancing up at her fellow rookie.

"... I'm okay at it," he mumbled in reply.

"That's not how Reno tells it," Sato snickered. "Accordin' ta him, yer the best chef in Midgar." He paused for a moment in thought. "'Course that kid'll eat damn near anything yeh put in front of him... 'n then ask yeh fer a bite o' _yers_ ta boot... so I'm not sure that's really the best endorsement yeh could get."

"Just don't ask _Reno_ ta cook for yeh," Saya chuckled, shaking his head, "Rude's got first-hand experience with _that_..."

The rookie groaned softly at the memory.

"Don't remind me..."

"Not ta spoil the mood," Sato suddenly said, his tone going serious, "but have any of yeh got any word on the situation with Wutai? Fer Titan's sake, we're framin' 'em fer blowin' up a train station. And _they_ were goin' to drop half the city onta the other half."

Rude nodded. "I over heard Veld talking to Remy earlier. Shinra will be issuing a ultimatum later today. Surrender, or Shinra will attack."

"How long do yeh think we've got?" Saya asked her cousin, who simply shrugged.

"Dunno. We could be at war tamorrow... Could be a month from now. S'pose it depends on how willin' they are ta negotiate. _Shinra_ dunnae want a war, fer sure... but they'll not back down from one, neither."

"Why should we negotiate?" Rodney asked. " _They_ started it. The only reason Sector 5 isn't a smoldering heap is because we beat them to the punch. _Barely_. If they want to fight us, I say we let them."

"Because, _genius_ ," Cissnei replied, "Shinra wants to make a _profit._ War is expensive. If we can avoid it _and_ get to build a new reactor in Wutai as a concession, that would be an ideal outcome for all involved."

"She's right yeh know," Saya agreed. "Shinra'll use the attack as leverage. Give us what we want, or we'll decimate yeh. Only _real_ question is... how bad does Wutai want a fight?"

Silence fell at the table after that proclamation. No one really knew what else to say.

* * *

The grogginess of the drugs was finally starting to wear off a bit. He wasn't quite sure how long he'd been awake. Not _that_ long, he didn't think. Long enough to figure out where the hell he was and remember why he was there, anyway. Ward had been in, briefly, when he'd first come around... but he'd drifted off at some point, and when he woke again, she was gone.

Reno shifted slightly in the bed and winced. His side still hurt. It was different from before, though. Before, it had been an excruciatingly sharp, stabbing pain emanating from deep inside that, when it was at its worst, took his breath away. Now it was more of a throbbing, raw ache, as though he'd been sliced open.

Which, he belatedly realized, he _had_ been.

The redhead raised a hand and cautiously prodded the thick layer of gauze that had been taped over the incision. It hurt... and he quickly decided that it was probably in his best interest to just leave it the hell alone. The door to his left opened, and he turned his head, expecting to see Dr. Ward returning. Instead, he found himself looking at yet another very attractive nurse.

He managed a sleepy grin. This one was blond. He'd always had kind of a thing for blonds.

"Hi there," she said softly, "How are you feeling?"

Reno shrugged. "Tired... Kinda sore, I guess."

The woman picked up the chart from the end of his bed and looked it over.

"Well... it looks like you're due for some pain medication in just a few minutes, so that should help a bit with _that_ ," she said, smiling warmly. "In the mean time, is there anything I can get you? Another blanket? Some water? I'm afraid you can't have any food just yet, but liquids are fine."

"How 'bout your phone number?" he asked.

"Nice try, but I think you're a little too young for me," the nurse laughed, "Besides... I'm married."

"Tch... figures."

"I'll go see about that pain medication for you," she said, shaking her head in amusement.

Reno settled back against the pillows and watched her go. He yawned slightly and let his eyes close. He was getting drowsy again... He'd probably end up falling asleep pretty soon, medicated or not. And he just didn't have it in him right now to fight it. Besides... it wasn't as if there were any reason to force himself to stay awake anyway. He was on his own for now. Plus, he hadn't been kidding about being sore. More sleep sounded pretty damn good at the moment.

He was only dimly aware when another doctor came into his room and approached his bed a few minutes later. Reno was out like a light again by the time the man had finished administering the medication.

* * *

Remy breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she signed her approval on the last requisition form. She'd had to work through lunch, and had been interrupted any number of times in the process... but it was done. _Finally_. They just had to be turned into the General Affairs Department's budget office before three that afternoon. Done with over an hour to spare. She leaned back in her chair intent on spending a few minutes in restorative meditation...

… which of course was apparently the cue for her PHS to start ringing.

She sat up and reached across the desk, grabbing it... and silently hoped that it was Tseng, returning her earlier call. He hadn't answered when she'd tried to notify him of Reno's surgery, so she'd resorted to leaving a voicemail. She had _intended_ to try him again later... mostly because the rookie had seemed so concerned about him being informed... but had gotten so bogged down in requisitions and reports and dealing with all the other minutia that kept the Turks functioning, it had entirely slipped her mind.

A part of her also wished he would call so she could ask him how in the nine hells he managed to make juggling all of this look so effortless... even though she knew for certain that she would never dare venture such a question. That would be akin to admitting she didn't know what she was doing. She... just had to find her rhythm. That was all. Eventually it would all start to fall into place.

Remy shook her head and noted the caller ID on the phone. It wasn't Tseng, but she quickly answered, nonetheless.

"Remy here. How is he?"

"Out of surgery and recovering," Dr. Ward's voice replied, "He did just fine. He's been awake, but he's still a wee bit out of it from the anesthesia. We'll keep him here for observation overnight, but baring any complications, he should be able ta go home in the morning."

The Turk breathed another sigh of relief. Not that she'd been _overly_ concernedabout something as commonplace as an appendectomy... but it was still a a weight off her shoulders to know that the rookie was doing well, and one less item on her list of things to worry about was always a good thing.

"How long will he be out on medical restriction?" she asked.

"Two weeks, or so, I'd say... but he _does_ tend ta heal fairly quickly, so he might yet surprise us. I _do_ want him on bed rest for the next two ta three days, though... not that he's likely ta _want_ ta be up 'n about right away ta begin with. He'll need someone checking in on him regularly until he's up ta moving around more on his own."

"Understood," Remy replied, making a mental note of the instructions. A knock on her office door pulled her attention away from the call momentarily, and she suppressed yet another groan. What _now_? "I'm afraid I need to let you go, Doctor. Please keep me up to date."

"Aye, I will." Ward replied.

Remy ended the call and set the phone back on the corner of her desk.

"Yes? Come in," she called out. The door opened, and she caught sight of Rude. This time, she didn't _quite_ manage to hold back the groan. "Your helicopter certification..." she breathed. She'd forgotten. Maybe she _should_ have moved it to this morning rather than sending him off with the other rookies after he'd taken Reno down to Medical, after all.

"... Is this a bad time?" Rude asked. She sighed and shook her head.

"No... It's fine. I just seem to have gotten a bit... behind... today. That's all." The certification exam would take at least an hour. Reno would certainly be fully awake by then. She had _intended_ to be there when he was lucid enough to realize he had visitors. She knew that _Tseng_ always tried to be when one of the rookies was hurt...

"Have you heard anything about Reno?" the younger Turk asked.

"Oh... yes, actually. The surgery is done and he's in recovery now."

"... Are you going to go check on him?"

Remy sighed. "I had _planned_ to... but your test..."

"We can put it off," Rude said, shaking his head. "Can I come with you? Tres already planned on not needing me for awhile, and Luca canceled the afternoon sparring session for the others. He's got more to do down in interrogation than he thought."

Remy hesitated a moment. Moving the certification exam would put her even _more_ behind than she already was, and who knew what else was going to be thrown at her with war virtually imminent any second now. But then again, it _would_ let her check on the rookie... and she'd made a promise to Tseng. There had been very little that he was adamant about when she and Veld had gone to see him before he left for Wutai... his thoughts had largely been elsewhere... but he'd been insistent that she look after the redhead for him. And she had sworn that she would, to the best of her ability.

At last, she nodded.

"Alright. You can come," she replied.

* * *

Remy and Rude arrived in the recovery ward of Midgar General in the midst of what appeared to be some sort of minor calamity. Several doctors and nurses were rushing to and fro, and there was a palpable sense of urgency in the air.

"What in Titan's name... ?" a voice behind them said, and Rude turned to see Dr. Ward striding down the hallway, shaking her head, "I leave that little troublemaker alone for _fifteen_ minutes..."

She brushed past the two Turks and headed straight into a room a little further down... which seemed to be the epicenter of the disturbance. Rude glanced over at Remy for a moment, and then the two of them simultaneously set off after her in concern.

"Keep him still! He'll tear out the stitches if he keeps moving around like that!" one of the doctors demanded, as the pair of them pushed into the room, and Rude's eyes widened at the sight that greeted him. Two rather burly orderlies had the slender redhead pinned to the bed. Tangled in the sheets though he was, Reno was still ineffectively trying to fight his way free.

"... Can't... can't breathe..." the redhead wheezed, drawing in rapid half-breaths as he struggled. For a brief moment, Rude locked eyes with his friend, and he could see the absolute terror that had seized him. "Let go... Let me up!"

The rookie was torn between letting the doctors do their job, and rushing to his friend's aid to pry them the hell off of him. It was more than obvious that Reno absolutely _didn't_ want to be restrained... but it was just as obvious that something was very, very wrong. His breathing was labored, and sweat dotted his brow. And when he _did_ manage to speak, it was with a disturbingly weak voice. If anything, the redhead looked far _worse_ than he had that morning... and he'd looked pretty bad then, in Rude's opinion.

"EVERYONE OF YEH... FREEZE!" Ward shouted in so loud a voice that even Remy jumped in fright. It seemed to have much the same effect on everyone else as well.

" _Yeh_ and _yeh_ ," she continued, pointing at the orderlies as she stormed up to them, "Let go of my patient this instant. Yer just making it worse..."

They grudgingly obeyed, and Reno immediately latched onto Ward's arm as though it were a lifeline, still breathing in shallow, ragged gasps.

"As fer the rest of yeh, which of yeh idiots ignored the note in his chart that very plainly said _no narcotics_?!" the woman demanded angrily, while at the same time, gently rubbing the redhead's back in an effort to calm him down. One of the younger staff members hesitantly took a step forward and Ward glared at him. "Yeh and I will be having a wee _talk_ later. All of yeh, out. This isn't a code... this is a panic attack. Just give him a bit of space and he'll be fine."

The medical team filtered back out of the room, leaving Ward and the three Turks on their own.

"Of all the irresponsible, _idiotic_ things ta do..." she said, shaking her head in disgust as she held the redhead protectively. "Shh... Yer alright. Nice slow breaths, now, Reno..."

The ailing rookie coughed faintly and curled in on himself.

"Is he alright?" Remy asked, making her way over to the bed. Rude was quick to follow. Though he didn't look quite so terrified now, Reno was still clearly suffering from the effects of... whatever the hell had happened.

"He'll be fine. Just needs ta calm down a wee bit. If this doesn't start ta improve in a few minutes, I'll get him a mild sedative so he can sleep it off... but I'd rather not. He's had more than enough drugs in his system for one day." She scowled, shaking her head again, _"Bloody_ interns! His chart is _very_ clear on what he can and can't have. I bloody well made _sure_ of it after the _last_ time this happened. Yeh can rest assured I'm not going ta just let this matter drop. It was absolutely unforgivably negligent! They're bloody lucky it wasn't an _allergic_ reaction, or something more serious."

The redhead somehow managed a faint laugh.

"Doc... I'm really glad I'm not the one that pissed ya off. You're fuckin' scary when you're mad..."

"Ah... feelin' a bit better, are yeh?" Ward asked, as she gently laid him back down on the bed.

"... Kinda. Not really. Still feel pretty weird."

"Mmm... That'll be the painkillers, I'd wager. It'll be awhile yet before they wear off." At the expression of distress that declaration was met with the doctor sighed. "I think I'll get yeh that sedative after all. Better than yeh being stuck layin' here for hours, tryin' ta keep yerself from going inta another episode..." She patted him on the head and stood up, turning to the other two Turks. "I'll be back in minute. Just keep the poor thing calm."

Remy nodded and settled into the chair next to Reno's bed while Rude took up a position behind her.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Tch... like someone decided to kick me in the fuckin' chest. Right after they stabbed me in the side 'n gave me the worst nightmare I've ever had," the rookie muttered. He shifted to a slightly more comfortable position, wincing as the movement aggravated his injured side. "I don't like that shit they gave me... I don't feel right." He glanced up at Remy. "Did you tell Tseng I was, ya know... here?"

The senior Turk looked down somewhat awkwardly. "I _did_ call him... but I only got his voicemail," he replied, before hurriedly assuring him, "I left a message, though. I'm sure he's just... busy. With the funeral and everything. He'll call just as soon as he gets that message."

"... Yeah," the redhead sighed. Rude frowned, but said nothing. He had a pretty good idea what his friend was thinking. And it made him angry. Not at Reno... at Tseng. Of _course_ he understood that the man was grieving... but he was also pointedly ignoring the family he still had left. It was almost cruel... _especially_ where someone like Reno was concerned.

Ward chose that moment to return, however, and Rude knew from the determined look on her face that their brief visit was coming to an end.

"Alright..." the doctor said, as she stabbed a needle into the IV that was connected to the rookie's arm, "I'm not going ta give yeh too much. Just enough ta take the edge off. But yer probably still tired enough that yeh'll start ta feel sleepy again anyway." She glanced at the other two Turks. "As for yeh two, I'm cutting visiting hours short taday. I think he's had enough excitement."

"I'll check in again later," Remy assured him, before getting up. Rude smirked slightly and ruffled his friend's hair.

"Try and stay out of trouble for once."

"Tch... fuck off," the redhead replied, swatting his friend's hand away with a yawn. The pair trailed the doctor into the hallway, leaving the rookie behind to sleep. Remy paused and turned to Ward.

"Would you mind explaining to me what exactly _that_ was?" she asked, voicing the question Rude very much wanted to have answered as well. He'd been half-convinced Reno was dying for moment there.

" _That_ was a drug induced panic attack," Ward replied, "It's happened once before. We found out the last time he was here that he's a bit sensitive ta narcotic painkillers. _Which_ I thoroughly documented and noted in his records. It probably didn't help that he seems more than slightly upset over Tseng taking off, as well. He'll be fine, don't yeh worry."

"... so it was all in his head?" Rude queried, and he couldn't help but feel slightly miffed about that. _He'd_ really thought something was wrong.

Dr. Ward fixed him with an angry stare.

"Don't yeh _dare_ go writing it off like that," she said, prodding him roughing in the chest with her index finger, and had he not been a little terrified _himself_ all of a sudden, the picture painted by the aging physician laying into a Turk nearly twice her size might have made him laugh. Dr. Ward, however, didn't seem to find the situation the least bit amusing, however. "Yeh _might_ try showing yer friend there a wee bit of _compassion_! It might not have been a deadly reaction, but yeh can be sure he certainly _felt_ as though it was! A panic attack's nothing ta laugh at, unless yer feeling cruel. It's pure fear... most times with no idea where it's coming from or what yer even afraid _of_ ," she continued, narrowing her eyes at him, "It's even worse for Reno, if yeh ask me. Most people, once they've come out of it, will be a wee bit on edge for awhile, but otherwise fine. _His_ anxiety is being triggered by medication... which means he's stuck in that state until said medication wears off!"

Rude backed off, chastised, and promptly shut his mouth. Ward seemed satisfied enough by the reaction, and he was glad. Reno was right... the woman was downright scary when she was pissed off.

"Will this affect his discharge?" Remy asked, and the doctor shook her head.

"I doubt it. Once it's out of his system, he'll be back ta normal. Unless we start seeing complications from the operation, he can go home ta rest in the morning."

"Good," the senior Turk breathed. "Please let me know when you're ready to let him leave." At Ward's nod of acknowledgment, she looked over at Rude. "Come on. We should get back to the office. If nothing else has come up we might still be able to get to your pilot's certification today."

Rude nodded and with a quick wave to the doctor, followed her to the elevator. As they rode it down, Remy snuck a quick glance at her watch... and made a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a wail.

"Oh, no... It's after _three_! I never turned in the requisition forms!"

~end chapter 65~


	66. Grief

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 66: Grief**

 **by Desha**

Three days.

He'd arrived late that first night... Veld's arrangements had only gotten him as far as the island nation itself. He'd had to find his own transportation to the family estate. It was a remote place, quite some distance from the larger villages and surrounded mainly by farms on one side and mountains on the other. The nearest village was a quarter day's walk. It was a beautiful place to grow up.

He wished his return had been under happier circumstances.

His mother had welcomed him home with tears... his father with stony silence. It was more than clear that he blamed him. Tseng was supposed to have been his sister's protector, and he had failed completely. Da Chou help him when his father learned the _full_ truth...

Two of his older brothers – the eldest, Hisao, and the third eldest, Jian – and Koto, the youngest of the Itsudake boys, had already been there as well, and he had no doubt the others were on their way by then. He should have told them _then_ what had happened. What had _really_ befallen Mayu. But he was a coward... He feared that if they knew, his father would bar him from attending the funeral. And so he'd held his tongue for three long days.

He'd come dangerously close to breaking that silence this morning when he saw his sister reduced to nothing but cold ash and bone inside a simple urn, painted with cherry blossoms – Mayu's favorite – as it was placed reverently inside the family crypt. He'd forced himself to be silent, however. It wasn't right to interrupt her burial for his own need to confess.

Now, though... now there was little excuse. The rituals were over and done with, the mourners had returned home. It was just his own family now, alone in their loss and sadness. And he was about to compound that sadness.

It was just after six in the evening. The rain had started an hour ago and hadn't stopped since, and they were gathered around the dinner table blanketed in a thick silence. The delicious aroma of his mother's cooking seemed strangely out of place with the somber mood.

It had been a long time since Tseng had taken a seat at his family's traditional little chabudai. The short-legged table still bore the many nicks and scratches inflicted upon it by years of young boys waging silent war over meals the moment their parents' backs were turned on them. He ran his thumb along one notably deep scratch along the outer edge and tried to recall what might have done such damage... but there were so many memories. It was impossible to pinpoint which one corresponded with that particular mark.

It was time he told them.

"Father... There is something you need to know about... what happened in Midgar." He'd intended to say 'Mayu's death'. It was always best to be absolutely direct with his father, rather than hedge around an issue. But the words were simply too painful to form.

"Speak up, Tseng," the man commanded him, "And look at me when you do."

He hadn't even realized he'd dropped his gaze. He obeyed without question, meeting the older man's eyes. He knew. Dear Leviathan, he already _knew_. Not the specifics, of course... but he knew Tseng had been hiding something. His resolve very nearly faltered, but he forced himself to continue. It would only be harder later if he bowed to his own cowardice now.

"It... was _my_ fault," he began. "I allowed it to happen."

"Tseng... There was no way you could have known," his mother said, gently, reaching for his hand. He pulled away from her.

"I _did_ know, Mother," he confessed, and swallowed sharply against the sudden thickness in this throat. "The attack on the train station that killed Mayu... was intended to prevent a far worse attack. Shinra attacked the station themselves to stop Wutaiian mercenaries from destroying an entire sector."

"You knew," his father said coldly, "And you did _nothing_?"

"I didn't know she would be there," Tseng replied. "But... I also didn't warn her _not_ to be there. I was under orders. There was to be no communication until after the attack."

"Oh, Tseng..." his mother gasped, and he couldn't be sure if it was in horror or in pity. Perhaps it was both. His brothers seemed to share her feelings, but could only watch, wordlessly.

"That... is not the worst of my sins, however," he continued, finding that he could no longer hold his father's gaze. His fingers clenched his knees as he knelt on the soft cushion at the table. "I was the one who recommended the attack. It... was the only way to save thousands."

A silence hung heavily over the table for several seconds.

"To save _thousands_... at the price of your own sister's life!" his father suddenly thundered, rising to his feet. He closed the distanced between himself and Tseng in a few short strides. "My _daughter's_ life!"

His fist closed around the collar of Tseng's shirt, and the Turk suddenly found himself sprawled on the wooden floor several feet away from where he'd been sitting.

"Hiro, please! Stop this!" he heard his mother cry. Tseng looked up at his father, and could see the rage in his eyes. "Please... I have already lost _one_ child!"

And he did stop, though little else changed. He simply stood there, looming ominously over his son.

"Wutai will make Shinra pay. That _company_ has corrupted you beyond redemption and I will not have you. Get out of my house," he demanded. "Get out and never return!" Hiro Itsudake turned his back on Tseng and angrily stormed out of the room. "You are no longer my son!" 

Tseng watched as four of his five brothers... all save the youngest... stood and followed their father out. When they were gone, his mother came to him, kneeling beside him as she gathered him into her arms and sobbed.

* * *

The pouring rain seemed somehow appropriate as he made his way down the muddy dirt road. He felt dead inside.

He hadn't lingered, lest the reprieve from what likely would have ended in his death that his father had granted him be rescinded. He had only stayed long enough to retrieve his bag, and kiss his mother goodbye... quite likely for the last time. He had no illusions that his father's fury would fade with time. He would never be taken back.

His brothers had refused to see him off... all but Koto, who seemed to understand the nature of his sacrifice better than the others, even if he didn't agree with it. He'd told him that he, at least, could forgive... in time. He wasn't sure if the others shared that sentiment.

His mother had cried. Then she had given him a bag of food for his trip home. And then she had cried some more and hugged him and kissed him before finally taking her youngest son back inside. She had _already_ forgiven... because she was his mother. But he was lost to her now, and they both knew it.

The house had long since faded into the distance, and Tseng could see the outline of the nearest village through the veil of pouring rain. It was late, and he was tired. There was a small inn there, he knew, with a warm, dry bed. It would suffice for the night. He would decide upon his next move in the morning.

The only thing he was certain of now was that he didn't want to return to Midgar. Not yet. He couldn't bear it yet. He wasn't _entirely_ certain he ever could.

* * *

Reno groaned as he forced himself off of the couch and made his way across the room to open the door in response to the loud knocking that had interrupted his gaming session. Truth be told, he was kind of glad. He'd been at it all afternoon. He could use a break, and every time he stopped playing his games and turned on the TV, all anyone was talking about was the coming war and the Shinra negotiations that were a last ditch, and probably futile, effort to prevent it. It was depressing.

"Hey," he said, upon seeing his visitor. Rude held up a large travel container.

"I brought food," he replied. The redhead smirked and shuffled painfully off to one side to let him in. "Still sore?"

"Tch... Ya know, the fuckin' incision's only like two inches long, and it _still_ feels like if I move wrong, my guts are gonna fall out," he groused, to which Rude chuckled.

"Thanks for _that_ visual right before dinner... Go sit down before you disembowel yourself."

Reno made his way back to the couch. This was becoming a bit of a routine by now. For the past two days, he'd been on bed rest, under strict orders to move as little as possible. He'd opted to camp out in his living room, as it gave him easier access to the kitchen, the TV, and his video games, and also made the walk to answer the door on occasion a lot shorter. Rude had decided that, since his friend was laid up, someone needed to make sure he was fed, and so he'd been bringing food for dinner and the next day over after work and seemed intent on doing so until the redhead could fend for himself again.

"Ya know... you don't _have_ to do this..." he called back to him, wincing as he eased himself down onto the cushions and tried to settle back into a comfortable position. "You _could_ go out instead. Maybe find someone to take home for the night?"

Rude didn't answer right away, emerging a moment later with two plates in hand. He set one on Reno's coffee table, and carried the other over to his own seat at the far end of the couch, leaving his friend room to stretch out if he needed to.

"Come on, Rude... you gotta put yourself back out there _some_ time. She's not comin' back."

"... I know," Rude replied. "I'm just not ready yet."

Reno shook his head, and decided to drop it. At least the guy wasn't sitting around alone, hoping his ex-girlfriend would magically show up and take him back. Still, though... Tres was right. He was still _seriously_ hung up on her, as though he were afraid that he'd never find someone he liked as well as Margaret. But that was a discussion for another time... Reno didn't much feel like talking about relationships at the moment, either.

But he still had to ask.

"... Has anyone heard from Tseng yet?"

Rude shook his head. "Remy's been trying to get ahold of him, but she just gets his voicemail. Veld thinks he probably shut his phone off."

Reno sighed and picked up his plate, taking a bite. Tilapia and grilled asparagus. Had he been in a slightly better mood, that might have made him smile. It was the first thing Rude had ever cooked for him, and it was just as delicious now as it had been then.

"He'll call," Rude reassured him, "When he's ready, he'll call."

"... I hope so," the redhead said softly. He was still fearful that Tseng was gone for good... and knowing that he was completely out of contact, even with Veld, did nothing to assuage those fears. He shook his head, and tried to banish that thought, though he had only limited success. "What about the whole Wutai thing? Anything on that front?"

"Just what's been all over the news. We're making it as public as we feasibly can, to keep public sentiment on our side. Shinra sent in a team to negotiate directly with Godo. Sent a few people from SOLDIER with them. No one seems real confident, though."

Reno sighed and shifted slightly, and had to bite back a yelp of pain.

"You okay?" Rude asked.

"Tch... yeah. Just hurts every fuckin' time I move. It's gettin' better, though."

"You should probably ask Dr. Ward to up the dosage of your pain meds. You'd be a lot more comfortable."

"... Yeah. I kinda haven't really been takin' those," the redhead hesitantly admitted. After what had happened at the hospital, he didn't trust that shit as far as he could throw it. Rude choked on the bite of fish he'd just taken.

"You haven't been taking _anything_ for the pain?"

Reno shrugged. "Well... aspirin. I mean, sure, it doesn't get _rid_ of it, but it takes the edge off..."

"... Are you out of your mind?" his friend asked, disbelievingly. The redhead glared at him.

"I can handle a little pain. I'm _not_ takin' that shit. I don't _ever_ wanna feel the way I felt in the hospital again. _Ever_."

"Ward wouldn't have given them to you if she thought they'd hurt you," Rude replied, shaking his head. "You're just making yourself suffer for no reason."

"Better than freakin' the hell out for no reason," he stated, decisively, "Look... the doc didn't know what that other shit would to to me 'til it was too late. How the fuck's she know what this new shit's gonna do? Not worth the risk, man..."

Rude sighed and set his plate down on the coffee table. "Where is it?"

Reno stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'll stay and make sure you're okay. Otherwise I'm calling Ward and ratting you out again."

"Tch... why the fuck's it _any_ of your business, anyway?" he replied, scowling.

"..."

"Fine. They're in the fuckin' bathroom," Reno grudgingly admitted. Rude snickered loudly and stood up.

"You're an annoying pain in the ass when you're hurting, you know that?" He crossed the room, slipping into Reno's bedroom and then into the bathroom beyond. Reno glared in his general direction for a few minutes until he finally emerged again, holding the little bottle of pills.

"Knew I shoulda tossed 'em..." he muttered as his fellow rookie consulted the label and then shook two capsules into the palm of his hand.

"We doing this the easy way or the hard way?" the older rookie asked, raising an eyebrow. Reno rolled his eyes and held his hand out with a sigh. At least Rude would be here if something went horribly wrong.

"Seriously... why the fuck do you care if I'm drugged up or not?" he grumbled before he shoved them in his mouth and chased them with a gulp of soda.

"Because I care about _you_ ," said Rude, "And if you're not going to take care of yourself, I guess I'll just have to do it for you. Now finish your dinner."

"Tch... and you say _I'm_ the annoying pain in the ass..."

* * *

For the next two weeks, Tseng stayed in Wutai, keeping to himself, moving from village to village, inn to inn. He wasn't sure where he was going. Hell, half the time, he was barely even aware of which _direction_ he was going.

Away.

That was the only destination he ever had in mind. Away from his father's house... away from Midgar... away from Shinra. Just... away. News of rising tensions between his homeland and Shinra, and the futile negotiations they were attempting with Lord Godo, greeted him just about everywhere he stopped. It wasn't until he eventually found himself on Wutai's northernmost peninsula that he realized that he didn't have anywhere else to go.

It was cooler here, being much farther north than the rest of the island nation. He himself had grown up far to the south, where summers were very nearly tropical and spring time gave an early taste of the approaching heat. But here, spring was barely even starting. The mornings still had a hint of frost in the air and the nights remained chilly, even though the sun warmed everything it touched during the day with a promise of warmer weather soon to come.

Today, though, there was no sun to speak of. Just cold gray skies and drizzling rain. At first, Tseng had welcomed the unpleasant weather. It had seemed to fit his mood. But it was starting to wear on him now. He stood on the stony beach, looking out across the waves. It looked like another storm was coming in... and for the first time in weeks he wished he weren't returning to a lonely room at an out of the way inn tonight. A person could only tolerate so much solitude.

Were he in Midgar, Veld would almost certainly have something to say about that. The man occasionally remarked that he'd seen so much loss in his time with Shinra, that he moved through the stages of grief faster than anyone he knew. Tseng vaguely wondered what he'd have to say about _his_ progress.

He'd shot straight through denial and then anger within the first few hours after being informed of Mayu's death. He seemed to have skipped the bargaining stage, however... though Veld had once mentioned to him that guilt fell into that category as well... and he certainly had _plenty_ of that right now.

He supposed that just left depression before he finally reached acceptance. Did wandering aimlessly in the most desolate parts of one's homeland qualify as depression? Perhaps he was somewhere in between the third and fourth stages. He had his doubts about acceptance, though.

Oh, he could easily accept many things. He accepted that Mayu's death had been entirely his fault. He accepted that he _absolutely_ could have prevented it. He accepted that his blind loyalty to a cold and uncaring company was the root cause of his poor choices. None of that brought him any comfort, however. He was still very much grieving for his sister.

Mayu may have been his _younger_ sister... but she was instrumental in making Tseng the person he'd become. At least before Shinra had gotten their hands on him. He'd doted on her from her very first moments. He'd been nine when she was born, and had fallen under her spell the moment he laid eyes on her. They all had. His parents, his brothers, his cousins... but it was Tseng who quickly became her favorite.

As an infant, he'd been able to soothe her when even her own mother could not. When she grew older, she wanted to do everything he did, and he... _he_ had adored having her as his shadow. Even when his friends teased him for letting her follow him around like a puppy. They had been inseparable, right up until he left for Midgar... and even then, their bond had remained, strong as ever.

She had been such a beautiful person. Kind and caring, sometimes to a fault. The type who would rescue a wounded bird and nurse it until it could fly again, or sit with it until the end came so it wouldn't be alone. So full of life and hope and dreams. She had wanted to see the world... but she'd barely had time to see little more than her homeland. It simply wasn't fair. She didn't deserve this.

It took him a moment to realize that the wetness on his face wasn't from the rain. It took him several more to realize that he didn't want to stay here in Wutai without her another day.

* * *

"Welcome back!" a voice greeted him, and Reno suddenly found himself caught in a tight hug as Cissnei ambushed him the moment he stepped off the elevator. The redhead grinned.

"Geez... Ya miss me or somethin'?" he asked. The other rookie released him and smiled.

"Nope. We've just been saddled with endless paperwork after Sector 3 and guess who's been stuck doing most of it..." she teased, "I might _finally_ get some relief now that you're back!"

"Oh, _terrific_ ," Reno groaned. Rookies _always_ got the shit jobs. Plus, even though, after just shy of two weeks of taking it easy, he felt great... he was on light duty until Ward officially cleared him. Unfortunately, that meant that if there was paperwork to be filled out and filed, he'd inevitably be assigned to do it.

Still... it was good to be back. He'd been starting to go a little stir crazy at home, even _with_ Rude and Remy visiting him daily to make sure he was still alive... and several of the others dropping in on occasion as well.

Cissnei walked with him to his office, and lingered for a moment. The redhead eyed her somewhat suspiciously.

"You waitin' on somethin'?" he asked. The other rookie's face took on a vaguely deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression and she hurriedly shook her head.

"O-oh... no. No, no, no... I just... um..." she stammered awkwardly, "You... don't happen to know when Rude's going to be in, do you? I had a question for him. About some of the intelligence reports I'm helping him and Tres catalog."

Reno raised a curious eyebrow. "Probably pretty soon... I got here a little earlier than I usually do. Couldn't _wait_ to get out of my apartment. You want me to tell him you're lookin' for him?"

"Er... Don't worry about it. It's not urgent. I'll run into him today, sooner or later," she replied, dismissively, "I'll see you at the briefing!"

With that, she ducked out of the office, leaving her fellow rookie slightly bemused. He shrugged it off, and settled himself at his desk before logging into the company intranet and checking to see if he'd missed anything interesting while he'd been out. The answer was a resounding no... unless by 'interesting' one meant construction schedules and a note that the pool was being cleaned this week and was thus closed.

"Good morning," a voice addressed him from the door as he was skimming through a memo reminding employees that smoking was forbidden in the building... and that the rule also applied the roof. He smirked. He was guilty of that himself... and knew several other people who were, too. Apparently someone had gotten caught. He turned to the door and spotted Remy.

"Hey," he replied.

"Ready to get back to work?" she asked.

"Heh... well, soon as I head down to Medical for the all-clear, I guess. Got somethin' for me already?"

"Actually... yes, as a matter of fact. But first, Veld would like to speak to you privately."

The redhead swallowed sharply. He didn't typically get summoned to the Turk leader's office for a one on one meeting... and his first thought was that there must be news about Tseng. His mentor had seldom been far from his mind for the past couple of weeks. No one had heard from him. No one knew where he was... if he was still in Wutai, or if he'd returned to Midgar and simply hadn't told anyone... or if he was somewhere else entirely.

"Did... he mention was it was about?"

Remy shook her head. "Just that he wanted a word as soon as you came in today."

Reno sighed softly and got to his feet. "Better not keep the boss waitin', then..."

He brushed past the senior Turk and made his way down the hallway and around the corner to the Turk leader's office. The door stood open, and Veld looked up as soon as Reno appeared in the doorway.

"Reno... Come in, please," he said, gesturing for him to join him. The rookie slipped inside, closing the door behind him and took a seat in front of the man's desk.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," the redhead replied, somewhat nervously. A part of him wondered if Veld was annoyed with him for taking so much time off. His sudden illness had come at a very inconvenient time, and he knew that his absence was a strain on the rest of the team.

"Remy tells me that you've been worried about Tseng," he continued. "I... am as well. I haven't spoken to him, but I _did_ receive word last night from an old friend in Wutai that he's safe and about as well as can be expected. I thought it might make you feel a bit better to know that, at least."

The rookie relaxed in his seat. "Yes, sir... that's good to hear."

"He left early this morning," Veld added, "I'm not certain of his destination... I can only hope he's on his way back to Midgar. Should I hear anything further, I'll let you know."

"Thank you," the rookie breathed, grateful. Veld waved his hand dismissively.

"I know how worried you must be. He's your mentor, after all. Believe me, I share your concern." He leaned forward, elbows resting on the desktop. "Reno... if it gets to be too much... please know that you can come and speak to me. I _do_ understand. Tseng was _my_ first rookie, and only a few years older than you when I first met him. I know how deep that bond runs."

The redhead shifted uncomfortably, but nodded, and Veld chuckled quietly. "But I have a feeling you'd be more comfortable talking to someone like Rude... or perhaps Saya. Just know that I won't turn you away if you _do_ come to me."

"Thanks," Reno replied.

"You can go. Report to Medical before the morning briefing and see if that harpy of a doctor you and Tseng are so fond of will clear you yet. If she does, Luca could use your help in the field. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll be joining the other rookies on filing duty."

"... Oh, dear Ifrit, please let her clear me..." Reno moaned.

* * *

Lieutenant Commander Viridia Nacelle made her way slowly back to her quarters. It had been a _very_ long day. A fresh class of new recruits for the materia corps had arrived, and she was tasked with evaluating their skill levels. Training was being fast tracked. If Wutai decided not to surrender to Shinra, they would be needed on the front lines, and there was a nervous energy that had begun to spread through the ranks.

That, combined with her duties in the security office had made for a very busy afternoon, and she was glad that her duty shift was finally over. She was going to lock herself in her quarters, put on some music, and just... relax.

Those plans were immediately derailed the moment she stepped inside and she discovered that her quarters were already occupied. She almost didn't recognize her unexpected guest immediately, he was so disheveled.

"Tseng?" she queried in surprise. Her lover raised his eyes to meet hers, and she saw in them a level of misery that she could hardly begin to fathom.

"I'm sorry for turning up unannounced," he replied, his voice breaking slightly, "I... didn't know where else to go."

~end chapter 66~


	67. A Few Too Many

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 67: A Few Too Many**

 **by Desha**

Viridia woke early the next morning, only to find her bed mysteriously empty... though the mystery didn't last long. Once she'd yawned and rubbed her eyes, spotting her lover seated at the little desk in the corner of her quarters wasn't exactly difficult. She silently slipped from the bed, wrapping herself in her robe, and padded over to him, peering over his shoulder as he scrawled somewhat furiously over the page.

"What's that?" she asked gently... though she already had an idea.

He'd told her everything. His sister's death, his part in it... his family's subsequent disownment of him. All of it in an increasingly heartbroken voice that had moved her to tears more than once. She had never seen Tseng like this before. He was so hurt and so angry, and so filled with guilt. It had frightened her at first. It still did, a bit, even though he seemed far calmer than he had when he'd arrived.

"My resignation," he answered in a matter-of-fact tone. Viridia sighed and placed her hands on his shoulders, massaging them.

"Come back to bed. We still have an hour before my duty shift starts. You can do that later."

"I want to finish this," he replied, stubbornly.

"Before you change your mind, you mean?"

"I _won't_ be changing my mind." He scrawled another two lines before she finally placed her hand over his, halting his progress.

"Tseng..."

"I mean it, Viridia. How can I continue to work for Shinra after this? That job has taken _everything_ from me. My morality... my humanity... my _family_. I have nothing left. I just... _can't_."

"You still have me," she pointed out, and shifted so that she could hold him. He was tense... as though trying desperately to hold back the wreck of a man he'd been last night.

"... And what if they take you, as well?" he whispered. Viridia shook her head, and plucked the pen from his hand.

"I'm not asking you _not_ to resign. I'm asking you to wait. This is a decision you're not going to be able to take back. You have so much you already regret... don't add to it in a moment of anger and despair. You have time to be absolutely _sure_ about this."

"What makes you think I'm not?"

"Because I know you," she replied, "And I know what your _Turks_ mean to you... especially that adorably annoying little redheaded one. Even if you hate Shinra Company itself with every fiber of your being right now, you could never hate _them_."

Tseng clenched his fists for a moment, but finally picked up the sheet of paper and placed it inside the desk drawer. He turned to her.

"I feel I've already imposed far too much, but... would you mind if I stay until I _am_ absolutely sure?"

Viridia smiled and coaxed him to his feet, leading him back over to the bed. "You've never been an imposition before, Tseng. I don't see you starting now."

* * *

It had been days since Veld had told him that Tseng had left Wutai. Days since they'd heard anything new. Reno had been checking up on his mentor's apartment every day after work, hoping he might catch sight of him, but the place remained dark and empty.

He'd tried, a few times, to call him... but like the others, he only got his voicemail. He'd given up after the third attempt. Knowing Tseng, he wasn't likely to turn his phone back on until he was good and ready to do so. Bombarding him with calls was wasted effort... not to mention the emotional toll it was taking on Reno. Every time it went to voicemail, a little more hope that he was coming back died. So... he'd stopped calling.

Besides which... by now, he probably had so many messages to return, _his_ would be at the bottom of the pile. At least Veld had said he would let him know if he heard from the missing Turk.

"Hey," Rude said, nudging him with his elbow as they rode the elevator back upstairs after lunch. "You doing anything tonight?"

"Not really. Thought about just gettin' a pizza or somethin'. You wanna come over 'n keep me company?"

His fellow rookie shook his head. "It's Friday. We're going out. All this talk of war has everyone stressed. _You_ need something to take your mind off of Tseng being gone, and... you were right about me. I need to start getting over Margaret. So we're hitting the bars tonight."

Reno cracked a smile in spite of his dour mood. "We are, huh? I don't get a say in the matter?"

"Nope."

"Heh... Guess I can't argue, then. Oh, yeah... I hear congratulations are in order. Tres is sendin' ya to Fort Condor on your own this afternoon?"

Rude nodded. "First solo flight," he replied, "Well... of a helicopter, anyway."

"Tch... _Man_ , am I ever jealous," the redhead sighed. Rude's certification exam had been delayed slightly, owing to Remy having to take over as second in command without much notice... and her subsequent and ongoing struggle with keeping everything running smoothly... but he'd passed with flying colors. Not that Reno had expected anything less. After all, Rude had been flying long before joining the Turks. This was nothing more than learning new equipment for _him_.

"Your birthday's in a week and a half. You can take the certification exam that _day_."

" _Take_ the exam, sure... but I still gotta _pass_ the exam," he replied, as they arrived at their floor, "What if I fuck somethin' up?"

Rude snorted softly. "Please. You're a good pilot. You'll do fine. They don't ask you to to anything you haven't already done a hundred times by now."

"Hmph... except maybe _demonstrate_ that you can be trusted on your own with a several hundred thousand gil piece of machinery," a voice stated as they stepped out of the elevator. Reno turned and spotted Rodney striding towards them. "Hope they don't take any damages out of your paycheck. That'd be a hell of a bill..."

Before either of them could respond, Rodney had slipped past them with an irritatingly smug smirk and into the elevator car, pressing one of the buttons and disappearing behind the doors. Reno groaned.

"Ignore him," Rude said.

"Tch... easy for you to say. _You're_ already certified."

Rude snickered and wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Yeah... you _definitely_ need a night out."

* * *

The Vis-a-Vis bar in Sector 2 was crowded... which way probably a good thing, considering the pair of them were _both_ relying on fake IDs to get their drinks. The staff was so busy, they hardly glanced at them. Reno made a mental note to thank Sato for directing them to this place. It was even easier than the one they _usually_ frequented over in Sector 3. That one though... even though it was much closer to their respective apartments, it was also a little too close to the train station Shinra had decimated a few short weeks ago. Neither of them had wanted to venture over there just yet. It had somehow seemed disrespectful.

Rude was downing a Nibelheim stout, and Reno was on his third cheap beer of the evening, a pleasant buzz already slowly building.

"Heh... Ya know, I'm actually _glad_ you dragged me out of my apartment tonight. I've been cooped up at home _way_ too long," the redhead grinned, as he reached for the bowl of bar peanuts that sat between them.

His fellow rookie grinned back at him, and ordered a shot of whiskey from the bartender. Reno spun on his bar stool to face the room. The place really was packed, and he wondered if it was like this every night, or if it was just the drink specials tonight that had brought the crowd. He spotted a group of three very attractive young women at a nearby table, all dressed very much alike, all with the same strawberry blonde hair and green eyes and heart-shaped faces. For a very brief moment, he wondered if he was somehow already drunk enough to start seeing double – or, rather, triple – until he realized... they were, in fact _triplets_. Fucking identical goddamn triplets. He laughed and elbowed his friend.

"Now _that_ would make for an interesting evening..." he opined, smirking. Rude snickered loudly.

"Don't you _ever_ think about anything else?" he asked, but he did turn to get a better look at them, raising his sunglasses slightly from over his eyes.

"Sure," Reno said, brightly, "I think about food _constantly_. And sex is right below _that_." He paused for a moment, gazing at the trio as they laughed over shots of what, judging by the color, almost _had_ to have been absinthe of some variety. Probably Mideelian. It was pricey, and he himself hadn't seen many bottles of it back during his days at the bar, but he knew it had a slightly more teal hue to it than the usual vibrant green of similar liquors.

Tres'... _request_... from a few weeks ago suddenly came back to him, unbidden. Seemed stupid to pass up an opportunity like _this_. Even if the first one wasn't interested in being Rude's rebound girl, he'd still have two more chances to hit it off. He smirked, and grabbed Rude's arm, pulling him to his feet, and all but dragging him through the crowd. He didn't stop until they were standing directly in front of the three women.

"Ladies," he said, grinning as he bowed slightly, "Let me introduce ya to my friend here..."

* * *

The bar in Junon was still quiet, but with the upcoming shift change, that peace wouldn't last much longer. In about fifteen more minutes, several of the various divisions would rotate in a new round of personnel, and those coming off duty would begin to filter into their usual off-duty hangouts. He intended to be gone before then.

Tseng had spent much of the day there, while Viridia tended to her duties on base... just as he had for the past _three_ days.

He'd started drinking early, not wanting to be in her way... and because, truth be told, the decision to sequester himself in a major Shinra facility – one where all anyone seemed to talk about was when they'd be attacking his homeland, and cast him more than just a mildly suspicious glance anytime he was in public – didn't hold much appeal to him. Were it not for Viridia's presence, he never would have come here to begin with. So he'd opted for one of the handful of civilian businesses on the base, planting himself at a table in an out of the way corner, and spending most of the afternoon nursing a few scotch and sodas.

During that time, he hadn't merely been drinking, however. He'd been doing what he'd told Viridia he would do. Deciding whether or not he was absolutely certain of his decision to leave Shinra for good. Thus far, he'd only come to the conclusion that... he hadn't yet reached a conclusion.

This morning after his arrival in Junon, he'd still been angry enough, even after unloading his emotional baggage onto his lover the previous evening, that his path had seemed obvious. Now, though, after several days of contemplation... now he was grateful to her for stopping him. If she hadn't, he almost certainly would have signed his resignation letter, sealed it, and sent it off to Veld on the next mail transport to Midgar. And it would have been a mistake.

He still wasn't sure he wanted to remain a Turk... but he was waffling on leaving them. The Turks had been his life for years now. They were the only thing, besides Viridia, of course, that he had left. Mayu was gone. He might as well be dead, too, as far as his family was concerned. And the guilt he felt over it all _still_ threatened to consume him at any moment. He just... didn't know what to do. And that was unusual for him. He could _always_ find an answer. Always had things meticulously planned down to the smallest detail. Always confident that everything would go according to those plans.

Almost as soon as that thought had formed, he softly laughed at it. That _used_ to be how things were. And then he was gifted a thoroughly unpredictable rookie, and all those meticulous plans had gone straight out the window, along with a good deal of his sanity.

Tseng stared at the amber liquid in his glass. That _was_ at least one very good reason to go back. Resigning from the Turks would mean abandoning said rookie... something he'd promised he would never do. But then, Reno wasn't the uncertain sixteen year old he'd recruited out of the Sector 2 slums anymore. He was a well-trained, confident, talented young Turk. He didn't, strictly speaking, _need_ Tseng taking care of him anymore. He was perfectly capable of looking after himself.

At least, that's what Tseng kept insisting to himself. But every time he did, his mind brought back the stark memory of Reno's frightened expression the last time he'd seen him. He was fairly sure only _part_ of that fear was directed at Tseng's somewhat volatile behavior that morning. He knew damn well what Reno had been through as a child... or at least he knew the major points. Reno still didn't care to talk about his childhood beyond the occasional dark anecdote.

He also knew that the redhead viewed him, at least in some regards, as a parental figure. Hell, he'd _encouraged_ that, thinking it would give him some much needed security and stability in his early days as a Turk. Having that suddenly ripped away a _second_ time...

Well... Reno would _survive_ it. Surviving was something he was exceptionally good at. But it would leave him scarred, just as it had the first time. Perhaps not as deeply as his mother's suicide had, but it would leave yet another mark on his spirit that would never quite fade. And Tseng hated the very thought of injuring such a beautiful spirit further.

Still... returning to Shinra would mean returning to the life that had taken virtually everything he held precious from him. How could he ever hope to make amends... or even to honor his sister's memory... if he simply went right back doing the very thing that had killed her? Or worse... how could he live with himself if he allowed something like that to happen again to someone else he loved?

The first few patrons from the earlier shift made their way into the bar. Tseng downed what remained in his glass in one swallow, and made a hasty exit before it started to get crowded.

* * *

Reno drained his sixth – or was it his seventh? He was losing count – beer of the night and grinned quietly to himself. That had gone better than even _he_ could have planned. Hell, he hadn't even had to do much talking at all, and he'd been prepared to lay the charm on _thick_. The girls had found Rude's shy demeanor adorable, though, and taken an almost immediate liking to him. So much so that when he'd made the – not at all subtle – suggestion that they adjourn to his apartment, since it was so much closer than Rude's, after all, it had been met with enthusiastic agreement from all parties.

And... then he'd slipped the keys and another bottle of Mideelian absinthe into his friend's hands and sent him on his way to have a little fun without him. Though, in retrospect, he hadn't _entirely_ thought things through in that regard, seeing as now _he_ had to find somewhere else to spend the night. Voyeurism really wasn't his thing, and opting to join in... _might_ have ended up being little awkward once they'd all sobered up in the morning.

So he'd stayed behind and continued to drink. He wasn't too worried. Worst case scenario, he got a hotel room for the night. He smirked to himself... _best_ case scenario, he went home with someone just as hot as those triplets had been.

He hadn't given up on the best case scenario quite yet.

Before he had the chance to start looking for someone to share a bed with, however, the redhead found himself being spun around on his barstool. When it stopped, he was suddenly facing a very familiar, and slightly peeved-looking, face.

"Reno?! What in Leviathan's name are you doing here?" Remy demanded, and then dropped her voice to a loud whisper, "You're not even old enough to _be_ here. How did you get in?"

The rookie shrugged, somewhat drunkenly. "Sato knows a guy," he replied, holding up his fake ID. Remy groaned and rubbed a hand over her face.

"Ugh... _Sato_. I should have known. Give me that!" she demanded, snatching the card from his hand and pocketing it, "Come on. I'm taking you home."

Reno couldn't stop the slightly inebriated snicker that escaped his lips at the thought of Remy walking into what had to be going on in his apartment by now.

"Yeah... uh... interesting as _that_ might be, I kinda loaned the place out tonight. I don't think ya wanna interrupt what's gotta goin' on by now... ya know... unless you're _into_ watchin'..." he laughed. His expression suddenly shifted to a more quizzical one. "Hang on... the hell are _you_ doin' here, anyway?"

"I happen to like this bar. I came to get a drink after a _very_ long week of work. Which, incidentally, _I_ am of legal age to do, unlike _some_ people," she replied, looking at him with a disapproving frown. She sighed and shook her head. "Fine. Come on. If you can't go home right now, I suppose you can spend the night at my place. I will _not_ be caring for your inevitable hangover, however."

The redhead laughed. "Hangover? Please... I'm not even properly drunk _yet_. Got a _long_ way to go before I'm gonna be hungover in the mornin'." He patted the seat next to him. "Sit down and order somethin'. Don't take this the wrong way, but you _kinda_ look like you could use it."

"Reno..." she said, warningly, but the rookie cut her off.

"Look... I know Tseng made you my temporary guardian 'n all and you're just lookin' out for me... but you're not the only one who's had it rough lately. This is the first time I've been out pretty much anywhere since my stupid appendix tried to kill me. Cut me some slack, huh?"

Remy eyed him for a moment longer, and finally took the offered seat. Reno grinned in approval as she ordered a glass of warm sake. She relaxed a bit as she sipped it and sighed.

"So... that bad a week, huh?" Reno asked. Remy snorted a soft laugh.

"I should be happy," she mused, "A leadership position is what I always wanted." She shook her head and took another sip. "But... this isn't how I wanted to get it. Not even temporarily." She set the glass down turning it in slow circles on the bar as she stared into the transparent liquid, and sighed. "As it turns out, I don't even seem to be very _good_ at it."

"Aw, come on. You're doin' fine," the redhead replied... though he wasn't sure he was very convincing. They'd _all_ had more than a few complaints about Remy's leadership style, and though, for the most part, they'd all kept their mouths shut around the temporary second in command, he was pretty sure that at least some of it had gotten back to her at some point. Remy chuckled mirthlessly.

"Oh, really? I suppose that's why we're out of coffee in the breakroom. And running low on office supplies... and _ammunition_. Among other things. I can't even get a pile of requisition forms turned in on time. And the training schedule is a _nightmare_. Rude didn't get to take his pilot certification exam for almost a _week_ after he was supposed to because I got so bogged down in trying to straighten out all the _other_ messes I've created." She rested her elbows on the bar top, and shook her head. "I... just can't figure out where I'm going so very wrong. Tseng always made it look so _easy_."

"Tch... _I_ can tell ya _that_ ," Reno sniggered, tossing back the last of his beer and signaling the bartender for another one. Remy rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her drink.

"Oh, please..."

The redhead grinned and took a sip from the fresh bottle. "I mean it. You really wanna know what Tseng did that you're _not_ doin'?"

The senior Turk looked over at him, as if assessing the potential merit of the information he was offering. After a moment, she frowned.

"Alright. What?"

"Gimme my ID back 'n buy us a round of shots 'n I'll tell ya," the rookie replied with a triumphant smirk.

"... Done," Remy replied, grudgingly handing over the ID card. When the requested drinks were delivered, she looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

"Heh... Tseng made it look easy 'cause he never tried to do every little thing _himself_ ," the redhead grinned. "You got any idea how many of those pain in the ass requisition forms I've run down to General Affairs for him in the last year? I'm on a first name basis with most of the secretaries at this point... not that I mind _that_ one little bit. He'd approve a batch, send me off with 'em, approve another batch... That way he never had to worry about turnin' 'em all in at once 'n missin' the deadline."

"... _T-that's_ the big secret?" she stammered.

"Yep. You wanna be a leader, then fuckin' _lead_. Delegate some of that shit. Tell the rest of us to get off our asses and help you when you get stuck."

Remy was silent for a moment, and then gave a soft laugh, shaking her head again.

"I think I need another shot. Or three."

* * *

Remy groaned faintly as consciousness slowly drifted back in and the sounds of morning filled her ears... and the results of far too much alcohol last night set her head throbbing. One particular bird outside of her bedroom window seemed to seriously have it out for her. She moved to drag a pillow over her head, grateful that it was Saturday. She was in _no_ condition to go into work right now. As she did so, however, she realized for the first time since waking that she was partly trapped beneath a soft, warm body.

Remy's eyes shot open in barely restrained panic, as she grasped desperately for the tendrils of memory that seemed to be eluding her at the moment.

"Mornin'..." her unexpected bedmate drawled somewhat sleepily against her shoulder as he cuddled up closer to her. The Turk blinked owlishly as she turned her head to look at him, trying to process what in Leviathan's name he was doing there. The disturbingly pleasant sensation of his bare skin pressed against her own under the covers made it rather painfully obvious.

"... Oh, my _god_..." the senior Turk managed after her brain finally reengaged and started to function again.

"Heh... Was I really _that_ good last night?" his voice teased, and Remy had to silently talk herself down from smacking him for the comment. After all... violence would only make things much, much worse. Reno propped himself up on one arm, effectively removing his weight from on top of her, and gazing at her in slight confusion at her non-response. "Uh... Remy?"

"I slept with a rookie," the Turk breathed, pressing her hands over her face in disbelief as she sat up in bed. What in the _nine hells_ had she been thinking last night. "Not just a rookie... an _underage_ rookie." She looked over at him and groaned again as she shut her eyes, willing this to all be a dream. As some _very_ explicit memories began to flood back in, she was forced to come to terms with the fact that it was not. She was in bed, and very naked, with Reno. Who, she was fairly certain, was just as naked as she was. This was _not_ good. "Not _just_ an underage rookie... _Tseng's_ underage rookie. That I have _guardianship_ of..."

"... So's that a no on my performance?" he asked in _far_ too calm of a tone for her taste.

Remy slid out from under the covers, perching on the edge of the bed, and directed her attention at the window. Outside, it was already shaping up to be a beautiful Spring day. Indoors, however...

How could she have done something so... so... irresponsibly _stupid_? Granted, there was technically no regulation against relationships between Turks... but a _rookie_? That was a gray area at best. Even if she was on solid ground in terms of regulations, morally was another matter entirely. Not to mention legally. The boy was only _seventeen_ for Leviathan's sake! Though, admittedly, that was well above the age of consent... and it wasn't as if he was a virgin by _any_ stretch of the imagination. She knew damn well what he got up to when he was off duty. The whole _office_ did.

Which, when she considered _that_ , italmost made her present situation seem worse. The thought of having to explain herself to Veld... or any of the others, for that matter... She shuddered to think about it.

"Okay, seriously, you're startin' to worry me a little here..." Reno prodded again. Remy felt her shoulders slump in defeat. It _had_ happened... and it needed to be dealt with. She turned to look at him and was genuinely surprised at the expression of concern on his face. His frown deepened noticeably the longer she remained silent. "So... I'm kinda gettin' the feelin' you might be rethinking the whole gettin' me naked and fuckin' me senseless thing... which, uh... just sayin'... _I_ really enjoyed."

Dear Leviathan, why did he have to be so blunt about that? She knew perfectly well what they'd done last night... and seemed to be recalling more of it by the second. In fact, she had to force herself to _stop_ thinking about how thorough his lips had been... his firm, slender body on top of hers... how smooth his skin had felt against her fingertips as she'd...

She shook her head violently, realizing that she was thinking about it again.

"Reno... I –"

The redhead grinned slightly, but she caught a brief flicker of a somewhat hurt expression.

"Yeah... guess I mighta enjoyed it a little more than you did. I should probably just... ya know... get lost, huh?"

Remy dragged herself from the stupor of leftover lust she seemed to have fallen into, and pulled the blanket over to cover herself.

"Don't leave yet," she replied, "We need to talk." She winced slightly as her head throbbed again, reminding her that she was most assuredly hungover. "But over coffee... because frankly, I'm having a hard time even thinking straight with the headache I have at the moment."

She stood up and crossed the room, reaching for the worn yukata that hung on the mirror of her vanity. It had been a gift from her grandfather before he'd died, and though the traditional Wutaiian garment looked decidedly out of place in Midgar, she loved it dearly and wore it frequently around her apartment as a robe of sorts. She hurriedly wrapped it around herself, and made her way out towards her kitchen to get the coffee brewing.

Reno crept out of her bedroom a few short minutes later, dressed in his clothes from the previous evening. He awkwardly ran his fingers through messy hair as he tied it back, and took a seat at the little table in the dining area of her kitchen.

"... For the record, I was pretty drunk last night, too..." the redhead said, tentatively, "I mean... I didn't mean ta... ya know... take advantage or anything. I mean, I _didn't_... did I?"

Remy shook her head. "No, of course not," she replied, pouring two cups and carrying them over to the table. At the last moment, she remembered that the rookie never drank it without sugar, and somewhat gracelessly grabbed the container that was sitting out on the counter. "If anyone one should be concerned about _that_ ,it should be me. I'm your _superior_ , for Leviathan's sake."

He seemed to relax at that pronouncement, gratefully accepting the cup... and the sugar... from her. Remy took a seat across from him and sighed.

"Last night absolutely should not have happened. I'm the adult here. _I_ shouldn't have _let_ it happen. It was completely unprofessional of me."

"I was doin' some pretty 'unprofessional' things to you, too, last night, ya know," Reno snickered, "In some _very_ unprofessional positions."

" _Reno_!" she very nearly shouted, utterly horrified.

"Heh... Sorry. Sorry. I'm not tryin' to be a dick about this. I just... have an annoying habit of makin' jokes when I probably shouldn't. Breaks the tension 'n shit."

"... When Tseng told me to look after you while he's away I somehow very seriously _doubt_ this is what he had in mind," she groaned, cradling her head in her hands.

"Tch... You're makin' way too big a deal outta this, Remy. It was just sex. I mean... not gonna lie, I had a good time but... and _please_ don't kill me for sayin' this... if I hadn't woken up here, I probably woulda just woken up in someone else's bed anyway."

"Reno... that really doesn't make this better," she replied, pinching the bridge of her nose. "We _work_ together."

The redhead shrugged. "So? I mean, if you're worried about me tellin' the whole team about what we got up to last night... don't. I'm not big on braggin' about that kinda shit." He snickered softly. "Ya know... beyond generally tellin' people I got laid, I mean."

Remy glanced up at him again, and wondered if this conversation could possibly get any more uncomfortable. The earnest look on the rookie Turk's face when he said he wasn't going to spread the word about their little... tryst... was oddly reassuring, though.

"So, just outta curiosity..." Reno continued, suddenly looking a bit uncomfortable himself, "Uh... how deep is the shit we'd be in be if Veld found out, anyway? Like... are Turks not s'posed to fuck other Turks?"

The senior Turk rolled her eyes. "Has Tseng _never_ gone over regulations with you?"

"Tch... well, sure. But he's never said anything about _that_ ," he protested, insulted, "And trust me... I'd remember if he had."

"Of _course_ you would," she muttered, rolling her eyes. The kid had a one track mind, after all. And apparently no shame. "There's nothing that says Turks can't be... intimately involved with one another," Remy replied with a soft sigh, "But... it's not _encouraged_ , and most _certainly_ not between a senior Turk and a rookie. There's too much potential for abuse of power in such relationships, not to mention the difficulty in working together that might come about as a consequence of a bad breakup."

"Good thing last night was just a drunken one night stand, then, huh?" the redhead said, grinning widely.

"Reno, I swear to Leviathan, one more joke..." she replied, but was having entirely too much trouble keeping the small smile from spreading across her lips to be taken seriously. She quickly composed herself, clearing her throat. Reno, however, was still grinning from ear to ear. Goddammit, she'd never felt so thoroughly annoyed and so... _inexplicably turned on_... in her life. It was aggravating. No wonder the cheeky little punk had managed to gain such a reputation around the office.

"... 'kay, look. If ya want me to keep my mouth shut, just say so. I'll never tell anyone we got drunk, had hours of amazing sex, and you told me I was the best you ever had the next mornin'."

"I would appreciate yourdiscretion, _thank_ you," she said, firmly, "Hmph... and I'm quite certain I never said anything of the sort." She took a sip of her coffee, savoring the smooth, slightly bitter flavor.

"But you're not denyin' it, either," the rookie teased. She choked on her drink, sputtering for several moments as Reno drained his own cup.

"... And on that note," he said, "I'll get outta your hair. _Before_ you end up killin' me for that one."

He was on his feet before she'd fully recovered, making his way towards the door. Once she'd regained her breath, Remy followed him. She caught his arm before he could make his exit.

"Reno?" she said, gently holding him in place, "Really... thank you. For keeping this between us, _and_ for being there for me last night. It should never have gone a far as it _did_... but... I... I think I really _did_ need someone to talk to."

And, though she didn't dare voice it, it _had_ been good. If it had been just about anyone else, she might have even been tempted to invite him to stay a little longer... a thought that made her cringe as soon as it occurred to her. She had _absolutely_ no business thinking about a subordinate like that.

"I'll see you at work on Monday," she quickly added before her mind could stray any farther in _that_ direction.

~end chapter 67~


	68. Tseng's Return

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 68: Tseng's Return**

 **by Desha**

When Rude had awakened, it had been to the unique sensation of having two women curled against either side... and a third laying half on top of him and half on top of one of her sisters. The headache and familiar feeling of being _extremely_ hungover had quickly followed. As had a wave of barely repressed nausea as the surface he'd been sleeping on undulated languidly beneath him when he attempted to move.

Waterbeds were _clearly_ not good for hangovers. How Reno could stand waking up to this every time they went out drinking was beyond him. He was still feeling faintly queasy two hours later when Reno himself finally walked through the door of his apartment.

"Have a nice time last night?" the redhead crowed, entirely too loudly for Rude's current overly-sensitive condition. He winced and looked up at his friend.

"... What I _remember_ of it..." he replied. "Remind me to stay away from that Mideelian absinthe. That stuff'll kill you. Where the hell have _you_ been?"

"Eh... ya know. You were gettin' some. Figured you _probably_ didn't wanna make it a five-way," he replied, vaguely, with a shrug. "What's for breakfast? I'm starved!"

"Hmph... You think I'm in any condition to cook right now?" Rude asked, still wondering where in the nine hells the other rookie had spent the night, but in too much misery to care all that much at the moment. Reno snickered and joined him on the couch.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you don't want _me_ doin' it..." he teased. Rude groaned loudly at the very thought of the redhead's cooking, and started to get up. Reno laughed and eased him back down onto the cushions.

"I was kiddin', man," he chuckled, "I ordered delivery on the way home. Should be here any minute."

Rude managed a weak smile, and leaned back against his seat, letting his eyes close. Hangover aside... he'd had a hell of night. Well... as he'd said, what he could remember of it. Quite a bit of it was more than a little foggy, and he _still_ wasn't sure he wanted to know where a few of the... _ahem_... 'toys' he'd found in the bed this morning had come from. Or, for that matter, where one or two of them had _been_ last night...

It wasn't something he was in any rush to do _again_ any time soon – and it certainly would never have happened if Reno hadn't quite literally picked those girls up _for_ him – but he was finding it hard to regret it.

"Forget about Margaret yet?" Reno prodded, jokingly. The other rookie cracked an eye open and snorted softly in laughter... and then wished he hadn't, as the pain between his eyes spiked.

"At this point I think I drank away my memory of most of the last six _months_ ," he replied. "I need coffee. Desperately."

"Heh... comin' up," the redhead grinned, before making his way into the kitchen. Rude, meanwhile, remained right where he was. He mentally shook his head – as physically doing so would only aggravate the symptoms of his hangover. The sneaky little bastard had had planned this from the start, he just knew it. The second he'd spotted those girls, Reno'd decided on what he was going to do and set things in motion.

And Rude wasn't even mad about it.

It was kind of hard to be when said plan had actually worked. It still hurt that Margaret had left him, but somehow knowing that there were other women out there who found him... _desirable_... made a bigger difference to him than he would have expected. He was a _little_ miffed that Reno hadn't discussed this with him first and had just gone right ahead and set him up... but, to be fair, if the redhead had confided his intentions to him, Rude would probably have shut it down immediately for fear of being rejected.

And it certainly hadn't been an _unpleasant_ experience, by any means.

Still... he didn't think he was going to be looking for another girlfriend any time soon. He just wasn't ready for that again quite yet. But continuing to pine for Margaret somehow seemed a bit... silly... when he thought about her now. She'd been amazing, but she wasn't perfect. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that she was never really right for him anyway. He'd just been blinded by infatuation. And sex.

Reno snickered nearby and a finger gently poked him in the shoulder.

"Hey... you pass out on me there, or what?"

Rude opened his eyes and raised his head from the back of the couch. The redhead was standing in front of him holding out a cup of coffee. He smiled gratefully and took it.

* * *

By Monday, both rookies had recovered from their respective weekends of debauchery. Or at least, that's what Rude _assumed_ Reno had been up to. He'd tried a number of times to pry information out of him over where he'd disappeared to Friday night, but to no avail. The redhead had only answered in generalities. Rude wasn't sure if it was because whatever he'd done was particularly embarrassing – though, with Reno, that was a little hard to believe... nothing really seemed to embarrass him much – or because it had the potential to get him into trouble of some sort.

The latter was a distinct possibility... and if that was the case, Rude decided that maybe it was best he _didn't_ know. He stopped asking.

He arrived at the office early on Monday, and very nearly ran headlong into Remy as he was exiting the elevator. She was struggling to carry a stack of boxes labeled with various sizes of ammunition down the hallway.

"... Need a hand?" he asked. Remy shook her head.

"I've got it..." she replied, in a strained voice, as the box on top began to slide. Rude quickly moved to steady it.

"..."

"On second thought..." she sighed. "Would you mind?"

The rookie took half the load from her, and followed her to her office. She set her boxes down on her desk with a soft grunt of relief, and Rude did the same.

"Thank you," she said, with a groan, "The Requisitions department is apparently... _annoyed_... with me for failing to meet the deadline. I'm being forced to retrieve our supplies personally as penance."

They walked out of her office, heading for the elevator again. As they reached it, Rodney was just stepping out into the hallway, and he nodded in greeting.

"How much more is there?" Rude asked.

"... Enough that I... require a second set of hands to get all of it up here in a timely manner," Remy replied, somewhat hesitantly... though a moment later, she seemed a bit more decisive, "Come with me."

Rodney smirked slightly. "Nothing like getting voluntold to do some heavy lifting first thing in the morning."

Remy paused halfway into the elevator and turned around, fixing the other rookie with a sharp look.

"I'm so glad you think so. You can join us as well," she said, with a smug smile as the other rookie blanched slightly. Rude snickered quietly to himself. Sometimes his fellow rookie just didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

* * *

Reno didn't even have the opportunity to make it to headquarters before being waylaid on Monday morning. The moment he stepped into the elevator, a familiar face was there to 'greet' him.

" _You_ ," Rufus said, scowling, " _Finally_... Perhaps _you'll_ be more forthcoming than your accursed team leader. Where. Is. Tseng?"

The redhead blinked in surprise, caught off guard by such an unexpected demand so early in the morning, and for a moment could only open and close his mouth ineffectively as his brain attempted to reboot itself. Dear Ifrit, he needed coffee...

" _Well_?" the vice president demanded, petulantly. He hit the emergency stop button on the control panel, effectively holding the Turk hostage until he got the information he wanted.

"Dunno," Reno finally managed.

"What in the _nine hells_ do you mean you 'don't know'? Are you or are you _not_ his alleged 'protege'?" he hissed. The rookie glared at him and folded his arms over his chest.

"I _mean_ I don't know. Lose the _fuckin'_ attitude and talk to me like a goddamn human being, will ya? I'm not holdin' out on ya... I just wasn't expectin' a fuckin' interrogation before I found coffee this mornin'."

Rufus scowled and looked away for a moment. "I heard what happened. It's been weeks since he contacted me. I'm... concerned about him," he said at last.

"... Yeah. You 'n me both," the redhead replied. "I really _don't_ know where he is, though. I haven't heard from him either."

The young executive seemed genuinely shocked by the news. His shoulders slumped, dejected, and he sighed heavily.

"Veld wouldn't tell me anything. He just said that Tseng needed some time away."

"Yeah, well... all he's told _me_ is that Tseng left Wutai almost a week ago. But he doesn't know where he went. I don't think we're _gonna_ know 'til Tseng decides to tell us himself. He's not answerin' his phone. For anyone. Veld thinks he's got it shut off."

"... I see," Rufus replied. He grudgingly pressed the button again, and the elevator resumed its trek upwards. As it arrived at Turk headquarters, he looked up at the redhead. "You... _will_ tell me if you should hear anything?"

"Yeah. I'll keep ya up to date, sir," he said, stepping out. Rufus nodded, and the doors closed behind him, carrying him upwards to the executive offices.

He felt bad for Rufus. Tseng was right... once you got past the spoiled, elitist, entitled attitude and the cold, aloof demeanor, the Shinra heir _really_ wasn't so awful. He took a little getting _used_ to, and you had to be willing to endure plenty of insults and pretentious posturing... and occasionally outright _tell_ him to stop being such a dick... but a lot of that, Reno suspected at any rate, was just Rufus lashing out and keeping people at a distance to protect himself. Tseng was the only person he really let get close to him... and that seemed to have backfired, because now the Turk lieutenant had disappeared without a word to him.

He'd done the same to Reno... so the rookie knew _exactly_ how he felt. But at least _he_ had the other Turks to rely on. Who the hell else did Rufus have?

Reno shook his head and made his way to his office, hoping that he'd soon have something to report back to the vice president.

* * *

Tseng remained in Junon for over a week, slowly sifting though his options, but remained undecided. Through it all, though, Viridia's support was unwavering. She comforted him when his guilt reduced him to a moping, depressed shell of himself. She soothed him when anger got the better of him. But more that anything else, she was simply _there_. He wasn't sure if she could see it, but that reliable presence made a world of difference to him.

After growing tired of the bar and spending a few days in self-inflicted seclusion, she had finally coaxed him out into the world again, taking him on a day trip south along the shore line. He'd confided many things to her... perhaps the most important of which being that he was still heavily leaning towards leaving Shinra. She never tried to dissuade him, nor did she pressure him to quit. Viridia understood that it needed to be _his_ decision or it would never sit right with him.

By Wednesday of the following week, he was reconsidering yet again, but was no closer to making his choice. He did _finally_ come to one conclusion, however. He needed to speak to his mentor... because he _was_ his mentor. Veld knew Tseng perhaps better than anyone, even his dear Viridia, and what he truly needed right now was a different perspective.

He also needed to speak to Reno. He knew that the teen must be more than a little worried by now, and it only added to his shame that he'd allowed that concern to drag out needlessly for so long. Besides which, he missed him. He'd been gone for close to a month now and it was beginning to register how oddly boring and uneventful life was without his rookie in it.

The door to Viridia's quarters opened and she strolled in, stretching her arms over her head with a yawn.

"Sweet _Shiva_ , what a day..." she sighed, and shook her head, "New materia users are a handful."

Tseng couldn't help himself. He laughed quietly at the proclamation. His own experience with handing materia to those who'd never used it before was entirely too fresh in his memory. He'd been woefully unprepared... and quite frankly never wanted to go through it again with another rookie, if he could help it.

Which was right about when he realized something else. There was still a part of him that very much expected there to _be_ another rookie... and welcomed it.

"Was _that_ a laugh?" Viridia asked, smiling, "I was starting to worry you'd forgotten how to do that."

"I believe I may have for a time," he replied. "Viridia..."

" _You_ look like a man who's come to a decision," she stated, before he could continue.

"Not entirely. I... am still not certain about my future with Shinra," he confessed, "But I don't think I can make a final decision from here. I don't know if I can still live with being a Turk, and I won't until I go back to _being_ one."

Viridia closed the distance between them, and pulled him close. "Then you should get your butt back to Midgar," she chuckled. "Just remember... _whatever_ you decide, you'll always have _me_."

"You have no idea what that means to me, Viridia," he said, and kissed her. When he finally pulled away, he smiled faintly. "I... suppose I should let Veld know when to expect me."

"I think he'd probably appreciate that," she said in reply. Tseng released her and went over to his bag, rummaging through it until he found his PHS. He switched it back on, and frowned at the low battery icon that popped up on the device. Apparently he hadn't charged it at any point in the last four and a half weeks. A moment later, notifications of messages and missed calls began flooding in.

"... Apparently I've been missed..."

"Hmph... of _course_ you've been missed," Viridia chided him. Tseng rolled his eyes and began looking for the phone's charger, only to come up empty handed. Either he had neglected to pack it, or it had been lost at some point.

"I don't suppose _your_ phone's charger would be compatible..." he queried. He doubted it. His company-issued PHS was one of the newest models, and the damned things tended to change every time a new one rolled out. The military wasn't quite as up to date with such things as the Turks were, when they issued them at all. She took the phone from him, looking at the charging port, and shook her head.

"Not even close. I'd let you use mine, but it had an unfortunate run-in with a badly aimed lightning spell this afternoon. I don't have my replacement yet."

Tseng sighed. "I suppose it can wait until morning," he said, "It's rather a inconvenient time anyway. Veld is probably just sitting down to dinner with his family."

He did have _some_ time remaining on the battery, however. Enough to check his voice mail, at any rate and see what was so important that they'd been trying to reach him. The first one was from Remy... from the same day he'd left for Wutai. He quickly pressed play.

" _Tseng, it's Remy. Please call me back as soon as you get this. It's about Reno,"_ the Turk's voice intoned from the device. _"He was admitted to Midgar General this morning with –"_

The message abruptly cut off, and the phone went dead as the remaining power ran out. Tseng could only stand there, staring at the PHS in his hand, as a cold wave of fear washed over him. That message was weeks old... and there had been several more that had followed it.

They'd been trying to reach him. Something had happened to Reno – something serious enough to put him in the hospital – and they'd been trying to reach him... and he'd ignored them.

He felt sick. What if he'd been seriously injured on a mission? Dear Leviathan, what if it was _worse_? The thought of losing Reno... right after losing _Mayu_...

"Tseng... breathe!" Viridia's voice commanded, cutting through the haze of rising panic. He instinctively obeyed and then turned to look at her. "Come on... the guys in the communications center owe me a favor. We'll contact Veld and find out what's going on."

The pair of them left her quarters and made their way across the base towards the large communications room in the command building. They'd made it only about halfway there, when Tseng spotted one of Shinra's airships being prepped for takeoff.

"Where is that going?" he asked, pulling up short. Viridia stopped a few paces later and turned to see what he was talking about.

"... Well... Midgar, I'm sure. We've been doing supply runs all week, transferring weapons and personnel in case the city is attacked again."

"Get me on it."

"Tseng, don't you think –"

"If something has happened to him, I need to be _there_. If we waste time contacting Veld first, I may end up missing that flight," he said, cutting her off. Viridia hesitated a moment, but at last, she nodded, and the pair reversed course, heading straight for the airship's dock.

* * *

It was nearing eight when Tseng finally arrived in Midgar. He'd spent most of the trip silently willing the damned airship to go faster... and then doing the same while aboard the train that had carried him into Sector 1. Now, however, _he_ was in control. His car had, of course, been right where he'd left it, and didn't seem any the worse for having sat idle for a month. He was presently speeding through the streets of Midgar, at well above the posted limit.

His first thought had been to head straight to Midgar General... but then he wondered if perhaps he was being overly paranoid. Perhaps Reno had already been released. He was torn between going where he knew the redhead had _been_ four weeks ago and going where he almost certainly would be now if he weren't in the hospital.

He finally decided on Reno's apartment. Worst case scenario, if he was nowhere to be found, he could at least locate the rookie's charger, plug his phone in, and call Veld, demanding answers. That thought in mind, he crossed three lanes of traffic, and took the next exit into the Sector 3 residential district, arriving at the redhead's complex in just under ten minutes.

As he made his way upstairs, he wondered if this was really the right decision. Perhaps he _should_ have gone straight to the hospital. He shook his head. He was _here_ now. Turning around and traveling halfway across the city without even checking was madness.

It was with much trepidation that he finally knocked on the door to Reno's apartment. At first, he was worried that there was no one home... but a few seconds later, the sound of footsteps from inside met his ears, and finally, the door opened. Reno blinked up at him, standing in the doorway, an utterly shocked expression on his face.

"T-Tseng?"

He didn't say anything. He simply grabbed the redhead, dragging him into a tight embrace, as a feeling of unadulterated relief overcame him.

* * *

To say he was surprised would have been an understatement of gross proportions. For a brief moment, Reno didn't believe his own eyes. It wasn't until Tseng was all but smothering him that it finally clicked that this was real and his own arms wrapped around his mentor in return.

"Are you alright?" Tseng asked after several long moments of simply enjoying their reunion. The redhead pulled back and looked at him, slightly confused.

"... 'course I am? Why wouldn't I be?"

"Remy's message said you'd been in the hospital. Unfortunately my battery died before I could hear the whole thing. I was worried it must have been serious."

Reno grinned. "Nah... just got hacked open by a bunch of doctors and put on medical restriction for a couple weeks." His grin widened slightly at Tseng's decidedly horrified expression. "I had appendicitis."

Tseng breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't _scare_ me like that."

"Tch... says the guy who leaves without sayin' a word to me 'n disappears for a month..." he replied, with a bit more acid in his voice than he'd intended. Yes, he was still a little angry about that... but it was vastly overshadowed by his joy at seeing the man had safely returned to Midgar. Tseng shook his head, and gently urged him back inside the apartment.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I just... couldn't bring myself to face you. Not after the condition you saw me in that night. And the following morning, for that matter."

Reno rolled his eyes. "Seriously? What... ? You thought I didn't understand?"

"I was... embarrassed. And perhaps a bit ashamed, as well. I threw you out of my home when all you were trying to do was help. I threatened you, and very _obviously_ scared you. I... am loath to think myself capable of it, but I might have even gone so far as to hurt you had I been given the chance. I wasn't myself."

The rookie smirked. "Like I've never been threatened before," he replied. "Fuck it. I'm just glad you're back. You... _are_ back, right? You're not just here to make sure I'm still alive and wish me a happy birthday, are ya?"

Tseng blinked in surprise, and struggled to pull up a mental calendar. When he finally succeeded, he realized that yes... today was _indeed_ the redhead's eighteenth birthday. He'd thoroughly lost track of the date while he'd been in Junon.

Tseng smiled and placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I'll admit, knowing you were hurt or sick _was_ the impetus for my return and brought me home a bit sooner than I'd intended... but yes. I'm back," he replied, "And... Happy birthday, Reno."

Reno grinned widely. "Heh... You weren't exactly the present I was expectin', but I'll take it," he teased.

"Good... because I'm afraid I didn't have time to shop in my rush to get here. I suppose I'm already too late for the party..."

The rookie shook his head. "Nah... Figured since everyone's gotta work tomorrow we'd hold off on the celebration 'til the weekend when we could do it right." he smirked, "Tch... but since you're here, I probably better let that brat we call a vice president know you're not missin' anymore. He's already cornered me _once_ fishin' for information. Hate to think what he might do to me if I didn't keep him up to date like I promised."

"No need. I'm already aware. And I _suggest_ you refrain from referring to me as such."

Tseng spun to face the new arrival, who was suddenly lingering at the still-open door. Rufus calmly stepped inside, shutting it behind him, as Reno tried to sputter a reply.

" _This_ is how you live?" he snorted at the redhead, looking around at the little apartment, "Well... I suppose it _would_ be several steps up for a slum rat."

"Sir..." Tseng began in confusion.

"I had a tracking device planted on your car shortly after you left... just in case your cohorts elected _not_ to alert me in a timely manner," Rufus said, in answer to the question the Turk hadn't had time to ask. "I'm not as helpless as people seem to _think_ I am."

Tseng only shook his head, and then pulled Rufus into a brief hug as well.

"Hang on... How'd you even _get_ here?" Reno asked.

"I drove. Obviously," Rufus sneered, and Tseng frowned.

"With no _escort_ , I see..."

The vice president smirked. "I hardly believe I'm saying this... but I think I may have actually _missed_ your unrelenting disapproval of such things." His expression soon faltered, however. "But as much as I dislike tainting this reunion with business... there's something you should be aware of. Which is the _other_ reason I came, as you have yet to turn your blasted phone back on. I wanted you to hear it from me, rather than being blindsided by it."

"Sir?" the Turk lieutenant queried, and judging by the look on Rufus' face, Reno couldn't help but think that something serious had happened. And there was really only one thing it could be.

"... We're really doin' it, aren't we?" the redhead interjected.

"The announcement will be going out to the general population within the hour," Rufus confirmed, "Negotiations with Wutai for a peaceful resolution have utterly failed. Shinra and Wutai are now at war."

~end chapter 68~


	69. Back into the Swing of Things

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 69: Back into the Swing of Things**

 **by Desha**

 _ **Author's Note:** It's almost Reno's birthday in the story... and as it happens, it's almost mine, too. So I'm going to try and get his birthday chapter finished and posted this weekend so we can both celebrate. :)_

* * *

Before either Turk could think of anything to say in response to Rufus' dire pronouncement, the shrill ring of Reno's PHS blared from the device sitting on his coffee table. He glanced briefly at his mentor, and then shrugged.

"I'm guessin' that'll be either Veld or Remy informin' everyone of the news..." he commented as he hurried over to answer it. He hit the button, silencing the device and picking up the call. "Yeah? Reno here..."

" _Reno, Kai is on her way to pick you up. We're needed at headquarters, immediately,"_ Remy's voice replied, with a note of urgency.

"Yeah, okay... but I can just catch a ride with –" he began, only to be unceremoniously cut off.

" _No time. Kai is already en route, and she can get you here faster than the trains. We have an emergency. The vice president is missing."_

He very nearly laughed, and only the knowledge that Remy would probably kill him later if he did stopped him. He glanced up at the executive standing near the door and smirked.

"Yeah... he's actually not. He's standin' right in front of me."

" _... He's_ _ **WHAT**_ _?!"_ the senior Turk demanded so loudly that Reno instinctively jerked the phone away from his ear. Tseng scowled.

"You didn't bother to _tell_ anyone where you were going, did you, sir?" he said, exasperated.

" _Oh, just wait until I get my hands on that spoiled little... I'll_ _ **kill**_ _him!"_ Remy ranted at a slightly lower volume, and a moment later, the call cut off. Reno blinked in surprise at just how pissed off she'd sounded as he tucked the PHS into his pocket.

"Heh... I don't think Remy's too happy 'bout you sneakin' out, sir," he sniggered.

"Hmm... Then perhaps I should take my leave before she comes after me. That woman has been even more irritating than usual lately, and I have no desire to spend a moment more in her presence than is strictly necessary," Rufus replied, turning to go. He was immediately stopped by Tseng.

"Not so fast," the Wutaiian Turk said, crossly. "I will _personally_ escort you home. And on the way, I will at least _attempt_ to impress upon you the utter foolishness of venturing out, alone and unprotected, mere hours after declaring war on an entire country. Reno... you'll be driving Rufus' car back for him."

The redhead opened his mouth to reply, only to have his PHS interrupt him a second time. He answered it immediately.

"Yes, s–"

" _Put Rufus on. Now."_ Veld demanded. The rookie wordlessly handed the phone over to the vice president, who grudgingly accepted it with a roll of his eyes.

"I am perfectly _fine_ ," he stated, preemptively cutting off the Turk leader's complaints. He paused, listening to the reply. " _Yes_ , I have my phone... I merely have it silenced and have been pointedly ignoring it while I see to an errand."

"Veld?" Tseng softly queried of the rookie. Reno nodded in the affirmative.

"Sounded about as happy as Remy did..."

"Hmph... I can imagine," he replied, shaking his head.

"... Uh... you're _still_ stickin' around, right?" Reno asked, only half joking. Tseng snorted a soft laugh.

"As if I have a choice? I'm gone for a month, and you've already been in the hospital at _least_ once that I know of, Rufus is running all over town unaccompanied, and judging by what I could hear of your brief conversation, Remy is ready to murder someone. Quite possibly the vice president. I shudder to think what might befall all of you were I to decide to extend my leave any longer..."

"I _heard_ that," Rufus snapped, fixing Tseng with an irritated scowl, before returning his attention to the phone, "I wasn't _talking_ to _you_. If you're going to insist upon retrieving me, then be quick about it." With that, he unceremoniously ended the call and shoved the PHS back at Reno. "That man is _insufferable_."

"That man is responsible for keeping you alive, sir," Tseng pointed out. "Which, I might add, is not always the easiest task, given your propensity for wandering off at your leisure." The Turk lieutenant shook his head, and guided Rufus farther into the apartment. "You may as well come and sit down while we wait for Veld to arrive."

Reno briefly thought to voice a complaint... it was _his_ apartment, after all, and the brat had most certainly not been asked to come in. But then, it wasn't as if he could just kick him out, either. He settled on simply being supremely annoyed at having his home invaded by the uninvited guest. It was only until Veld got here, anyway.

"Don't you have even _one_ decent piece of furniture?" the Shinra heir whined as he settled onto the couch.

"Tch... nothin' wrong with my furniture."

"Hmph... well, I suppose if you _like_ cushions so cheap it feels as though you're sitting on concrete... and ignore the mystery stains... then no, there's nothing wrong with it."

"I'll be sure to order a new one for the next time I _don't_ invite you over..." the redhead deadpanned. The pair continued to glare at one another for several seconds before the silent showdown was interrupted by Tseng's quiet chuckling.

"I honestly can't tell if you two have managed to become friends of some sort or if you're moments away from trying to kill one another..."

Rufus looked positively scandalized at the mere thought of befriending the redhead, and his scowl deepened as he folded his arms over his chest and looked away. Reno merely shrugged. To be honest... he wasn't quite sure how he felt about Rufus, either. He didn't think he'd go so far as to call him a 'friend'... and likely never would... but he didn't really _mind_ him too much these days. When he wasn't being a complete asshat, anyway.

Tseng joined the executive on the couch, and Reno took that as his cue to settle into the chair nearby.

"... Where were you all this time?" Rufus asked a moment later, glancing up at the Turk. Tseng shifted somewhat uncomfortably in his seat.

"Wutai... mainly," he replied. "Beyond that, I'd prefer not to discuss any of it right now. Suffice it to say, I was somewhere I knew I would left alone for awhile. I... needed time to come to terms with a few things."

"And did you?" Rufus queried.

"... To a point."

The vice president nodded and seemed content, for the moment, at least, to drop the matter. The conversation continued on with all of them pointedly avoiding that particular subject until Veld's arrival was at last announced by a loud knock on Reno's door. The redhead got up to answer it, and moments later found himself face to face with a very angry Turk leader. He glared at the rookie.

"Why didn't you inform someone he was here immediately?" Veld demanded.

"Because there was hardly thirty seconds between Rufus' arrival and Remy's phone call telling him that the vice president was, in fact, missing," Tseng's voice cut in as the other Turk rose from his spot on the couch. "At which point he _did_ alert her to the situation."

"Tseng!" Veld gasped, and it wasn't hard to spot the look of relief etched on his features.

"But," the Wutaiian Turk continued, "Rufus is safe and it's getting late. I think this would be a conversation better reserved for tomorrow morning."

"You're returning to work immediately, then?" the Turk leader asked. Tseng nodded.

"I... think that would be best. I believe I've spent enough time alone with my own thoughts of late. A return to routine would be... welcome."

"Hmph... I'm not sure how 'routine' things are going to be in the immediate future, given that troops are already en route to Wutai, and early intelligence reports indicate a strong resistance in the more populated areas. But I think we'll _all_ be glad to have you back." Veld turned to Rufus, "Sir, if you'll come with me, your father is _extremely_ worried about you."

* * *

When Reno arrived at the office the following morning, the first thing he did was head straight for Tseng's office, hesitantly peering through the open door, almost expecting not to see him there. When he'd woken up that morning, he'd been half-convinced he'd only dreamed that he came back. Instead, he found Tseng sitting across from Remy, going over the events of the past several weeks as she got him up to speed. The sheer level of relief must have been visible, because when the Wutaiian Turk looked up and spotted him, he set the current stack of papers they were dealing with aside.

"We'll continue this later this afternoon," he said.

"Yes, sir," Remy replied with a sharp nod. She stood and made her way past the rookie with a slightly awkward smile before disappearing off in the direction of her own office. She'd been giving him that look ever since they'd ended up in bed together... as though she wasn't sure quite how to treat him unless she was giving him an order. He was starting to understand why sleeping with one's superiors was generally frowned upon.

"Have a seat," Tseng called to the redhead, and Reno hurried to obey, closing the door behind him.

"Heh... I mention yet how glad I am you're back?"

"Last night. Repeatedly," Tseng chuckled. He sighed softly, and leaned forward. "I feel I owe you more than just the explanation I've provided you with thus far. Particularly given the length of my absence... _and_ my silence."

"Tch... you don't owe me anything..."

"I strongly disagree," he replied. "I think I owe you more than I owe anyone, in fact. If for no other reason than the fact that you're the one I hurt the most."

Reno shrugged, somewhat uncomfortably. They'd kept well away from this topic last night. Tseng hadn't seemed ready to discuss it, and Reno hadn't wanted to push him.

"Not the first time I've been –"

"I know," his mentor cut him off, "And that just makes what I did far worse. You deserved better than simply being foisted off on another Turk without a word from me and I truly _am_ sorry to have treated you so callously." He sighed and shook his head. "I was too absorbed in my own pain to care about anyone else's... Even someone I care about very much."

The redhead swallowed against the unexpectedly thick feeling in his throat. He understood that level of grief, and he could never fault Tseng for it... he just wished that the man had let him _be_ there for him. Because no one had been there for _him_ when he'd lost his mother. He knew all too well how it felt.

"Why'd you stay gone so long?" he finally asked.

"Because... Mayu is not the only family I seem to have lost," Tseng replied. Reno looked up in alarm. "I told my father the truth of what happened to her. To say he was displeased with my actions would be a gross understatement. I've been cast out."

Reno blinked, confused. "What's that mean?"

"Essentially that I am disowned, disinherited, and disavowed. My father has severed all ties with me, and thus has cut me off from the rest of my relatives as well... and I suspect that, by now, he has effectively erased any evidence of my existence from his home."

"... He can just... _do_ that?!" the rookie blurted out, horrified.

"It's very uncommon... but yes, as head of the family, he can. As you might imagine, I was... rather devastated by his reaction, even having prepared myself for it. Knowing my father's temper, it was never outside of the realm of possibility, but hearing him say it was far worse than I ever imagined it could be. Worse still was seeing how heartbroken my mother was..."

"But... how come you can't just avoid _him_? Why's your whole family listenin' to his bullshit?"

Tseng gave him a sad smile. "I fear several of my brothers may be just as angry as _he_ is. I wasn't the only one who dearly loved Mayu, after all. But even so... my father's word is absolute. He is the family patriarch, and though some of them might not wish to be quite so harsh with me, I have no desire to bring his anger down upon them as well. It took me quite some time to accept that loss. I'm not entirely sure I really _have_ yet... but I was reminded that the Turks are my family, too, and just as important to me as those with whom I share blood. Perhaps now more than ever, all things considered."

Reno stared at him in vague disbelief.

"... How can you be _calm_ about this?" The rookie knew that _he_ wouldn't have been, if he'd had all that ripped away from him at once. Hell, he'd have been thoroughly gutted just losing _one_ member of his little adoptive family... and he wasn't even technically _related_ to any of them. Tseng settled back in his chair and sighed.

"Because I have had time to process it. I was anything _but_ calm after it happened, I assure you. In fact, I think I may have been in a state of shock for several days at first, because I actually remember very _little_ of that period of time."

More than anything, Reno wanted to ask 'But you're okay _now_ , right?'... but he held his tongue, because he suspected he knew the answer. Tseng would either confirm what he was already thinking... or he'd lie to prevent the redhead from worrying. Reno didn't want him to do either, so he quickly swallowed the question. Still, in the back of his mind, it concerned him. He desperately _wanted_ Tseng to be okay...

"Reno, I have a favor to ask," his mentor continued, and the redhead raised his eyes to meet Tseng's, "I have not yet discussed this with anyone else and would prefer to do so in my own time."

"Got it," Reno replied, "I won't say anything."

"Thank you," he replied, with a nod. "In the meantime, Remy mentioned that, due to scheduling conflicts, you're a day overdue for a certain certification exam. I think we will rectify that immediately after the morning briefing."

The rookie couldn't hold back the grin that spread over his face. The training schedules had been all over the place for weeks now, and Remy had only _just_ started to get them back under control with some help from Saya and Kai. He'd figured his pilot's test would get put off for awhile, like Rude's had.

"Seriously?!" he excitedly breathed.

Tseng laughed softly. "Yes, seriously. In fact already I've put in a special request that any remaining requirements be waived for Rodney and Cissnei as well. The more Turks we have capable of flying, the better. With a war now underway, it may become important to be able to put our helicopter to use at a moment's notice, and there may not always be a senior Turk available. Having all four of our rookies as backup might well prove invaluable at some point." He eyed the rookie for a moment as if choosing his next words very carefully. "As such, I've decided that immediately following your certification, you will _also_ be taking your first solo flight."

"W-wait... what? I'm goin' straight from the test to flyin' a mission?!" he replied, slightly panicked at the thought.

Tseng nodded. "Scarlet's department has a new weapon prototype for the troops leaving from Junon. You'll be delivering it to their field commander for transport to the front lines in Wutai. It's nothing you can't handle." He smirked slightly. "Provided you don't faint first... You suddenly look a bit pale."

"Oh, ha, ha..." the redhead dryly replied. "Tch... you'd look pale, too, if I sprung that shit on _you_ outta nowhere. No pressure or anything... Just gotta pass a test I've been stressin' about for weeks 'n then fly to Junon, right? No problem."

"You'll do fine," Tseng chuckled as he stood up and made his way to the door, "Come on. We have a briefing to attend. And then a certification exam to take."

* * *

How he'd managed to keep it together as long as he had, Tseng would never know. Recounting what had happened in Wutai had brought him dangerously close to breaking down again. Somehow he'd managed to mask it... though he was sure Reno wasn't naïve enough to believe that everything was back to normal.

The rookie's reaction to being told that he would be taking his pilot's exam today was enough to bring him back from the edge. When the teenager smiled, it was infectious... and Tseng had been reminded once again just how fortunate he really was to have a protege like him. And though the rookie was slightly terrified at the prospect of unexpectedly being sent off to Junon on his own, Tseng had easily seen the excitement that was building behind the fear.

Remy would be administering the certification exam. Not that he had any serious doubts that Reno could pass it on his own, but he didn't fully trust himself to remain unbiased in this instance – and in his current frame of mind, which seemed to be even more focused than usual on the teenager's well-being – and not write off mistakes in favor of passing him. Remy had actually been the one to suggest it, in fact... something that had surprised him. Though she was an excellent Turk, she didn't often openly question her superiors on command decisions. He wasn't at all disappointed by the unexpected change, either. That tendency was one of the reasons he'd initially intended to recommend that Aaron lead the now defunct Junon branch office prior to his death. Perhaps he'd been wrong about that. It seemed that all Remy had really needed was to be immersed in a leadership role to begin to rely on her own instincts more.

Veld had very briefly detailed her performance as second in command when he'd come in this morning. Apparently things had started out rocky, but shortly before Tseng had returned, she'd begun to get a feel for it. Things had improved markedly over just the past several days, and no one seemed quite sure where the change had come from... though it was certainly a welcome one.

He made his way into the briefing room, Reno trailing him, and moved towards his seat near the head of the table. Word of his return had spread fairly quickly. It looked as though, by now, everyone had heard, as no one seemed especially surprised to see him walk in.

"Welcome back," Sato greeted him, "About bloody time, too. If I had ta put up with Remy bein' in charge fer _one more day_... That Odin-be-damned woman's been on my case non-stop since yeh _left_." The Mideelian Turk shook his head, and grabbed a seat.

"Hmph... And if I were in charge of _him_ for one more day, we might just have had one less Turk and one _more_ building security guard," Remy shot back. Sato flipped her off, and Saya immediately smacked him, hard, in the back of the head.

"Can't yeh just behave like an adult fer _five_ bloody minutes 'n _not_ make me ashamed ta be kin to yeh?" she asked, rolling her eyes. Sato just grinned at her.

Tseng shook his head as he sat down. _Some_ things would never change... and he was grateful for that.

* * *

"Well?" Tseng asked, far more anxiously than he'd realized he felt, as Remy and Reno stepped down from the helicopter. Remy glanced down at her checklist and made a few additional notes.

"He had some difficulty adjusting for the crosswinds above the city –" she began, only to be cut off.

"Tch... Crosswinds. I can _handle_ crosswinds. _That_ was practically a goddamn tornado up there," the redhead groused.

"... but he _passed_ ," she finished, snickering quietly. Tseng nodded, and smiled at the redhead.

"Excellent. The delivery for Junon will be arriving momentarily."

"Wait... I'm really goin' _now_? Like _right_ now?" he asked, clearly having expected to have a break of some sort beforehand.

"I did say 'immediately'," the Turk lieutenant replied. Before Reno could question him further, the elevator doors on the far side of the rooftop opened, and a pair technicians wheeled out a long metal case, secured with a heavy-duty padlock. They were followed by a very impatient-looking Scarlet. She strode up to the small group of Turks while her personnel struggled to lift the obviously heavy container into the helicopter's cargo space.

"Be _careful_ with that, you idiots!" she shouted over her shoulder before turning her attention on Tseng. "This is to be turned over to the to Commander Viddick, and no one else. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am. We'll see to it."

"Hmph... You had _better_ ," she replied, and snapped her fingers at the pair of technicians, recalling them. She moved to leave... but not before casting a very predatory – and not at all subtle – glance at the redhead. Tseng frowned, but said nothing.

It was common knowledge that the relationship between the Weapons Department head and the President had fizzled out quite some time ago. Not _that_ long after her promotion, in fact, if Tres was to be believed... and he typically was. What was slightly less common knowledge... unless one happened to be in the business of knowing things that most people didn't... was that Scarlet seemed to be retaliating for being dropped like an old sock by whoring it up with anyone who might make her former lover jealous. Or who might be beneficial to her career, as Heidegger was _also_ among those she'd courted, again, according to Tres – and most of the General Affairs Department.

Tseng absolutely did _not_ like the idea of the woman zeroing in on Reno for that purpose... and there was no doubt in his mind that he'd correctly interpreted her expression.

A moment later, however, she was disappearing back into the elevator.

"... Am I the only one thinkin' I don't ever wanna be stuck in a room alone with her?" Reno, somewhat nervously, asked.

"No, you're not," Tseng replied, and Remy, too, was nodding in agreement. The redhead visibly shuddered.

"Thought so..." he muttered, "I mean... not that it's real hard to get me into bed, but... fuck. Scarlet _scares_ me. And not in a good way."

"I suggest trying not to dwell on it on your way to Junon," Remy said. The redhead shot her a glare.

"Well, I wasn't _gonna_ , but thanks so much for puttin' the thought in my head."

Remy shook her head and escorted the teenager over to the helicopter.

"Have a good flight," she said, with that awkward, slightly uncomfortable smile again.

"It will probably be close to noon by the time you're finished, so you may eat on the base before returning if you wish," Tseng added, joining them, "Just... stay out of the bars."

The redhead cocked an eyebrow. "You grow a sense of humor while you were gone, boss?" he queried, and the Wutaiian Turk couldn't help but chuckle.

"If _I_ were you, I wouldn't stick around for lunch," Remy opined, "I got to know Commander Viddick quite well while I was in Junon. Very friendly, but he has rather more than a passing interest in the Turks and a tendency to talk. Ad nauseam. I recommend informing him that you're under very strict orders to get there, hand off the cargo, and come straight back... and then beat a hasty retreat before he starts talking anyway. Otherwise, we might not see you again until sometime next Tuesday."

"Duly noted," the rookie replied, grinning. He climbed into the helicopter and dragged the door shut. Mere moments later, Tseng watched as the aircraft lifted off, clearing the communications array on top of the building and streaking off towards Junon. The Turk lieutenant let out a long breath and turned back towards the elevator. It was only about a forty-five minute flight. At most his rookie would be gone for a little over two hours, assuming he failed to heed Remy's warning and chose to eat lunch on the base with the commander.

Nothing to be concerned about.

* * *

Tseng paced the length of the lounge, turned, and paced back in the direction he'd come from. Then he turned and did it again. And again. And again.

"Oh, for Titan's sake," Kai said at last, rolling her eyes. "Will you stop _doing_ that? You're making me dizzy just watching you..."

The Turk lieutenant ignored her and glanced at his watch. Two hours, sixteen minutes. Far too early to start worrying. Unfortunately, the logical side of him was steadily being drowned out more and more by his emotional side. There really _was_ nothing to worry about. It was an easy trip and one that Reno had made a few times already.

With a copilot.

What in _Leviathan's_ name had possessed him to send him out on a solo flight barely five minutes after being certified?! _Anything_ could happen to him, and he'd be out there on his own.

"Hey, Rude... you got handcuffs on you?" Kai asked. The rookie looked up from the intelligence reports he was sorting through and nodded. "Toss 'em here, will ya?"

The rookie obliged, but Tseng wasn't paying either of them any attention. He was far too focused on his own worries. He knew he was being ridiculous. He knew Reno was _more_ than capable of handling a simply courier mission. And he knew that there was no reason to think anything would go wrong. That didn't seem to stop several increasingly horrifying worst case scenarios from working their way into his imagination.

There was an audible snap and the Wutaiian Turk was suddenly jerked to an abrupt halt, mid-stride. In confusion, he glanced down at his wrist and found it handcuffed to the armrest of a nearby chair.

"Kai, take these off of me. Immediately!" he demanded.

"No," she replied, and settled back down onto the couch before picking up a can of soda and taking a long swig. Annoyed, Tseng reached into his pocket where he kept his spare handcuff keys... only to find them missing. A faint jingling from Kai's position drew his gaze back to her.

"Looking for these?" she asked, dangling the keys and shaking them, mockingly.

If looks could kill... Kai would have been dead about six times over.

"Kai!" he growled.

"You need to _relax_. It's your first day back, and you look like you're halfway to a nervous breakdown already. The kid'll be fine."

Tseng scowled at her and glanced down at the metal cuff encircling his wrist. He hated using this technique... but he was _not_ about to be ordered around by that woman and told to 'relax'. He grit his teeth and braced himself for the pain he knew would accompany his escape... and then with a firm grip using his free hand, dislocated his thumb where it joined his wrist. The crack was moderately sickening... and as expected, it _hurt_. But it allowed him to slip free from his restraints. Once loose, he forced the digit back into place, grimacing as he flexed the hand.

"Are you _fucking_ kidding me?" Kai muttered, rolling her eyes. "If that's your idea of relaxing –"

"I do _not_ appreciate your commentary, Kai," Tseng said, clearly angry. "Nor do I appreciate being chained to the furniture."

"Hmph... Fine. Keep driving yourself nuts, then. Can't say I didn't at least _try_ to help." She drained her soda and crushed the can in her hand before tossing it into the trash. With that, she slapped his purloined keys down on the table and stormed off.

Tseng pocketed them and resumed his pacing.

"... You _do_ seem a little stressed out, you know," Rude said, though when Tseng turned back to reply, he'd already gone back to his reports. The Turk lieutenant glanced at his watch instead.

Two hours, twenty-one minutes.

* * *

He should have listened. He _really_ should have listened. But goddammit, by the time he'd made it to Junon, found the guy he was supposed to report to, waited for him to stop talking, and _finally_ got Scarlet's stupid whatever-it-was unloaded, he'd just wanted some fucking lunch.

Commander Viddick had invited himself along. The rookie'd had to endure a nearly hour-long, very one-sided conversation about how the Junon base really ought to be in charge of the Turks' recruitment and training programs, and didn't Reno agree, of course he agreed, and _another_ thing...

At least there had been food.

And he _definitely_ owed Viridia flowers or money or his very soul or _something_ for swooping in and rescuing him from his nightmare. She'd lured the commander away to talk about some security issue or other that Reno was pretty certain didn't actually need talking about and then briskly motioned behind her back for him to run.

He ran.

All the way back to the helipad, in fact, not even waiting for her to disengage herself from the commander so he could thank her. As he was strapping himself in, his PHS chimed with a text message. Curious, he read it before starting his pre-flight checklist. It was from Rude.

 _'You coming back or what?'_

 _'Wasn't sure for a while there. Leaving now. Tell Remy next time I'll listen to her,'_ he typed back, and pocketed the phone.

~end chapter 69~


	70. The Coming Storm

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 70: The Coming Storm**

 **by Desha**

Tseng announced himself by knocking quietly on the door frame. Veld glanced up from his computer and waved him inside.

"Sir, if this is about something Kai said..." he began. After taking some time to cool off, he'd realized that he had _perhaps_ been slightly out of line earlier. Kai had been, too... but he could have handled things better. Veld, however, shook his head.

"No... though if you're preemptively defending yourself, maybe I should ask..."

Tseng shut the door behind him and slid into the chair in front of his mentor's desk.

"I... _may_ have overreacted slightly while worrying about Reno's trip to Junon. And I _will_ apologize," he replied.

"It's almost painful to let him grow up sometimes, isn't is?" the Turk leader snickered. "In any case, that's not what I wanted to discuss. We've received a somewhat... sensitive... assignment. One that you're best qualified for. It's only your first day back... I need to know if you're up to it."

"Of course I'm up to it," Tseng replied, slightly offended.

"You may not be so certain of that once I tell you what it is," said Veld, in a serious tone, "You've suffered a traumatic and very personal loss. I want you back as much as anyone... but I want you back whole."

Tseng raised an eyebrow, curious now, wondering just what this assignment was that his friend and mentor believed might affect him so much. It could be any number of things... but the most likely was something related to the war with Wutai. He vaguely wondered if Veld planned to send him _back_ to Wutai so soon after his return. Were that the case... he may have been a bit premature in his assurances that he was prepared for such an assignment. He wasn't so certain he _could_ handle that quite yet.

"Just what is it you need me to do?" he asked after a moment.

"SOLDIER will be supporting the general military in Wutai, in the hopes of ending this as quickly as possible. As such, their director has asked the executive board that her personnel be briefed on your homeland over most of next week. Heidegger was, unsurprisingly, quick to volunteer _you_ as a resource... most likely to make _himself_ look good, rather than us."

"How did he even know I was back?" Tseng asked, surprised. Veld snorted in contempt.

"I doubt he even realized you were gone... I swear the man only makes me file reports so that he has something to point to that makes him look as though he's actually _doing_ something all day. He is, however, aware enough to realize that you possess a great deal of knowledge that has suddenly become very valuable to our military. There aren't many people in the company with your security clearance who _also_ just happens to have been born and raised in the country we're actively trying to beat into submission, after all." Veld leaned forward, elbows resting on his desk. "I understand that this is essentially asking you to betray your homeland. And as much as we say that orders are orders, I refuse to force this on you, especially now. Shiva knows you've been through enough lately."

"If Heidegger were to find out about that..."

Veld smirked slightly. "I'm not concerned about that. You showed up so unexpectedly, I haven't yet had time to _officially_ inform anyone outside of the team that you've returned from leave... so you're not _officially_ even here. I'm sure I can... _avoid_ finding time... to file the appropriate paperwork until sometime around the end of next week. It's entirely up to you."

"... Would I have to go... home... for these briefings?" Tseng hesitantly queried. If this was starting next week, that could easily mean the members of SOLDIER he was supposed to be briefing were already in Wutai and he'd been traveling over the weekend.

"No. The director wants her people up to speed before they ship out. It will be conducted within SOLDIER's headquarters."

That, at least, was a relief. Veld was right, though... doing this _did_ feel like a betrayal. But then... what ties did he really have to Wutai now anyway? He wasn't welcome in his family's home anymore... and _his_ home... well, if he was being honest with himself, 'home' had _really_ been Midgar for years now.

He could do this. It would almost certainly be a painful form of farewell to his life before the Turks, and not what he would have chosen under normal circumstances, but it could potentially shorten the conflict and, in so doing, save many lives that might otherwise be lost. And perhaps those lives might go a ways toward atoning for his role in Mayu's death, as well. He _could_ do this.

"Alright..." he said at last.

"You're certain?"

"Yes, sir," Tseng replied. Veld nodded.

"I'll let Director Faine know to expect you on Monday, then," said the Turk leader. He smiled faintly, "And while we're on the subject of the various thorns in my side... Rufus."

The Wutaiian Turk sighed in no small amount of frustration.

" _Yes_ , sir... Would you like me to have a word with him about his personal safety? Again?"

"You _do_ seem to the the only one of us he ever listens to. When he actually chooses to listen. And I got the distinct impression the other day that he's been _almost_ as worried about you as your rookie has. But I should also tell you that his father was not amused in the slightest when I returned him home last night. You might mention to him that behavior like this isn't going to be tolerated with a war going on. President Shinra is seriously considering housing him outside of Midgar for the duration after that little stunt."

"Rufus won't like _that_ at all..." Tseng frowned. Neither, for that matter, would _he_. He would prefer to keep the young man close, where he could personally keep an eye on him. His frown deepened slightly as he realized that he seemed to be having that thought quite often of late. Reno's trip to Junon had emphasized just how much having the redhead out of his reach suddenly bothered him. It hadn't occurred to him until now that he was most definitely feeling overly protective of those he cared for the most. He tried very hard to avoid thinking about losing them... but after having lost so much recently, it was difficult. The very idea of something happening to one of them evoked a nearly paralyzing terror deep within him.

"Tseng?"

He looked up, and realized that his mentor was watching him patiently, waiting for him to respond to an unheard query or comment. The Turk lieutenant shook his head.

"I'm sorry, sir... my mind wandered for a moment."

"Why do I get the feeling there's something you haven't told me yet?" Veld asked. He was right, of course. Tseng had yet to say anything about what had happened when he'd returned to his family home. Now, he supposed, was as good a time as any.

"... Because you know me entirely too well, sir," he replied, steeling himself to recount the story once again.

* * *

"Hey, look... he survived," Kai's voice teased as Reno stepped out of the elevator and into the hallway of the Turk offices. He and Kai were making their way toward him. Reno grinned widely.

"Just barely... Almost got talked into a fuckin' coma by a Junon commander," he replied, "Thought I was a goner for sure 'til Vir came 'n rescued me."

"Vir?" Luca repeated, looking slightly puzzled, until the name finally clicked and he snickered, "Ohhh... Right. Lieutenant Commander Nacelle. Heh... On a first name basis with Tseng's mysterious girlfriend, now, are we?"

"What? You're not?" the redhead teased. Kai laughed.

"Ha! Not since one of his little cyber experiments accidentally put the entire base on lockdown for almost two days a couple years back..." she proclaimed. "Viridia's always held a grudge for that. Can't blame her, either... the higher ups in Junon were _pissed_ , and _Luca_ here ran back to Midgar at the earliest opportunity instead of dealing with them."

"I was _recalled_ to Midgar, thank you very much," the other Turk replied, defensively, "And in case you've forgotten, Veld wasn't real happy with me, either. And Tseng was ticked I got _Viridia_ in trouble. I was on _everyone's_ shit list for weeks!"

Kai grinned. "And that's the story of why Luca's not allowed to use the Junon computer network anymore."

Luca awkwardly cleared his throat and nudged his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose.

"Anyway..." Kai sniggered, "I just saw Tseng head into Veld's office. He'll probably want a full report from you as soon as he's done."

"Oh, good... I can tell him all about Commander Viddick's theory that the Turks would be 'far more effective' if we let Junon train our recruits for us."

"Please... that asshole just wants to snag the best to recruit for his _own_ troops," Kai snorted, "Just like fuckin' SOLDIER already does to us." She shrugged and slipped passed the redhead, poking the button for the elevator. "Hell, they _almost_ got Cissnei, from what I hear. Lucky for us, Tseng snatched her up first. Later, boys!"

Reno blinked in surprise as she vanished from view behind the doors. He glanced over at Luca.

"Was she serious? Cissnei was almost chosen for SOLDIER?"

"You'd have to ask Tseng... or Cissnei," Luca replied, "but it wouldn't surprise me. She and Rodney were at the top of their class... that's bound to get _someone's_ attention."

The rookie shook his head. "Okay... would you mind explainin' to me how the whole recruiting thing works? 'Cause I _obviously_ don't get it. I thought they all became Turks eventually..."

Luca laughed and started down the hall, towards the lounge. "You know, I think I'd somehow _completely_ forgotten that you didn't get recruited through the program. Not everyone that gets recruited ultimately gets promoted to the Turks. The program takes people we _think_ could do well in the Turks, and also anyone who _wants_ to try and get in, gives them some basic training and evaluation, and helps us weed out the candidates that aren't suitable for one reason or another. Since we don't always have openings, SOLDIER takes a lot of highly qualified candidates first. The Junon Materia Corps poaches them, too. It makes sense... I mean, why would you want qualified personnel just sitting around in basic training for years on end? There's anywhere from 20 to 50 recruits in training at any given time, so the Turks can't _possibly_ take them all... but that means that, if we don't have space on the team when they're ready, we miss out on a good recruit and lose them to another department."

They walked into the lounge and found Rude with various papers spread halfway across the room. The redhead snickered quietly as they paused in front of him.

"The fuck, man? You run outta space in _our_ office or somethin'?" he asked, as Luca carefully tiptoed his way through the paper minefield to reach the coffee pot on the far side of the room.

"... Yeah, actually," the other rookie replied, "Intelligence reports are coming in from all over the place and Tres wants the printouts sorted by location for easy cross-referencing. I've got thirty-seven separate piles so far. So _whatever_ you do... don't open the windows."

Reno laughed and edged around the reports to take a seat on the couch. Luca poured his coffee and made his way back to the door with it, leaving the two rookies behind with a wave.

"Good luck!" he called over his shoulder.

"... So... anything I can do to help?" Reno asked, but Rude shook his head.

"Probably doesn't look like it, but I'm just about done, actually. How was Junon?"

"Great up until they wouldn't let me leave," the redhead snickered. "Man... Remy was right about that Viddick guy. Couldn't get him to shut up to save my life."

"Helicopter still in one piece?" the other rookie teased.

"Oh, fuck you," Reno laughed. "Hey... outta curiosity... did you ever hear anything about Cissnei almost endin' up in SOLDIER instead of the Turks?"

"Mmhmm..." Rude replied, skimming through the report in his hands and placing it on one of the piles before picking up the next one. Reno waited silently for him to say something else, and the rolled his eyes when he didn't.

"... You gonna elaborate on that 'mmhmm', or what?"

Rude glanced up, smirking slightly. "Not if you don't bother asking me to..."

"Asshole," the redhead snickered, "So what's the story?"

The other rookie shrugged noncommittally. "Not much to tell, really. She outperformed a lot of the other recruits, and it caught Director Faine's attention. Tseng got to her first."

"Um... _actually_ he didn't. I turned SOLDIER down." Both rookies looked up at the unexpected interjection, only to see the subject of their conversation standing in the doorway. Cissnei smiled at the pair of them and crossed the room, holding out a paper take-out bag from a little sandwich shop a few blocks over to Rude. "You missed lunch. I thought you might be getting hungry by now, so..."

"Thanks," he replied, blinking in surprise.

"Ya didn't get _me_ anything?" Reno pouted as Rude dug into the bag and unwrapped its contents. Cissnei giggled quietly.

"Sorry... I didn't know you were back yet. What's with the sudden curiosity about me and SOLDIER?"

"Kai mentioned it in passing earlier. Just the first I'd heard anything about it, that's all," Reno replied. "So you really turned down the chance to join 'em?"

Cissnei nodded. "I've wanted to be a Turk since... well, for as long as I can remember, really. And there were rumors that the Turks were getting ready to promote right around the time Director Faine made a formal offer of promotion to me. So I turned her down, and hoped to Hades the rumors were true..."

Reno grinned. "Wait... so bein' a Turk was your dream? Geez... kinda makes _me_ feel like a loser. I just wanted to get the hell outta the slums 'n took the first opportunity that came along. It was pure luck that said opportunity happened to be Tseng showin' up on my doorstep one day."

Cissnei laughed, "I don't believe in luck. Things happen for a reason. You were always meant to be a Turk, even if you didn't know it at the time. And so was _I_. That's why I never had any second thoughts about turning Director Faine down. A week later? I found out I was one of the picks for final evaluation for the Turks."

Rude, in the meantime, had finished half of his sandwich and then started gathering his sorted piles reports into individual file folders, and making a neat stack of them on the floor in front of him. He groaned in relief as he placed the last folder on top.

" _Finally_..."

"... Course you realize that soon as you take those over to Tres, he's gonna have twice as many new ones waitin' for ya," the redhead pointed out.

"... Don't ruin my moment of triumph. Remember... _I'm_ the one who offered to make your birthday cake for the party tonight."

Cissnei grinned and prodded him teasingly in the chest. "Yeah, Reno. Don't do anything to mess up your own birthday party. After the week we've had, _I'm_ really looking forward to celebrating something, rather than worrying about what's going on in Wutai."

* * *

"There you are," Tseng said as Reno was leaving the lounge a short while later. "I trust everything went smoothly in Junon?"

"Yep... but, uh... remind me that the next time I'm over there I owe Vir a _huge_ thank you for getting me outta havin' to spend the rest of the day with Commander Viddick."

Tseng chuckled quietly. "I'll be sure to pass along your undying gratitude the next time I speak to her. For now, however, I have a new task for you."

"... It doesn't involve paperwork, does it?" the redhead asked, with trepidation. He'd been right about Rude's workload. Just as he'd been preparing to carry off the sorted reports to his mentor, Tres had arrived with another batch. Cissnei had quickly offered to lend a hand. Reno, meanwhile – since Cissnei had already volunteered – had used the excuse of needing to report to Tseng to beat a hasty retreat.

"No, actually. Unless you'd prefer I find some for you..."

"Yeah, thanks, but no thanks. What's up?"

"Rufus is apparently suffering the consequences of his little escape last night. His father has asked that we tighten security around him. He has a business meeting at the Silver Swan this afternoon and will need an escort. Veld is sending both Remy _and_ you."

Reno's eyebrows rose.

"He's not sendin' you?"

Tseng shook his head and chuckled. "I'm being purposefully withheld today... as punishment for his foolishness."

The redhead snickered, recalling the vice president's comments about Remy the previous evening.

"Oh... so he gets his two _least_ favorite Turks, instead."

"Only one of them, I suspect," Tseng replied, smiling slightly, "Rufus seems to have decided that you're not _wholly_ disagreeable... in small amounts."

"Yeah, right," the rookie snorted. Though he knew that Rufus did like him better than _some_ people. Or at least tolerated him. Sort of. Mainly when it benefited him somehow.

"The meeting is at three. Remy will come and find you then."

"Yeah, okay," said Reno. Tseng nodded and turned to go. "Hey... um... you're comin' to my party tonight... right?"

"Now that I've finally been officially invited to the celebration that no one seems to be able to stop talking about today... of course," he replied, somewhat teasingly. The rookie, sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Heh... yeah, sorry 'bout that. Been a busy day..." He grinned slightly, "And don't worry 'bout gettin' me anything. I've been tellin' everyone that I all I _really_ want is food 'n company."

Tseng rested a hand on Reno's shoulder, squeezing gently, and smiled before heading back to his office.

* * *

"Oh, my god, you two are _still_ at it?" the redhead laughed as he returned to the lounge an hour later. He'd made a point of avoiding it for awhile, lest he be recruited to help, but he'd thought that surely by _now_ the flow of incoming reports would have dwindled a bit. Cissnei looked up.

"Oh, no... we finished with the intelligence reports ages ago. These are next month's requisition forms. Veld asked Remy to take care of them while Tseng kind of... readjusts... to being back at work. After what happened last time, Remy said she needed us to help her get a head start on filling them out." She held out a handful to him. "Here... just jump in anywhere."

Reno grinned. "Heh... you know how much I just _adore_ paperwork, but I'm actually headin' out on assignment. Just gotta find Remy so we can get goin'. 'Sides... no one can read _my_ shit handwriting anyway."

"Good point. Off to do anything interesting?" Rude asked. His fellow rookie shrugged.

"Not really. Babysittin' the vice president at some meeting across town."

"Oh... Do I feel sorry for _you_. From what I've heard, Rufus is in a _really_ foul mood today," Cissnei said, shaking her head. "Rodney ran into him earlier when Veld sent him up to the executive floor with some reports for Heidegger."

"Great..." Reno groaned as Remy at last walked into the lounge.

"Reno? We're leaving now," she said, glancing at her watch.

"See you guys tonight," the redhead said to his fellow rookies before turning and following the senior Turk out the door. They headed for the elevator, and Remy pressed the button for the sixty-sixth floor... the executive offices. Reno sighed and leaned back against the wall of the elevator car as it carried them upwards.

"Ya know..." he said after a few seconds of silence, "It wouldn't kill ya to _talk_ to me once in awhile..."

Remy jumped, startled slightly by the sudden proclamation and looked over at him.

"I... don't know what you're talking about," she replied. Reno rolled his eyes.

"Oh, _please_... you've hardly said two words to me that weren't a hundred percent job-related since you fucked me. You _really_ think I haven't noticed?"

The senior Turk's face flushed pink and she quickly cleared her throat. "This is neitherthe time _nor_ the place to discuss this!" she hissed in a rather scandalized whisper.

"What the fuck are you whisperin' for? Who do you think's gonna hear us in here?" the redhead snickered in response. "Seriously, Remy... what's the deal? I told ya... I'm not gonna say anything about it to anyone. I didn't even tell Rude when he kept askin' where the hell I disappeared to that night."

"Reno..."

"And just for the record... _other_ people are eventually gonna start noticin' it, too," he added. "Looks just a _little_ weird when two people go from bein' friends, to one of 'em goin' out of her way to avoid the other."

Remy pressed her hands over her eyes and made a sound somewhere between a groan and a sigh. "I _know_..."

Before she could say anything further, however, they reached their destination. The elevator chimed and opened, depositing them on sixty-six and the senior Turk hurried to reclaim her composure. Rufus was already waiting for them, a scowl firmly embedded on his face. If he noticed her discomfort, he didn't seem to care about it.

" _Of course_ it would be you two..." he muttered, stepping aboard.

* * *

Wine-colored carpet spread out ahead of him, plush underfoot, leading to a grand staircase that rose upwards towards a mezzanine that encircled the massive lobby and then continued up farther still to wide wooden doors that opened onto the second floor. The stairs gleamed in the light of a trio of crystal chandeliers – polished marble with rich, cherry wood banisters. The same wood also paneled the walls, giving the large, open room a surprisingly cozy feeling in spite of its grandness. Dark gray stone columns rose from floor to ceiling, flanking the staircase on either side and were reflected in the uncovered parts of the floor.

"Fuckin' hell..." Reno murmured under his breath as he took in the opulence that surrounded him. He'd seen a lot in his time on the Plate... but this was something else altogether.

The Silver Swan hotel was widely regarded as the best hotel in Midgar – perhaps in the world – with prices to match. He'd seen it from the outside dozens of times but until today had never set foot through the large revolving door that transported guests from the hustle and bustle of the city into the quiet luxury of its lobby.

He and Remy trailed Rufus across the sprawling room, towards the elegantly detailed doors of what Reno quickly realized was a restaurant. The aroma from within made his mouth water and he was more than a little disappointed that he wasn't going to be able to sample the menu. He _was_ on the clock, after all. The group was greeted by the establishment's host and escorted to a private dining room, away from the other guests.

"Ah... Rufus," a man already seated inside said as they entered, standing up and walking over to shake the young executive's hand. He wasn't alone. Another, younger man, and a woman of perhaps forty remained at the table.

"Erik... Good to see you again," Rufus responded... to Reno's surprise, with none of his earlier annoyance. He wasn't sure if it was an act or if the brat was genuinely pleased to see the man. The vice president turned to the pair of Turks. "This is a _private_ meeting."

"Yes, sir," said Remy and obediently stepped back outside, the redhead scurrying after her. The doors closed behind them as the senior Turk took up a position to the left of the entryway. Reno shrugged and moved to the right.

"So... what? We just stand guard 'til he's done in there?"

"Yes," she replied. The rookie sighed. _This_ was gonna be fun. Guard duty was even less exciting than escort duty... if such a thing was possible. Guard duty at the _restaurant_ , where delicious smells were assaulting him from all sides, was barely a step away from physical torture. His stomach growled in agreement.

"Glad I got a party to look forward to tonight, or this would _really_ suck..." he muttered, more to himself than to Remy.

"We're here to watch Rufus' back, not to chit chat," Remy admonished him.

"Heh... guess that means _this_ is 'neither the time nor the place' to talk about –"

" _Reno!"_

"Geez... alright, fine. I'll shut up," he replied. With a soft sigh of resignation to his fate, he folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall behind him, eyes on their surroundings.

"... We'll... talk later, once we're off duty. After your party. Alright?"

"Yeah, okay."

It was going to be a long couple of hours.

~end chapter 70~


	71. The Birthday Party

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 71: The Birthday Party**

 **by Desha**

 _ **Author's Note:** Happy birthday to Reno... and to me, too! ^_^_

* * *

By the time Rufus finally emerged from the private dining room, Reno was half convinced that if he had to watch _one more_ Ifrit-be-damned plate of food walk past him, he was going to lose his mind. He was _starving_. He'd been fine when they're arrived, but after almost two and a half hours of seeing dish after dish – each one more enticing than the last – drift past him, carried by sharply dressed waiters, either through the doors he was stuck guarding or out to the main dining room, he was ready to just grab one and make a run for it.

And when Rufus _did_ emerge, he greeted the pair with little more than snap of the fingers. The redhead glared at his back as the man strode towards the exit, but wisely chose to swallow what he'd been about to say. Telling the vice president of Shinra Company off while alone in an elevator or on the firing range was one thing. Doing it in public was liable to get him into much deeper shit than he wanted to risk being in.

Remy, too, seemed slightly annoyed by the snobbish 'order' to follow him, but also remained silent, wordlessly following the young executive out into the lobby to wait for the car to be brought around by their driver. In fact, no one said a word until they were safely sequestered in the back of the limo.

"Well," Rufus snorted contemptuously, " _That_ was a blatant waste of my time."

He was looking pointedly at the pair of Turks, as if demanding a response from one of them. Remy was the first to acquiesce.

"I... take it things didn't go as planned, sir?" she ventured.

"Oh, it went as _planned_ , all right," he sneered in response. "Father _knows_ I can't stand that idiot _or_ that insufferable moron he calls a son. If they didn't _own_ the land we built the Gongaga reactor on, I wouldn't so much as give them the time of day. This whole charade was just his way of punishing me for leaving the manor without his explicit permission last night."

Reno couldn't stop the snicker that escaped that that declaration, and Rufus narrowed his eyes at the rookie.

" _One word_ out of _you_ and I'll see to it that you spend next week as Heidegger's personal escort to Junon instead of whomever your commander has assigned..." he replied with a noticeably nasty smirk, "We'll see if you even _return_."

Reno eyed him for a moment, and then wordlessly shrugged and leaned back in his seat. He had a sneaking feeling it was an empty threat. The more time he spent with Rufus, the easier it was getting to understand him. Aside from the fact that Rufus had to know that neither Tseng nor Veld would ever allow a rookie to act as the lone security detail for an executive board member... Reno was _pretty_ sure the brat was just pissed about his _own_ punishment and taking out his frustration on the most convenient target. As long as it didn't get him into _actual_ trouble – or interfere with his party tonight – he unexpectedly realized that he really didn't give a shit if the brat want to use him to vent a little.

Remy, on the other hand, looked vaguely horrified and on the verge of telling Reno off for being so disrespectful to an executive. Rufus, however, didn't give her the opportunity.

"And as for _you_ ," he continued, directing his gaze at the senior Turk, "Inform Veld at your earliest convenience that I do not appreciate being treated like a child and the next time he decides not to honor my request for specific personnel for no other reason than spite, he will regret it."

Reno very much wanted to voice his opinion that, if Rufus didn't want to be treated like a child, then maybe he ought to stop acting like one... but he'd already been warned once, and even if the vice president was unlikely to make good on his earlier threat, Remy would almost certainly end up giving him an earful if he went out of his way to provoke him.

And besides which... as much as he hated to admit it, he was _kind of_ on the brat's side for once. Rufus hadn't run off on a whim last night. Sure... it was kind of stupid to go out alone, but all he'd really wanted was to see Tseng. Reno probably would have done the same thing if he'd been in the vice president's shoes. And it's not like he went out of his way to put himself in danger... He'd literally shown up on a Turk's doorstep, for fuck's sake. The redhead was starting to realize that, in spite of his wealth and position and education... Rufus really didn't have much freedom. That _had_ to kind of suck sometimes.

"Yes, sir... I'll see to it that he receives the message," the senior Turk replied.

When they at last arrived back at the Shinra Building, the two Turks parted ways with the less-than-personable Shinra heir, returning to headquarters while Rufus continued on to the executive offices upstairs. And soon thoughts of Rufus' sheltered life were banished in favor of last minute plans for his party.

* * *

Rude had given him a ride home from work, and was soon busying himself – and grumbling about the meager facilities – in Reno's tiny kitchenette while the redhead scurried around, picking up the worst of his neglected mess from the past week. He could already smell the tantalizing aroma of his cake baking. That, combined with sheer excitement, had him longing for the others to get there soon so he could finally enjoy it.

"... You sure you want chocolate _frosting_ , too?" Rude asked. Reno grinned widely.

"Hell _yeah_..."

"... It's already got chunks of milk chocolate _inside_ of a chocolate cake. You _really_ want more on top? That's... going to be _very_ sweet."

"Rude, there's no such thing as too sweet in my book."

The other rookie laughed softly and shook his head. "I should _probably_ frost it with insulin instead, as much sugar is in this thing," he snickered, "I'm not sure death by chocolate would be as fun as it sounds."

"I could think of worse ways to go..." the redhead shot back, still grinning.

"Your funeral," Rude snorted.

Reno laughed and shoved his discarded jacket into the closet. "Need any help?"

"Not really. Can't do much more until it finishes baking."

"... 'kay. I'm gonna go get some ice for drinks 'n shit, then."

"Taken care of. I asked Kai to grab some on her way over," Rude replied. "Just sit down and relax. It's your birthday."

"Technically, my birthday was yesterday," the redhead snickered as he settled himself on the couch. A moment later, he twisted around to look at his friend over the back. "Hey... thanks for doin' this for me."

The other rookie glanced over his shoulder at him. "Not like a cake is that difficult. And _you_ took care of dinner."

"Tch... I ordered pizza. Real hard. 'Sides... the cake's the most important part. 'Specially since I've never really had a birthday cake before."

There was a loud clatter from the kitchen as Rude dropped the spoon he'd just retrieved from one of the drawers. He eyed the the birthday boy with no small amount of surprise.

"What are you talking about?"

"Never had one. Like a _real_ one that someone made for me, I mean. 'Least not that I can remember. I dunno if my mom ever made me one when I was little or not, and the assholes at the orphanage never gave a shit about birthdays. Lira's about a good a cook as _I_ am... and last year Tseng took me to the Gold Saucer instead of havin' a party, so... yeah. This'll be the first, far as I know." Reno laughed softly, "Actually... kinda the first birthday _party_ I've had, too. I mean... I _kinda_ remember my fifth birthday with Mom. We spent the whole day at this little park 'cause I fuckin' _loved_ the swings there. Other than that... hell, some years even _I_ forgot about my birthday."

"... Next year we're _not_ just doing last minute pizza and cake," Rude stated, decisively.

"But I _like_ pizza and cake," the redhead replied, grinning happily. His friend laughed softly, shaking his head and retrieved the spoon from the floor, tossing it into the sink. He made his way over to the other rookie and smirked before grabbing him and putting him in a headlock.

"If I say that next year we're having a _real_ party for you, then next year we're having _real_ party for you," he teased as the smaller teen tried to squirm his way loose.

"Alright, already!" Reno laughed, "Geez... let go of me! Fine, we'll have a 'real' party next year."

Rude released his prisoner, snickering, only to pull him back in a second later, this time for a hug.

* * *

Hearing him say that... as if it was no big deal... had quite literally taken Rude's breath away for a moment. He'd already _known_ that Reno'd had a fairly shitastic and thoroughly neglected childhood, and it had still somehow caught him off-guard. How in the _nine hells_ did a person make it to eighteen without ever really celebrating their own birthday like just about every other kid on the planet? Even _once_?

His own birthdays past were all generally happy memories... at least up until his mother's accident. It was hard to imagine that his friend had had none of that growing up. Not even something a simple as a cake. Rude silently vowed to make sure that never happened again.

He vaguely wondered if Tseng knew about this. He knew that the Turk lieutenant had researched his choice of a protege in agonizing detail before he'd actually recruited him. Rude had even helped with some of it... but it wasn't as if anyone kept records of how many birthday parties a person had had in their life. Hell, down in _some_ parts of the slums, you were lucky if your _birth_ even got recorded anywhere. Rude knew for a fact that Reno didn't have a birth certificate. The only reason anyone even knew when his birthday was at all had been because the orphanage he'd lived in had it on file... though he wasn't entirely certain where _they'd_ gotten the information from. Possibly from Reno himself when he was brought in.

He also knew that the redhead wasn't especially forthcoming about the details of his younger years... so it was entirely possible – likely, even – that Tseng had no idea, either.

A part of him wanted to ask his friend all about it. He wanted to understand what Reno had been through before they'd come into one another's lives. But he didn't want to force the issue... especially not today. It _had_ to be painful. If it weren't, the redhead wouldn't shy away from talking about it so much.

"Tch... you gonna let go of me 'n finish my cake, or are you just gonna do _this_ all night?" Reno's voice suddenly interjected, teasingly, and Rude suddenly realized that he was still holding his friend tightly against him. He forced himself to let go, and a moment later, grinned and ruffled the redhead's hair.

"One chocolate-flavored sugar coma... coming up," he snickered.

* * *

"I swear ta Titan, that man is gettin' ta be _impossible_ ta live with," Saya sighed as she climbed into Remy's car, "Thanks fer pickin' me up. The last thing I wanna do right now is ride with _Sato_."

Apparently the pair had had a rather spectacular fight when they'd arrived home after work... and discovered that one of Sato's 'projects' had melted a six inch wide hole in the solid granite kitchen countertop... and set off the building's smoke alarms, prompting an evacuation and the arrival of the fire department. Saya had called her a short while ago, all but begging her to give her a ride to Reno's party before she clobbered her cousin into next week.

" _Getting_ impossible to live with? Frankly, I don't know how you've been able to stand it for so long," she replied.

"Because he's _kin_... We grew up tagether, close as any siblings, and I love the bloody maniac. But lately..." Saya shook her head and sighed, "He's gettin' more 'n more reckless. I know _yeh've_ noticed it, too. I keep tellin' him if he dinnae tone it down, I'm findin' a place of my own, but... there's a part of me that's honestly a wee bit scared what might happen ta him if I leave him ta his own devices fer too long."

"Have you brought any of these concerns up with Veld?"

"Aye... a bit ago. We had a long talk with him... 'n then the idiot went 'n built that Hades-be-damned thing fer Reno 'n got him kicked outta whatever was left o' his apartment after it went off, so... it obviously didnae do much good." She sighed again. "I know I've joked about it in the past, but I'm startin' ta wonder if he really _does_ need ta be dragged in fer a psych eval."

"Maybe you should suggest that to Tseng on Monday?"

"... I just dunno. I feel like it'd be betrayin' him in a way. Sato's been called crazy all his life. I'm about the only one who's ever stuck up fer him, 'n even _I_ think he's a bit nuts. But I've still _always_ stuck up fer him."

"Do you want _me_ to do it?" Remy offered. "I can keep your name out of it. Like you said... I've noticed how reckless he's been lately, too, and Sato know _exactly_ what _I_ think of him."

Saya smiled slightly. "I'd be grateful fer that. Thank yeh, Remy." She went silent for a few moments before chuckling softly. "But enough about my lunatic cousin. Tanight's supposed ta be about _Reno_. Let's not ruin his party worryin' about Turks business 'n idiot family members. We _all_ need a break. Especially _yeh_."

Remy glanced away from the road briefly. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

The other Turk laughed softly. "Just that yeh've been stressed beyond belief since Tseng took off, tryin' ta figure his job out, 'n then just when yer _finally_ startin' ta get a handle on it, a war goes 'n breaks out. Yeh need a night out 'n a good, stiff drink or three."

Remy cringed slightly at the memory of her _last_ 'night out and a good, stiff drink or three'. It hadn't exactly ended the way she'd planned and she was _still_ dealing with the fallout. And it certainly hadn't _lessened_ her stress level.

"... What's wrong, darlin'? Somethin' I said?" Saya suddenly asked. Remy mentally groaned. It was getting harder and harder to handle this... and apparently harder and harder to _hide_ it. Keeping it a secret was slowly eating her alive.

" _Please_ promise me you won't tell anyone else," she breathed, as she stopped at a red light. "I... I _need_ to tell _someone_ , but..."

"I won't breath a word. Now, what's got yeh so bent outta shape?" her passenger asked, concerned.

"I... slept with Reno."

Saya said nothing for a moment, and when Remy ventured to glance over at her again, she was staring at her with a look that plainly said the woman couldn't decide if she'd heard her correctly or not.

"It just... I... I wasn't _planning_ on it. It just sort of... happened," she quickly added. The light finally changed, and she hit the gas, driving through the intersection. "I went out for a drink to try and relax, and he was at the bar and we started talking, and one drink turned into three, and then six, and then the next thing I knew we were..." She tailed off, shaking her head. "I can barely even _look_ at him without feeling guilty about it. I _literally_ took advantage of a drunk seventeen year old boy who went out of his way to try and cheer me up when I felt like I was failing miserably at my job. And what makes it even _worse_ is that _I'm_ the one who was supposed to look out for his best interests. I _promised_ Tseng I'd take care of him while he was gone. Dear Leviathan, what kind of person _does_ something likethat?"

"... And I thought _I_ had problems," Saya finally said, and Remy groaned out loud in response. "Well... what's done is done, I suppose. How's _he_ handlin' it?"

"Oh, it doesn't seem to bother _him_ at all," Remy replied, somewhat ruefully, " _He's_ more upset that I've been acting so distant around him since it happened. But I can't _help_ it! I just feel so... ashamed... for doing that to him. For _using_ him like that."

The pair fell silent for several minutes as Remy drove them through town towards the redhead's apartment. For awhile, she was half convinced that Saya was just as disgusted with her behavior as _she_ was. At last the Mideelian Turk broke the silence.

"Well... the way I see it, yeh've got two options. Yeh can either walk up ta Tseng 'n confess that yeh betrayed his trust 'n crossed one hell of a line with the wee rookie 'n see how he wants ta handle it... Or yeh can ask Reno what _he_ wants yeh ta do 'n then damn well _do_ whatever he asks of yeh," she said. "One might go a ways toward helpin' with that guilty conscience of yers. The other may or may not make yeh feel less guilty, but it'd certainly be the _honorable_ thing ta do."

Remy turned down a side street into Sector 3. Saya was right. It wasn't fair to Reno to keep him at arm's length the way she'd been for the past week or so. Besides the fact that, as he'd mentioned to her earlier in the day, the others would eventually start to notice... she'd gotten the impression that he was more than a little hurt by her change in behavior.

Reno was a bit like Kai. For both of them, the Turks were their family. Their _only_ family. She very vividly remembered the weeks that Kai and Tseng had been at one another's throats after the death of one of their own; an incredibly talented young Turk by the name of Alissa... whom Kai had been very much in love with. Her death had been a direct result of one of Tseng's orders and Remy remembered how heartbroken and betrayed Kai had felt in the days and weeks following... both over the loss of her lover, _and_ over what she was certain was the end of a close friendship, as well. She and Tseng had eventually reconciled... but the damage had been done. Their friendship had never been quite the same after that. Remy didn't want that to let that happen between Reno and herself.

As they at last pulled into the parking lot of Reno's building, Saya folded her arms over her chest and looked pointedly at her fellow Turk.

" _Whatever_ yeh decide ta do, though... yeh'd best not hurt that sweet thing, or yeh'll be dealin' with _me_. And mama bear's got teeth."

* * *

Reno was all smiles as he opened the door and ushered Tseng inside... and then remained there, propping the door open when he spotted Shay emerging from the elevator down the hall. The younger Turk presented him with a large, wrapped box as he arrived.

"Happy birthday!"

"Heh... thanks! But I told you guys yesterday that ya didn't have to get me anything..."

"Don't be ridiculous. Presents are what birthday parties are _for_ ," Shay proclaimed and slipped past him, into the apartment.

"While I wouldn't say they're the _entire_ purpose of celebrating... it _is_ tradition, after all," Tseng chuckled as the redhead turned around and set the gift down on a small side table. Reno was surprised to find his mentor holding out a much smaller box, wrapped neatly in dark blue paper.

"Tch... _you_ definitely didn't need to get me anything. Havin' you back in Midgar's plenty."

"But I did, and so it's much too late to complain about it," the Turk lieutenant teased, "Veld has, unfortunately, been pulled into an after hours meeting along with the director of SOLDIER and probably won't be able to make it... but he did ask me to give you his regards."

"Party time!" a pair of voices suddenly squealed from the still-open door. It was followed immediately by twin popping sounds, and Reno found himself showered in tiny streamers. Kai and Cissnei giggled at his surprised expression as they let themselves in. Kai handed off the promised bag of ice to Rude and then proceeded to pull a cone-shaped party had from her bag and plop it on the birthday boy's head.

"My baby Turkling... all grown up," she said with a dramatic sigh. Reno rolled his eyes.

"If I'm so 'grown up' are you gonna _finally_ quit callin' me that?"

"Yeah... no," Kai grinned, before walking over to the couch and making herself comfortable. Cissnei giggled and hugged the redhead.

"Happy birthday, Reno," she said, smiling widely.

The redhead grinned back at her, and shut the door, before grabbing his gifts and carrying them into the living room.

"Can I open 'em now?" he asked. Kai smacked him lightly in the back of the head.

"You're _supposed_ to wait until all the guests have arrived and the cake has been served... which means _after_ dinner."

Cissnei and Rude both laughed at the horrified look that came over Reno's face upon hearing the senior Turk's dire pronouncement. Tseng, however, was quick to intervene.

"It's _your_ birthday. You may open them whenever you wish."

"Oh, thank Ifrit..." the redhead breathed, reaching for the one from Shay. As he was tearing into the paper, Rude moved to answer yet another knock at the door. A moment later Saya and Remy joined the little gathering. Reno paused and glanced up at the new arrivals.

"Hey, guys! Where's Sato?"

"Hmph... Assumin' he hasn't blown himself ta kingdom come yet cleanin' up the mess he created in my kitchen, he'll be along shortly," Saya assured him. She glanced around the room. "Who else're we still missin'?"

"Luca, Tres, and Rodney," Tseng supplied. "Veld never made it out of headquarters, I'm afraid. We were _both_ nearly cornered by Heidegger just as we reached the elevators. He sacrificed himself so that I could escape."

"Poor thing. A noble sacrifice if ever there was one," Saya laughed. Reno, meanwhile, had turned his attention back on the gift in front of him and opened the box to find a bottled containing a deceptively innocent teal-colored liquid. Rude groaned faintly.

"Keep _that_ away from me," he said, recognizing it immediately. Reno snickered and set the pricey absinthe on the coffee table.

"Heh... more for me, then," he snickered, "Thanks, Shay!"

He reached for Tseng's gift next, pulling off the wrapping to reveal a small case.

" _Someone's_ been shopping on the expensive side of town," Kai commented, as soon as she noticed the logo embossed on the top. Reno lifted the lid and removed the sleek wristwatch from its confines.

"There are _some_ items that are worth paying a bit more for the quality. Given what we tend to get up to, I wanted to be sure it had at least a _chance_ of survivingmore than a few weeks on the job."

The redhead grinned and slipped it on his wrist, admiring it for a moment or two. He had no trouble recognizing it... it was the same model Tseng wore, though in dark gray and silver rather than jet black and gold like his mentor's.

"Pizza's here," Rude suddenly called from the doorway... and it seemed that the missing guests had come with it, as well.

The next couple of hours consisted of pizza and more people wishing him a happy birthday, as well as a handful of additional gifts in spite of Reno having made it clear to everyone that it wasn't strictly necessary. It was actually a little weird for him, getting so much stuff all at once. Enjoyable... but weird. Kind of how Christmas had been.

And of _course_ there was cake.

Rude had gone all out while the redhead been distracted by his other guests. Four layers of chocolate cake, each one full-on _impregnated_ with over-sized chocolate chips that had turned into little oozing pools of deliciousness in the oven. In between each layer was an obscene amount of gooey chocolate fudge, and the whole thing was enveloped in a thick shell of creamy chocolate mousse... which had been further decorated with bits of shaved dark and milk chocolate on top.

"Holy fucking _hell_ , kid..." Tres laughed when it was presented to their host, "You wishin' him a happy birthday or tryin' to give us all diabetes?"

Rude only snickered and lit the candles in response, which lead to a chorus of Happy Birthday... sung slightly off-key, thanks largely to Sato and Luca. Reno was fairly well convinced that Luca just couldn't carry a tune to save his life... but he was pretty sure Sato's performance was mostly intentional. He just laughed and blew out the candles.

"A _small_ piece for me, please," Tseng cautioned Rude as he moved in to cut wedges out of the dessert.

"And for _me_ ," Remy added, "Delicious as it looks, I think I've gained three pounds just being this _close_ to it."

"You can just add the rest of theirs onto mine," Reno piped up, grinning widely.

* * *

By midnight or so, most of the party goers had filtered out, leaving only a few stragglers remaining in Reno's apartment. Rude stretched slightly. It had been a long day, and he was obviously starting to feel the lateness of the hour. Reno smirked from his reclined position on the couch and nudged him with his foot.

"Ya don't have to stick around all night on my account," he snickered. "'Course if ya _want_ crash here, that's fine by me..."

"Though if you do, I suspect breakfast will consist of more pizza and cake," Tseng commented.

"Nah... just pizza. I finished off what was left of the cake two hours ago," the redhead replied, grinning.

"Hmph... In that case, I'm out of here," Rude said, teasingly. "See ya tomorrow?"

"Long as Wutai doesn't decide pull some shit that gets us called into work all weekend..."

Rude snorted softly in laughter and ruffled his friend's hair before heading out the door. Tseng leaned back in the chair he'd taken over a short while ago. He glanced over at Remy.

"I suppose _we_ should leave, as well, so the birthday boy can finally go to bed," he said, before turning his gaze on his protege, "Unless you'd like some help cleaning up first?"

"Tch... I'm not even _touching_ this mess 'til sometime tomorrow afternoon," the redhead replied, grinning. He sat up and stretched his arms over his head until his left shoulder cracked. Tseng flinched at the sound.

"Are you _quite_ sure that's not painful? It's been doing that for months now. That injury should have long since been healed," he opined, "Perhaps we should visit –"

"It's _fine_. It doesn't hurt at all, and I _definitely_ don't need an extra visit to the doc just so she can tell me there's nothin' she can do about it."

Remy snickered quietly. "Something tells me you're more concerned that she might be _able_ to do something, and you would simply prefer to avoid more surgery."

The redhead shrugged noncommittally. "It's not hurtin' anything. Why fix what's not broken?"

Tseng sighed in defeat and shook his head. "Well... If it doesn't interfere with your training, I suppose I really have no say in the matter. My guardianship of you expired the moment you turned eighteen. If you prefer it this way, it's your choice."

The rookie blinked in surprise. For _some_ reason, that thought hadn't yet occurred to him. He was legally an adult now, and that meant that his last legitimate dependence upon his mentor was gone... and the idea was more than a little terrifying. Even though he'd known this was coming, a part of him felt like it wasn't something he was ready to let go of yet.

Something must have changed rather dramatically in his expression, because Tseng suddenly chuckled.

"Just because you no longer need a guardian, don't expect to be rid of me quite yet. You may be an adult, but you're _still_ a rookie," he said, at last standing up. "And on that note, I think it's time I headed home. Goodnight, Reno."

"'Night..." Reno replied, scrambling to his feet to accompany him to the door, "Seriously, boss... I'm _really_ glad you're back."

"So you've already mentioned. Several times, now, in fact," his mentor laughed. He smiled warmly. "Happy birthday."

With that, he let himself out of the apartment, heading for home. Reno shut the door behind him.

"I... suppose I should get going as well," said Remy. The rookie snapped the lock on the door shut and turned to face her, crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest.

"Oh, no you don't. You _promised_ me we'd talk after the party."

"... I _did_ say that... didn't I..." she sighed. Reno crossed the room and resumed his seat on the couch, looking up at her expectantly. Remy shook her head and took up the seat Tseng had just vacated. "I... don't know quite where to start," she confessed.

"How about startin' with explainin' to me why you're makin' such a big deal out of this? So we ended up in bed together. So what? I _told_ ya I wasn't gonna say anything, 'n I'm _not_. I _swear_ I'm not. You don't have to worry about anyone findin' out."

"Oh, Reno..." Remy breathed. "I know. That's _not_ why I've been avoiding you."

"Then... _why_?" he asked, mystified. He'd just assumed that she was worried about ending up being the butt of office jokes for awhile... and maybe getting reamed out by Veld. Or Tseng. If _that_ wasn't the problem, he was kind of at a loss.

Remy closed her eyes and slowly exhaled a long breath.

"I'm just... so... _ashamed_ of what I did. I've had a hard time facing you."

"... Oh," he said softly. _That_ wasn't quite the answer he'd been expecting. He supposed he could understand. Remy was one of the most respected members of the team... and he... well, frankly, he was little manwhore and not shy about admitting it. Usually, though, the women he hooked up with were fine with that... They weren't interested in _dating_ him, for fuck's sake. They just wanted a quick fuck as much as he did. He probably should have realized a bit sooner that Remy wasn't the type of woman he usually took to bed. "I'm sorry," he said, looking away from her, "I know... I'm kind of a slut."

"I... what? No! No, that's... that's _absolutely_ not what I meant," Remy hurriedly replied, shaking her head in denial. The redhead looked up again, blinking in confusion, as the senior Turk scrubbed her hands over her face. "Reno... I'm not ashamed of _you_. I'm ashamed of _myself_ for... well... frankly, for what essentially amounts to statutory rape!"

"... Uh... ya wanna run that one by me again?" was all Reno could think to say in response.

"You were seventeen."

"Tch... yeah, so? And point of fact, I was less than a week away from turnin' _eighteen_ , so what the hell kinda difference does _that_ make? Not like I magically got more grown up or somethin' in the last few days."

" _And_ you were drunk," she added.

"So were you," he shot back, annoyed at her persistence.

"That... _really_ just makes it a whole lot worse, Reno."

"I'm not some _kid_ , Remy. Quit treatin' me like one," he insisted, frowning, "Look, I get that it probably shouldn't've happened 'cause you're my superior, and that's crossin' a line that's probably better off not gettin' crossed. But don't fuckin' treat me like I'm some kinda victim here. I knew what I was doin', and I _wanted_ to do it. And for the record, I fuckin' _liked_ it, too."

"Reno, it's just not that simple..."

"No, it's _exactly_ that simple. You don't get to tell me how I feel... 'cause ya know what? I know _real_ victims. I've sat holdin' one of my best friend's while she was cryin' and shakin' in terror after some slum rat gangster wannabe held her down and did whatever the fuck he wanted to in her own home while her asshole neighbors just ignored her screamin' for help!" He was shouting now, and he didn't care. "I had to look her in the eye 'n swear to her I'd be right back, while she was bleedin' and beggin' me not to leave her to go get a doc, 'cause she was too scared to go outside! And you wanna sit there tell me _I_ should be traumatized or some shit 'cause I got drunk and ended up havin' a good time with my boss? No! I'm not gonna let _anyone_ trivialize shit like that."

He wiped the back of his hand across his eyes, not sure if the tears were from his sudden anger at Remy, or merely from the memory of finding Lira like that, still petrified hours after it had happened. He swallowed thickly and pulled in a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down before shakily exhaling. Remy was simply staring at him, apparently having been shocked into silence.

"... Look," he said after composing himself, "I know I do stupid shit sometimes 'n act like an idiot, 'n maybe that makes people think I'm... ya know... kind of immature. But I grew up havin' to take care of _myself_. I'm _not_ some stupid kid that doesn't understand adult bullshit. So... don't act like you know better just 'cause you're a little bit older than me."

"... Reno," Remy began, only to apparently rethink what she was about to say. After a few moments of silence, she got up and joined him on the couch and gently hugged him. "I'm sorry. Sometimes it's hard not to think of you as someone who needs to be protected. There's something... almost innocent about you."

The redhead gave a snort of laughter and looked over at her in disbelief.

"You get into that absinthe Shay gave me when I wasn't lookin' or somethin'?" he asked. Remy rolled her eyes.

"I just mean that it's easy to forget that you've been through things that even some seasoned Turks might find... hard to deal with. And... you're right. I shouldn't _let_ myself forget that. You're not child."

"So... does that mean you're gonna quit actin' like you're too embarrassed to be anywhere near me just 'cause you happen to know what I'm like in the sack now?"

"I... think we've come to a certain level of understanding, yes," she replied.

He grinned slightly. "Ya still want me to keep my mouth shut about it?"

"I don't think _either_ of our reputations would benefit from it becoming public knowledge..." Remy said, in the most diplomatic tone she could manage... which only made his grin widen.

"Ya know... you _could_ just say 'I feel like a idiot for gettin' wasted and accidentally havin' a one night stand with a hot as fuck redhead. Please don't tell anyone about my sordid love life'... 'Cause I'd totally be okay that."

The senior Turk finally cracked a smile. "I don't recall ever describing you as 'hot as fuck'," she replied.

"It was implied."

Remy shook her head and got to her feet. "Good night, Reno," she said, "And happy birthday."

The rookie got up and followed her to the door.

"Ya know... I'm not gonna be a rookie _forever_. Eventually I'm gonna be a full fledged Turk. Just in case you ever wanted to –"

"Good _night_ , Reno," she chuckled.

"Just throwin' it out there," he snickered. "'Night, Remy."

* * *

He didn't bother turning on the lights. Hell, he didn't even bother locking the door behind him. Instead, he made his way across the living room and sat down in his favorite chair... and simply stared into the darkness.

Forcing a smile or a laugh that didn't look or sound forced, for hours on end, was exhausting. But Reno had so seldom celebrated his birthday in the past. He hadn't wanted to ruin it for him. And after awhile, the smiles and the laughs _hadn't_ been so forced... which ultimately made him feel worse. What right did he have to happiness? What right did he have to the comfort of his little adopted family, when his own flesh and blood viewed him as something to be shunned and forgotten?

Hardly more than a day back in Midgar, and a part of him already wanted to run back to his self-enforced solitude. It wasn't merely guilt. It was also the thought of having to give an order, or make a decision, that might take someone else he loved away from him.

The thought of leaving them, however, terrified him even more. What could he do to protect any of them if he disappeared again and locked himself away from society? There was a war going on, and things were going to get far worse before they got better. He couldn't just abandon them.

Tseng felt as though he were lost at sea... not sure which direction to turn, and in danger of drowning at any moment.

~end chapter 71~


	72. Of Zenenes & SOLDIERS & Bad Decisions

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 72: Of Zenenes and SOLDIERS and... Bad Decisions**

 **by Desha**

The weekend went by entirely too quickly, and the work week began at a breakneck pace... and never slowed down. Half the time, Reno didn't know if he was coming or going, and he was pretty sure everyone else on the team felt the same way. _Everyone_ was busy.

On Monday, Tres, Rude, and somewhat inexplicably, Rodney, had all but vanished off the face of the planet, disappearing into the senior Turk's office immediately following the morning briefing. As of lunch time, they still hadn't reappeared, and Reno had only seen any them sporadically in the days following.

Luca – as the Turk's only real expert on computers – had departed headquarters entirely to pay a visit to the eleventh floor, overseeing numerous security tasks assigned to the IT department. There was some concern about Wutaiian operatives gaining control of sensitive network nodes or some such technobabble that Reno honestly didn't understand and had no desire to get involved in.

Sato and Saya had been dispatched to Junon, en route to some other undisclosed location. Tres had turned up rumors that the mysterious 'Fuhito' was _definitely_ working directly for the Wutaiian government and not just acting of their own accord or through an intermediary, and that he had recruited a man named Istev into his little mercenary group. There was still very little information available on Fuhito himself, but Istev, and his penchant for bombings, was someone that Tres _was_ passingly familiar with... and given the new target's fondness for all things explosive, sending the Turk's resident demolitions expert had only been logical. Saya had gone with him primarily to prevent anything that wasn't meant to be blown up from blowing up.

Shay, meanwhile, had been partnered up with Cissnei and both were assigned exclusively to executive escort detail. If a member of the board needed to venture outside of the building for company business, they were to be accompanied by the two Turks.

And Tseng... well, Reno wasn't entirelysure _what_ Tseng was doing. All he knew was that it had something to do with SOLDIER, the assignment was highly classified, and he'd be spending the lion's share of his time on _their_ floor all week instead of in the Turks' offices. Remy was essentially standing in for him again as second in command at headquarters for the duration.

As for Reno... _he_ had somehow managed to draw the short stick when it came to assignments. Shay and Cissnei may have been assigned to the executives, but Rufus was getting a personal, dedicated bodyguard. The elevator doors opened on the executive floor and the redhead made his way into the vice president's office. Rufus' secretary smiled at him as he entered, and the rookie quickly flashed her a grin of his own.

The woman was _hot_. Platinum blond hair that hung almost to her tight little ass... piercing blue eyes... tiny waist... and she wasn't lacking up top, either. Maybe not the _biggest_ tits Reno'd ever come across, but certainly... _ample_.

He'd been testing the waters with her since Monday.

Carrie had been polite and formal at first – everything you'd expect from the vice president's personal secretary – but he was making steady progress. He'd had plenty of _time_ to do so, that's for sure. Veld had ordered him not to let Rufus go anywhere without him. That required sitting outside the brat's office, in the private reception area, for a pretty significant chunk of the day with nothing much to do besides hit on Carrie. And for the past four days, he'd made damn good use of that time.

"Mornin'," he said, sitting down in his usual seat in the corner. Carrie's smile widened.

"Good mornin', Reno. I'll let the vice president know you're here."

* * *

Tseng rubbed a hand across his eyes and yawned as he waited for the briefing to begin. He hadn't slept well at all last night. Or for most of the week, for that matter. It was beginning to wear on him, and he was glad that tomorrow was Friday.

It had begun after Veld had asked him to do these Leviathan-be-damned briefings. He was beginning to think that he'd underestimated just how much it would weigh on his already sorely-tested conscience. Even if he was doing it for all the right reasons... he was still betraying his homeland. And apparently his subconscious had decided to punish him for that by withholding sleep. He'd struggled for hours last night just to relax enough drift off... and when he finally _had_ ,his alarm had gone off, alerting him to the fact that it was time to get ready for another day at work.

He sighed heavily. SOLDIER would be shipping out tomorrow afternoon. He just had to make it until then. Once they were on their way to Wutai, he'd be returned to his own team... and hopefully he could finally get a decent night's rest again.

It wasn't _just_ the briefings, however. Yesterday, he'd received a letter from his youngest brother. He'd secretly gone against his father's wishes in contacting him – and had made it very clear that he wouldn't be doing so again in the future, except in the most extenuating of circumstances – and written to tell him that three of their brothers were joining the war effort and that their father was throwing all of his support behind Lord Godo, offering up land for his men to encamp on, food for the Wutaiian troops, and even significant sums of money to the cause. Hiro Itsudake had a personal vendetta against Shinra, and he was planning to do anything in his power to ensure that Wutai emerged victorious and that the company and all those who worked for them suffered for its sins.

Tseng had felt oddly numb after reading that. Koto hadn't come right out and said so, but the implication had been clear. Tseng deserved the same fate as the rest of Shinra in his father's eyes. He hadn't expected forgiveness... not by any stretch of the imagination. But having his father's hatred for him reaffirmed like that...

Any sliver of hope for a future reconciliation he may have still been harboring had immediately died. It hadn't be _much_ hope to begin with, but it was most certainly non-existent _now_. He would never be welcome as part of his family again. That acceptance had settled in the pit of his stomach like rock and sat there, cold and immovable. It still remained, days later.

"Good morning, Tseng," Director Faine said briskly as she strode into the meeting room, and the Turk had to physically stop himself from jumping in surprise. Yes... he _definitely_ need some sleep if he was allowing SOLDIERs, of all people, to creep up on him. The specialized military weren't exactly known for their stealth. Quite the opposite, in fact. SOLDIERs were flashy... almost inhumanly strong, and encouraged to demonstrate that strength at every opportunity.

And a step behind the woman was, perhaps, the flashiest of all of them. Or at the very least, the most recognizable.

It was hard to miss him, after all. Even without the dark cloak and the shoulder armor and the massive sword – which, thankfully, he wasn't carrying at the moment – it would be difficult not to notice the tall, virtually flawless young man, with long silver hair that trailed in a fluid cascade down the length of his back. He stood out _easily_ as much as Reno did in a crowd. Perhaps even more so, given his self-assured bearing and his sharp gaze.

Sephiroth.

SOLDIER's golden boy. Tseng had, of course, been somewhat familiar with the man prior to this assignment – had even been on assignments where he, too, was present – but had never actually had cause to be formally introduced. Sephiroth was the poster child for the SOLDIER program. He'd made quite the reputation for himself over the years, rising so quickly through the ranks his ascent was almost unheard of. It was rumored that he was being groomed to take over for Faine eventually... though the woman's retirement was still years away, and Tseng, over the course of their meetings this week, had come away with the distinct impression that Sephiroth himself wasn't especially interested in her job. He seemed the type to prefer to remain a SOLDIER for life... not squander his years behind a desk.

He would have been suited for it, though, if he'd been of the mind to do it. The Turks as a whole were somewhat of the opinion that SOLDIER was more brawn than brains... and through Tseng knew that to be far from the truth – for the most part, at least – Sephiroth was uncommonly intelligent for a mere fighter. The questions he asked had given the Turk lieutenant a fair amount of insight into his thought process... and Tseng had been somewhat surprised to find himself thinking that he could potentially have made an excellent Turk, given the opportunity.

The pair of them took a seat at the table, and Tseng sat up slightly. Tomorrow. Tomorrow would be the last day of these meetings. He could hold out that long.

"Good morning, Director... Sir," he responded, with a nod to each, "Where shall we start today?"

* * *

"You! Off your lazy, worthless backside, now!" Rufus demanded as he stormed out of his office. He'd barely even glanced at the Turk, but Reno had little trouble determining that the vice president was talking to him and not the secretary. The brat was halfway out the door before Reno caught up to him. He said nothing until they were safely in the elevator.

"The hell crawled up _your_ ass this morning, sir?" he asked, leaning back against the wall.

" _Hojo_ ," Rufus muttered, jabbing at the elevator buttons.

"... Tight fit?" the redhead snickered. The executive shot him a glare, and Reno raised his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay... not appropriate. So what's that weirdo up to _now_?"

Rufus scowled and shook his head. "He has some sort of experiment he wishes to demonstrate. Father is too busy to see to it personally, and so it has fallen to _me_ to determine whether or not it is something that might be of benefit to us in Wutai."

"Doesn't sound too bad..." Reno replied, wondering why his charge seemed so thoroughly annoyed by it. The blonde man shot him a rather nasty smirk.

"I take it you've never had the... _pleasure_... of witnessing one of Hojo's 'demonstrations' before..."

"... No?" And he wondered just how he was supposed to interpret that. Obviously _Rufus_ found it to be something distasteful. But then, the brat apparently found sitting on Reno's _couch_ to be distasteful, so he wasn't sure just how accurate a gauge 'distasteful' was when it came to the vice president. On the other hand, Hojo was... bizarre. And creepy. And Reno had definite doubts about the fucker's overall sanity in general. Who the fuck even _knew_ what the guy got up to in that lab of his?

"Hmph... perhaps this will be worth my time after all," Rufus commented, haughty, "... if only to see the look on _your_ face."

The elevator stopped on sixty-eight, and the doors opened, revealing an open area with some sort of holding cell off to one side. Something paced restlessly inside. Reno's eyes widened.

"What in the everlivin' _fuck_ is _that_?" he asked.

The creature had a vaguely cat-like appearance, though it was like no cat Reno had ever seen. And he'd seen some pretty odd creatures living down in the slums. It was covered in mottled brown fur and the long curved claws on its front paws clicked dangerously on the metal floor of its enclosure. The spiked protrusions along its back didn't look especially inviting either. When it spotted the new arrivals seconds later, it bared a set of decidedly dangerous-looking teeth and threw itself at the transparent wall that separated it from its prey.

And Reno had absolutely no doubt in his mind that the thing _did_ consider him prey.

" _That_ is a zenene," a nasally voice responded. The Turk looked over in the direction of the sound and saw Hojo calmly making his way towards them, hands clasped behind his back. "Where is the president?"

"My father is busy with other matters at present," Rufus said, stiffly, "He has left this to me."

"Hmmm..." was Hojo's only response. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the scientist was less than pleased about having his demonstration delegated to the _vice_ president. "Well... let's proceed then, shall we?"

" _Let's_ ," the executive replied, coldly.

Hojo turned to one of his assistants. "Prepare to introduce the other specimen." The young man hurried off and disappeared behind a large door on the other side of the room. Hojo, meanwhile, gestured toward the caged animal and escorted his two guests over. "Zenenes are the result of nearly eight years worth of research, selective breeding, mako infusion, and genetic manipulation. The finished product is what you see here."

Rufus stepped up to the cage, and the creature immediately lunged at him, slamming into the transparent barrier twice before resuming it's slow, methodical pacing. It's eyes, however, remained locked on the executive. Reno subtly slipped his gun out of its holster and thumbed the safety off... just in case the damn thing somehow got out.

"They are _highly_ intelligent, and thus also highly trainable. They are suited to virtually any terrain. They can climb, swim, run... Obviously, we've not been able to simply release one in an open area, but in the lab, their speed is comparable to most small motorized vehicles. _This_ one has been clocked at nearly forty miles per hour."

"And just what is it you propose we do with these... zenenes?" Rufus asked.

"Use them against Wutai, of course. They are extremely aggressive hunters, with a pack mentality. Their bite is venomous, and their claws can tear through flesh as though it were paper. Allow me to demonstrate."

Before Rufus could agree, Hojo had already pressed a button on a nearby command console. A loud hum vibrated throughout the lab, and Reno watched as an opening appeared in the bottom of the cage. An elevator lifted a much smaller cage into view. Inside was a creature that Reno immediately recognized as a nibelwolf. He remembered seeing them not long after he'd arrived on the Plate during his and Rude's somewhat ill-fated trip to the Sector 7 Zoo.

"I'm sure you're well aware of the nibelwolf's reputation for ferocity," Hojo continued, "but they are nothing compared to a zenene."

The two creatures were already staring one another down. The nibelwolf was growling angrily at the zenene, who, in return, hissed back viciously and bared its long fangs. It arched its back, making the spikes along its spine stand up.

Hojo pressed another button, opening the smaller cage, and the nibelwolf attacked. The zenene, however, was more than ready for it, and sent the creature flying with a swipe of its claws. Blood spattered the wall of the containment unit as the nibelwolf yelped in pain. For the next few minutes, Reno could only watch in nauseated horror as the zenene tore its opponent to shreds. It wasn't content with merely killing the nibelwolf, either. It _destroyed_ it. Even after the pained cries of the dying animal had ceased, the zenene continued in its bloodlust.

Rufus took an involuntary step back from sight before him, and Reno had to physically clamp down on his desire to puke right then and there. He'd never seen anything quite so... brutal. And Hojo wanted to turn these things loose on _people_?!

The scientist turned to his two observers, a smile firmly plastered on his face.

"As you can see, they would be _highly_ effective against enemy combatants," he concluded.

"Indeed," Rufus replied, "I shall... inform the President of the results of this little demonstration at the earliest opportunity."

Hojo's eerie smile widened almost imperceptibly. "Thank you, sir," he replied, before wandering off to order his lab assistants to clean up the mess. Reno swallowed the bile rising in his throat. The guy was fucking _sick_.

Rufus didn't linger, and the redhead wasn't about to be left behind _there_ , hurrying to follow the vice president back into the elevator and return to his office. As the elevator descended, Reno glanced over at the executive.

"What the _fuck_?" was all he could manage.

"I was wrong," Rufus replied, "Your reaction was _not_ worth having to see _that_."

"You're... not seriously gonna recommend that we actually _use_ those things, are ya, sir?"

"Absolutely _not_ ," the other man replied, disgusted. The elevator dropped them off at the executive floor, and Rufus disappeared into his office, telling his secretary to hold his calls for the next hour and leaving Reno once again in the waiting area.

The redhead shuddered slightly. He _really_ could have done without having to watch that. Hopefully, Hojo wouldn't have any _more_ 'demonstrations' while he was stuck here babysitting Rufus.

"Is everything alright?" Carrie asked, looking up at him. Reno shook his head and strolled over, perching himself on the corner of her desk.

"Nothin' a nice quiet dinner with a pretty blonde wouldn't make me forget," he replied, with a warm smile. "You free tonight?"

* * *

Tseng felt utterly wiped after a full day in SOLDIER headquarters, just as he'd felt by the end of every other day this week. He wanted nothing more than to go home, have some tea, and try to sleep... and if _that_ didn't work, perhaps something a bit stronger than tea. With any luck, there was still a bottle or two of Reno's vodka hiding in the back of one of the kitchen cupboards. Surely he couldn't have finished _all_ of it following Mayu's death...

Not his favorite spirit, by any stretch, but it would certainly get the job done.

With a sigh, he realized that it was only Thursday. Drinking himself to sleep was _not_ an option when he had to work in the morning. He shook his head and stepped out of the elevator and back onto his home turf. The Turk offices had never seemed more inviting.

"You look tired," Remy said by way of greeting as he passed her on his way to his own office. The Turk lieutenant paused.

"Tired doesn't even begin to describe it," he replied, glancing back at her over his shoulder. "I don't think I've ever longed more for a weekend."

The other Turk changed course and fell into step beside him.

"Is there anything I can do, sir?"

"No," Tseng said, shaking his head in the negative, "It's only one more day. I'll manage."

Remy nodded and the pair lapsed into silence for a few moments. At last, they arrived at Tseng's office, and the senior Turk turned away to see to her own duties... but paused.

"Sir?" she queried, and Tseng looked up at her questioningly, "It's probably not my place, but..." she began, before awkwardly clearing her throat, "It's just that... a little while before you returned from Wutai... someone told me that a leader should ask her team for help when she needs it, because even the best leaders can't handle everything on their own. And he was absolutely right. I'd like to think that extends to more than just the job, sir. So... if there _is_ anything I can do..."

Tseng smiled slightly. "I appreciate that, Remy," he replied. "And should I think of anything, I _will_ ask."

"Yes, sir," she said with a nod before taking her leave.

He knew he never would before the words had even left his mouth. Because really... what could Remy – or any of them, for that matter – do for him besides simply being there? They couldn't bring Mayu back from the dead. They couldn't make his family stop hating him. They couldn't assuage him of the guilt he still felt like he was drowning in most days. What could he possibly ask of them that would make even the slightest difference?

But he still appreciated the offer. If nothing else, it reminded him that they cared.

He stepped back into his office and began gathering his things to go home for the evening.

* * *

"O-oh... oh, god... Oh, Reno, _yes_!"

 _Fuck_ , he loved women who screamed in bed. Even when it devolved into unintelligible moans and cries, it still turned him on. Carrie was _definitely_ a screamer... and he could feel himself getting close, urged on by her voice all but _wailing_ his name.

They'd been at it for... well, he hadn't really been paying much attention to the clock, to be honest. He had more interesting things on his mind at the moment. Suffice it to say, they'd been at it for awhile now, having come straight from work at the end of the day to her place. And his lover didn't seem inclined to ask him to stop any time soon. She wanted him _bad_. Hell, they hadn't even made it to dinner. They'd started this in the kitchen. And then progressed to the couch in the living room... the balcony... the bedroom. At the rate they were going, by the time they finished they'd have fucked in every room of her apartment. And Reno had absolutely zero issues with _that_.

"Oh, _fuck_ , _don't stop_!" Carrie screamed, and he felt her nails claw at the bare flesh of his back, her legs wrapping around his waist, forcing him deeper.

He was moments from losing himself in sheer pleasure when the bedroom door swung inward, slamming into the wall with an angry, banging thud.

"You _WHORE_!" a voice suddenly thundered, and the redhead very unexpectedly found himself shoved bodily off of his lover. He landed with a loud thump on the floor trying to figure out what in Ifrit's name had just happened. The gunshot and the bullet that hit the wall behind him very _quickly_ snapped him out of his lustful haze.

" _Fuck!_ " he shouted, seeing the barrel of a handgun leveled at his head, and dove for cover. Two more shots were fire.

"Ned! Ned, stop!" he heard Carrie shouting, "It's not what it looks like!"

Reno scanned the room looking for his clothes while the unexpected visitor was somewhat distracted by the woman's pleas... only to realize that they were scattered all over one of the other rooms at present... and he cringed as he realized that the gun 'Ned' was trying to shoot him with was _probably_ his own.

"It's 'not what it _looks_ like'?" the man shouted, disbelief evident in his voice, and in spite of the situation, the redhead couldn't help but echo the thought in his own head. Unless the guy was half blind, it was _exactly_ what it looked like.

"It... It was just a... a... a last fling! Before we're... you know..."

"Before we're stuck with each other? Does marrying me really seem _that_ awful?!" Ned snapped back at her, and Reno mentally groaned. He didn't like where _this_ was going one bit. There hadn't been a ring. He was absolutely _sure_ there hadn't been a ring... because if there had been, he wouldn't have gone anywhere near her. He'd been around when his friend Kel had made _that_ mistake once. The fallout hadn't been pretty. Getting into bed with a married woman – or even an engaged one – was a headache he just didn't need, no matter _how_ hot she was.

"... Uh... I'm just... gonna go now," the Turk said, slowly rising from his hiding place. He immediately had to duck again as three more shots were sent his way. ' _Okay_ ,' he thought, ' _Bad idea..._ '

Unless he'd miscounted, that was six bullets so far. His magazine held fifteen. He was pinned down, the exit blocked by one _very_ pissed off jilted fiance, and to top it all off, he was naked. Yeah... it _really_ didn't get much worse than this. He glanced up from his position on the floor. The sliding doors to the balcony were still open.

And they _were_ only on the third floor...

Two more shots sailed past his head when the redhead shifted position to make a run for it... and then he heard the tell-tail click of a gun jamming and silently thanked every deity he'd ever heard of for small miracles. He took off at a sprint across the room and didn't bother looking back, flinging himself through the doors and vaulting over the railing. He caught himself on the lower ledge and started the long, somewhat frenzied, climb down to the street below.

Naked.

* * *

Rude groaned as he rolled over in bed, groping blindly for the PHS that was ringing on his nightstand. It took him several moments to locate it, but he at last managed to answer it, yawning so widely his jaw cracked.

"Rude here," he said, trying to wake himself up a bit more. His gaze shifted over to the clock that glowed red in the darkness. After midnight. If someone was calling _this_ late, it _had_ to be important. Possibly an attack on company headquarters, or even the city itself...

" _Uh... hey, pal... I hate to do this to ya_ _ **again**_ _, but..."_

Or... possibly _not_ an attack at all. It could always just be Reno needing bail and a ride home in the middle of the Odin-forsaken night.

"You _can't_ be serious," he replied, after recognizing the voice on the other end of the line.

" _Sector 5, Police Sub-Station F..."_ Reno sighed, _"Bring clothes. I kinda... lost mine. Again."_

"..."

" _Please don't make me call Tseng to come get me... The guy's barely even been back a week."_

Rude shook his head and tossed the covers aside, climbing out of bed.

"Be there in ten."

~end chapter 72~


	73. Never Cross a Turk

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 73: Never Cross a Turk**

 **by Desha**

Reno emerged from lockup wearing a baggy, gray, prison-issue jumpsuit two sizes two big for him. His hair was in wild disarray – moreso than usual, that is – and he was barefoot. He somewhat sheepishly padded across the tile floor towards his savior, and Rude rolled his eyes.

"Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not. But I'll tell ya on the way home anyway."

The bald rookie snorted softly in laughter and shoved some clean sweats into the redhead's hands.

"Go get dressed while I finish bailing you out," he replied, with a shake of his head. Reno disappeared into the nearby men's room to change while Rude continued filling out the paperwork that would allow him to leave. He glanced up at the desk sergeant. "... Can I ask a favor?"

* * *

Several minutes later Reno was hopping into Rude's truck. He pulled the passenger side door shut and buckled himself into the seat before leaning back and closing his eyes for a moment.

"What a night..." he muttered. His friend snorted and started the engine.

"I know I'm going to hate myself for asking, but... what the hell happened?" Rude asked, "Guy at the desk said you were arrested for indecent exposure..."

The redhead groaned. "Yeah... I was kinda naked when picked me up. Not one of my finer moments."

"Why were you wandering around Midgar naked in the middle of the night?"

"Heh... 'cause I was tryin' to avoid bein' _shot_ , that's why."

"Come again?" Rude asked, eyebrows rising in somewhat morbid curiosity.

"Tch... I didn't cum the _first_ time," the redhead muttered. He folded his arms across his chest. "Ya remember how I told ya a few days ago I was gonna try my luck with Rufus' secretary?"

"... Yeah..."

"Well... I did. And we went back to her place tonight."

"And she tried to _shoot_ you?" Rude prodded, clearly confused.

"No... her _fiance_ tried to shoot me," Reno corrected him. "The fiance she didn't bother to _mention_ to me before she started takin' her clothes off. Asshole walked in on us goin' at it, took a shot or six at me, 'n I hightailed it the fuck outta there while the two of 'em were arguin'. Ya know... before his aim improved. Seein' as I was tryin' not to _die_ at the time, I didn't bother goin' back for my clothes. Cops nabbed me about four blocks away from her place."

Rude pulled to a stop at a red light and looked over at him, incredulously.

"... You've _got_ to be making this up."

"Don't I wish. Tseng's gonna be _pissed_. I didn't just lose my uniform. I left behind my credentials, my PHS, my keys, my weapons... _That's_ gonna be a whole lotta fun to explain tomorrow. 'Specially since I'm pretty sure he almost shot me with my own gun."

The light changed and Rude went straight, skipping the exit for the freeway back to Sector 3. Reno blinked in confusion.

"Uh... where the hell are we goin'?"

"My place. That guy has keys to your apartment _and_ your wallet. Means he's also got your address. You're staying with me tonight just in case."

"You sure? Your landlord kinda hates me for blowing up two apartments, remember? I get caught stayin' there 'n –"

Rude looked over at him again, cocking an eyebrow. "Am I sure I don't want to wake up and find out you've been murdered in your sleep? Yes, I'm _very_ sure." He smirked slightly. "Besides... Tseng will probably want to kill you himself when you tell him about this. Don't wanna deprive him."

"Gee... thanks," the other rookie snickered. Rude sighed and shook his head, smiling. "What?"

"... Just never knew having a little brother could be such a giant pain in the ass," he teased.

The redhead grinned. "'Least when I humiliate you, you can just tell people I'm adopted," he laughed. He let his gaze drop to his lap for a moment. "... That really how you think of me?"

"As a pain in the ass?" Rude replied, "Absolutely."

"Yeah, fuck you, too, Rude," Reno chuckled, "No... as a little brother."

"It's not how I think of you," he answered with a shrug, as they pulled into his apartment complex's parking lot, "It's just what you are."

A small smile spread over Reno's face.

* * *

After quick detour home the following morning – both to change into a clean uniform _and_ make sure no one had broken into his apartment in his absence – Reno was back in Rude's truck, heading for the office, listening to the radio.

"... In other news, Shinra Troops have landed in Wutai and are advancing towards the Wutaiian capitol. Reports of heavy resistance have emerged in the last twelve hours as the Wutaiians fight back against the Shinra military. Rumors that Shinra Company will soon send in members of SOLDIER to assist –"

Reno flipped to a new station and the vehicle filled with the sound of an almost violent drum solo. Rude reached over and switched it again, to a pop music station that was playing an up and coming boy band.

"Ugh... I _almost_ prefer the news," the redhead said, wrinkling his nose in distaste. Rude shrugged.

"At least they don't make your ears bleed like that garbage _you_ listen to..."

"Speak for yourself... I can already feel my eardrums tryin' to shatter themselves just to make the torment stop," Reno muttered, and his fellow rookie laughed softly. They turned into the Shinra Building's parking deck, and soon were making their way past security and into the elevator.

"... So," Reno began, "Whaddya think? Put it off 'til after the mornin' briefing, or just get it over with soon as I see him?"

"I'd just get it over with," said Rude, "It's like ripping off a bandage. The longer you take, the more it hurts."

"Yeah," he sighed, "You're probably right. Gotta tell him sooner or later... Might as well do it sooner 'n find out how much shit I'm in so I can plan my funeral accordingly." He glanced over a Rude. "You can have all my stuff after he kills me."

"Can I get that writing?" Rude chuckled. The redhead flipped him off as they exited the elevator. They separated, Rude heading for their own office, while Reno hesitantly made his way towards Tseng's. The door was open, and the rookie took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself, slowly releasing it before he knocked lightly on the door frame and drew his mentor's attention to him.

"Ah... Reno. Good, you're in early. I need you to to handle a few things for me while I'm upstairs this morning," the Turk lieutenant greeted him. Reno cringed slightly and slipped into the room.

"Sure... but, uh... I gotta talk to ya 'bout somethin' first, boss. It's... kinda important, and you're not gonna be happy."

Tseng sighed and leaned forward in his seat. He rested his elbows on the table, steepling his fingers in front of him, and looked pointedly at the redhead.

"What did you do now?"

"Well..." Reno began.

" _WHERE IS HE?!_ " an unfamiliar voice thundered from the hallway. Tseng visibly cringed.

"Please tell me that's unrelated..." he said, somewhat pleadingly. Reno blinked in surprise and shrugged, shaking his head. For once, he could safely say that he was pretty sure he _wasn't_ at fault. He didn't even know who it was that was screaming. "We'll continue this is a moment. Wait here."

Tseng quickly stood up and hurried out into the hallway. Reno moved towards the door, peering out. Tseng had only said to _wait_ in his office, after all. He hadn't mentioned anything about not trying to watch whatever the hell was going down. Veld appeared seconds later, rushing after his second in command to see what the disturbance was all about. Unfortunately, whatever was going on was happening around the corner. Reno couldn't see anything interesting and all he could hear was slightly muffled demands being made by a _very_ irate woman.

" _RENO!_ "

The redhead jumped violently at the sound of his own name, and the fury with which it had been shouted. It had been Veld's voice. _That_ certainly didn't bode well. He cautiously crept out of Tseng's office and swallowed sharply as he made his way towards the summons.

What the _hell_ could he possibly be in trouble for now? Sure... he'd been arrested last night... but that wouldn't typically warrant some random person storming into Turk headquarters, apparently out for his blood.

"Y-yes, sir?" he answered, as he hesitantly rounded the corner.

Veld and Tseng both turned to look at him. Neither man looked at all amused. And the woman he'd heard a few moments ago was glaring daggers at him.

 _'Oh, crap,'_ he thought, as he began wracking his brain, trying to figure out who she was and why she looked like she wanted to snap his neck. She looked oddly familiar... but he couldn't quite place her. It was then that he saw what she was holding. _'Oh,_ _ **crap**_ _.'_

It was a neatly folded pile of fabric... on top of which rested a pair of shoes, a wallet, a set of keys, a PHS, an EMR, and a handgun.

" _You_ ," the woman hissed at him, and the icy tone of her voice was cold enough to make the rookie physically shudder. "I hope you're happy. My daughter's fiance has called off the wedding thanks to you!"

Reno paled. _That_ was why she looked so familiar. The woman was virtually identical to Carrie... just... 20 years or so older, and significantly more muscular. Though that begged the question... how in the _fuck_ had she gotten into Turk headquarters.

"Director Faine –" Veld began... and Reno's eyes went wide as he felt his stomach drop.

Faine slammed the rookie's possessions into Reno's gut so hard it drove the air from his lungs and sent him staggering back several steps.

"If I _ever_ catch you near my daughter again, I will personally castrate you," she growled, and then turned to Veld, "And _you_ can consider the Turks permanently shitlisted!"

With that, the director turned on her heel and stormed back to the elevators, leaving Reno in the crosshairs of two very displeased senior Turks.

"Both of you. My office. Now!" Veld demanded, and stomped off. Tseng's hand shot out and seized hold of the rookie's ear, and Reno had little choice but to passively follow as his mentor dragged him along behind the Turk leader. He didn't release him until Reno was standing in front of Veld's desk.

" _Before_ I decide what to do with you, I want to hear _your_ side of the story," Veld stated, in no uncertain terms, "Right _now_."

"Was _this_ what you came to tell me about this morning?" Tseng asked.

"Uh... kinda, yeah," Reno replied, rubbing at his recently abused ear. Tseng scowled in exasperation. "But I swear, I didn't know Faine was involved in any of this! I'da told you right away if I _had_."

"Start at the beginning," Veld commanded.

"I... had a date last night. With Rufus' secretary," the redhead replied, and Tseng roughly pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "Things were... ya know... goin' good, 'n... then the fiance showed up. He didn't exactly like the idea of me sleepin' with his future wife. Which, just for the record, _she_ didn't tell me about! She never said _anything_ 'bout her gettin' married, 'n she wasn't wearin' a ring or anything."

Veld's eyebrow rose accusingly.

"If you were so unaware of the situation, why were you planning to inform Tseng of it before Director Faine arrived?"

"... Um... 'cause I kinda left all my stuff at her place when the guy chased me out... 'n _also_ 'cause I kinda got arrested, 'cause I was two sectors away from home, with no clothes and no ID, and the cops didn't seem to like me walkin' around town like that so much."

"Reno... for _Leviathan's_ sake..." Tseng sighed, shaking his head. "How can someone _so_ intelligent behave so... _idiotically_?"

The rookie dropped his gaze and swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. The words positively oozed of frustrated disappointment. He had a feeling it was going to take a lot to get off of Tseng's shitlist. Maybe not as much as getting off of _Faine's_... but still...

"Sorry, sir..."

He'd been doing so well. He hadn't had any _major_ bouts of stupidity in ages. Well... _maybe_ sleeping with Remy hadn't been one of his better decisions, but Tseng didn't know about _that_. No one did. And no one _would_ because he'd promised to keep his mouth shut for Remy's sake. But aside from that, he'd really believed that he'd improved a lot. Apparently not as much as he'd thought.

"Rodney will take over as Rufus' escort," Veld decreed, still looking less than amused, "Because Titan help us if Faine finds out you were still assigned to the same office as her daughter after _that_."

"Yes, sir," Reno said, quietly. Rodney... great. He'd never hear the end of having to give up his assignment to that asshole.

" _And y_ ou're on desk duty for the the day. Remy is needed elsewhere, so Tseng has plenty to keep you occupied. You are not to leave our offices. _Period_. If you need something delivered elsewhere in the building, find someone to handle it for you. If the building burns down... you'll just have to burn with it. You're sidelined until I've decided you can be trusted _not_ to embarrass the entire team. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir," the rookie groaned.

"And I hope you _realize_ that by creating tension between the Turks and the Director of SOLDIER, you've made Tseng's assignment considerably more difficult than it already was."

The redhead looked a guiltily at his mentor, before dropping his gaze to the floor again. Great. What _else_ could he screw up today?

"Yes, sir..."

"Return to your office. You're banned from this morning's briefing. Go," Veld said, pointing to the door. The rookie scurried out, his formerly missing belongings clutched tightly to his chest. Halfway back to his own office, Tseng caught up to him.

"I'm sorry," he said, hurriedly, "I'm really, _really_ sorry..."

"Calm down," Tseng replied. He sighed softly, "I'm not looking forward to my final meeting with the SOLDIER division this morning, but... I'm also not prepared to lay _all_ of the blame on you for what is largely a case of truly terrible luck. Why didn't you call me last night? I assume you needed someone to bail you out..."

"... It was late 'n Rude was closer," the redhead replied, shifting the bundle of clothes to one arm and snapping his EMR into its holster on his belt. "And... ya know. You're still dealin' with shit. I didn't wanna add to it."

He moved to put his gun away as well, only to have his mentor catch him by the wrist. Tseng inhaled deeply.

"This has been fired recently..."

"Uh... y-yeah. Ya remember how I said the pissed off fiance chased me out? He kinda did it with my gun. And about six bullets aimed in my general direction."

Tseng's face darkened. "I see... Were you injured at all?"

"Just my pride," Reno replied, embarrassed. "Guy had shit aim... 'n then the gun jammed on him. I took the opportunity to run like hell before he could figure out how to _unjam_ it."

His mentor nodded. "I'll bring you a list of things I need you to tend to after the briefing. Until then, I suggest you stay in either your office or the lounge... and _out_ of Veld's line of sight for awhile."

"Yes, sir." He slipped around the corner, making a beeline for his office, and almost ran headlong into Rude in the process.

"What was all the yelling about?" his fellow rookie asked.

"Ugh... As the icing on the fucked up cake, turns out my date was _Director Faine's_ kid. If I suddenly go missing... it was either her, or Veld," he replied with a groan, "Do me a favor, will ya pal? Find some way to make me think twice before I do anything stupid ever again."

Rude smirked and ushered him towards the lounge, pushing the door open.

"I have just the thing..." he chuckled as they were greeted by a chorus of quiet snickering. The lounge was surprisingly busy considering it was nearly time for the morning briefing. Both Cissnei and Rodney were there, as were Tres, Shay, and Kai. All five of them were conversing in hushed tones with the occasional laugh interjected at regular intervals. They looked up as the new arrivals entered the room.

"Quite the wall of infamy," Rodney laughed. Reno raised his eyes to the wall and groaned.

" _Seriously_ , Rude?" he muttered. A lineup of photos had been taped up neatly above the coffee maker. Mugshots. _His_ mugshots. They started with his very first arrest – less than a week on the Plate – and continued in sequence all the way up to last night's.

"You _did_ ask for something that would make you think twice before doing anything stupid..." his friend innocently replied.

* * *

It had been another long day. Director Faine had been icy towards him for the duration of their briefing, but thankfully, it had ended shortly before lunch. SOLDIER was shipping out, and she had come dangerously close to forcibly evicting him from their headquarters once he'd covered the day's topics. Tseng had been only too happy to leave.

He had returned, food in hand, to his apologetic rookie and ensured that he was fed and had enough to occupy him for the remainder of the day, before sitting down with Veld to discuss what to do about the situation with the Director. Ultimately, they had decided to leave things be. They had little direct interaction with the division to begin with – aside from sharing a few training facilities – and hopefully, with time, the grudge would simply cool on its own.

Before he'd left for the day, he'd also paid a brief visit to Tres.

The results of the inquiry he'd made were now sitting before him, wrists shackled to the arms of a chair, head lolling slightly as the potent sedative his captive had been hit with began to wear off. It was several minutes before the man in the chair managed to raise his head to look at the Turk. And several more _still_ before he had any understanding of his present situation.

Tseng could pinpoint the precise moment that realization set in – pupils dilated, face suddenly pale, desperate efforts to move followed by a sharp intake of breath through the nose as he realized he couldn't. Pure, unadulterated fear. It was something Tseng was intimately familiar with and he could spot it a mile away.

He savored it for a moment before breaking his silence.

"You're probably wondering why you're here," the Turk calmly stated. He picked up a folder from the table beside him and flipped it open. "Edward 'Ned' Ferris. Age, twenty-three. Occupation, concierge for the Silver Swan hotel. Marital status, single, engaged." He glanced up from the file. "Though, I understand the wedding is now off."

A muffled response emanated from behind the duct tape that covered the man's mouth.

"There's no need to explain. I'm well aware of what happened," he replied, setting the folder aside again, and standing up. He slowly covered the short distance between them, and rested a hand on his prisoner's shoulder. "I have to wonder, though... what would you have done if one of those shots you fired had actually hit its target? Would you have shown mercy? Or would you have finished the job in a blind rage?"

"Mmm... Mmm!" the man insisted. Tseng leaned down until his face was barely an inch away from his captive.

"I'm sure you _think_ you would be merciful. _Most_ people would prefer to think that. But anything can happen in the heat of the moment. Would you have killed him? I can't honestly say," he continued, "Perhaps not."

"Mmmph!"

Tseng stood up again. "It's unwise to _threaten_ a Turk, much less openly attack one. It's even _more_ foolish to do so to a _rookie_ Turk. We tend to be a bit protective of them." He leveled his gaze at the man, looking directly into his eyes. "Especially _my_ rookie."

The prisoner went white, eyes wide as saucers. There was a faint trickling sound as a large wet spot spread across the crotch of his pants and a small puddle began to form on the floor. Tseng smiled slightly.

"The question now is do you still represent a danger to him?" the Turk asked. The man vehemently shook his head, and Tseng raised a questioning eyebrow. "No? Are you sure? After all, he _did_ seduce the woman you intended to marry. Most men would have great difficultly letting something like that go..."

The man shook his head again.

"Mmm! _Mmmm!_ "

"Do you remember a moment ago when I said that most people prefer to believe they would show mercy?" Tseng asked, his tone dangerously calm, and the man hesitantly nodded. "I personally don't _have_ the luxury of believing that about myself. Turks are trained _not_ to show mercy in the heat of the moment." He smiled again. "You are _extremely_ fortunate that you do not present an immediate threat to me right now. If you did, we wouldn't be having this pleasant conversation."

"Mmm... Mmph mmm mmmm!:

"... But that begs the question..." Tseng went on, ignoring the plea as he leveled a gun at the man's head, "As I _do_ have a choice right now... do I show mercy? Or do I finish the job?"

"Mmmmmmph..." the man whimpered, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

~end chapter 73~


	74. An Unpleasant Surprise

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 74: An Unpleasant Surprise**

 **by Desha**

"This." _Thump._ "Really" _Thump._ "Sucks."

Reno hauled back and let one more punch fly, hitting the heavy bag hard. It barely moved.

"And why the _fuck_ am I workin' out on _this_ thing, anyway?" he asked, as he caught his breath. Rude emerged from behind the bag and shrugged.

"Always helps _me_ relax..."

"Tch... Rude, you could send me halfway across the room with one punch if ya really wanted to. All _I_ get outta this is sore knuckles."

He stripped the gloves off his hands and flexed his fingers. The weekend hadn't done much to improve his standing with Veld. Tseng, his initial disappointment over his protege's poor decision making aside, had actually be pretty cool about the whole thing in the end, but the Turk leader was still pissed. Meaning the redhead was still sidelined until further notice, and being excluded from the daily briefings as punishment for 'making the team look bad'.

And _Rodney_ was getting to be insufferable. All day Friday... all day Monday... and all day _today_... the bastard had been walking around with an obnoxiously smug look on his face and casually referring to Reno as the 'black sheep of the family'. It was _starting_ to piss him off... but he didn't dare start anything over it. He was in a deep enough hole as it was.

Reno tossed the gloves aside and sat down crosslegged on the floor, elbows on his knees as he rested his chin on one palm.

"How is it I'msuch a screw up, Rude?"

The other rookie rolled his eyes.

"Don't start _that_ again. You're not a screw up. You just... don't always stop to think about the consequences before you do something stupid."

Reno snorted in contempt. "Yeah... that's kinda the _definition_ of a screw up, don't you think?"

Rude gave him a soft smack on the back of the head.

"You're not a screw up," he repeated. He lowered himself down beside his friend and sighed. "But you know, it wouldn't hurt you to... maybe grow up a little. You know I'm always gonna be there to bail you out." He smirked slightly before adding, "Both literally _and_ figuratively. But maybe try not to _need_ me to do it so much?"

"... Yeah. I gotta stop bein' so stupid."

"You're not stupid, and you know it," he continued, " _Everyone_ knows it. You're just too impulsive for your own good sometimes."

Reno leaned back, arms behind him to prop himself up.

"So how do I quit bein' so 'impulsive'?"

"You train yourself to _think_ before you _do_ ," a voice behind the pair stated firmly, and the redhead yelped, startled.

" _Goddammit_ , Tseng..." he sputtered as he spun around and staggered to his feet. "You _seriously_ get some sorta sick, sadistic pleasure outta doin' that, _don't_ you?!"

"Truthfully? Yes. I do," the Turk lieutenant admitted with a small smile. "Rude, may I borrow your sparring partner for awhile?"

"Yes, sir. I should be getting back to headquarters anyway," the other rookie replied, getting up and heading for the locker rooms.

"... What'd I fuck up now?" Reno ventured cautiously.

"Nothing..." said Tseng, before adding with a teasing laugh, "... that I'm _aware_ of. I simply haven't seen much of you since Friday. I wanted to make sure you were alright. It seems you _aren't_."

Reno shrugged. "I'm fine."

"You're not. You're doubting yourself. I had a feeling that might be the case even before I walked in on your conversation a moment ago. I know you well enough by now to _expect_ you to be overly harsh on yourself when you make a mistake... especially one that has ramifications for others. It's a habit I should have broken you of a long time ago... but for the time being, I think we'll focus on your _other_ annoying habit. That impulsive nature of yours."

"How?" the rookie queried, somewhat mystified. Tseng chuckled and shook his head.

"I already told you _how_. By training you to think before you do. Control is something that must be practiced... so, since you have some time on your hands, being sidelined, I want you to practice it. Come with me."

Reno obediently followed his mentor out of the training hall and, to his surprise, straight past the locker rooms. Apparently, wherever they were going he wouldn't need to change. They boarded the elevator and Tseng pressed the button for thirty-one. Reno raised an eyebrow in curiosity. That was the employee gym. Other than the running track, he generally didn't spend much time there. It was always full of random people from all over the building using the workout equipment or attending one of the company-sponsored exercise classes on their breaks. He much preferred the training hall... unless he was exercising exclusively to flirt with someone.

As they walked inside, he discovered that one of said classes was just getting under way. The man leading it looked up as they entered. He looked positively ancient, with white hair and deep wrinkles.

"Ah, Tseng... namaste..." he said as he approached with an odd little bow. "Is this my new student?"

"... Student?" Reno repeated, glancing over at the Turk lieutenant.

"I thought you might benefit from this class," he replied, before turning back to the instructor, "This is Reno. Reno, this is Sir Gui. He will be teaching you yoga."

"... _Yoga_ is s'posed to fix me?" the redhead replied, skeptically.

"No... because you're not broken," Tseng chuckled softly, "But it _is_ supposed to help you take a step back and act deliberately rather than impulsively. Just... try it for a few days."

The redhead cringed. It was so... lame and new-agey. He felt dumb even considering it.

"Do I _have_ to?"

"No... but the alternative is doing _all_ of my paperwork for the week," Tseng stated, and Reno groaned.

"... 'kay, fine. Yoga it is."

* * *

"Tseng."

At the sound of his name, the Turk lieutenant turned towards the source of the summons and spotted Tres emerging from his office. He slowed his pace, allowing the other Turk to catch up to him.

"Never got a chance to ask... you get what you needed?"

There was no need for specifics. Tseng knew perfectly well what he was talking about. He hadn't hid his intentions when he'd asked the man for information on Director Faine's former future son-in-law, nor did he withhold the reason _why_ he harbored those intentions. Tres has been only too happy to assist him in tracking the man down after hearing what he'd put Reno through.

"It was... dealt with. Thank you," Tseng replied.

"Hmph... Fair 'nough," Tres replied when his colleague didn't elaborate, "Glad to be of assistance."

The other Turk slipped off into the lounge, while Tseng continued on. He was sure Tres assumed he'd killed the man... and to be fair, he'd come very, _very_ close to doing just that. So close that Mr. Ferris _probably_ still had some residual hearing loss in the ear that had been closest to the gun when it had fired, since he hadn't bothered with a silencer.

He had certainly _wanted_ to kill him. _Would_ have, had things ended differently with Reno.

If that worthless piece of slime had had better aim – or even just gotten off a lucky shot – the redhead could be laying in the morgue right now. And it would have utterly destroyed him... to the point that he was quite certain there would be no coming back from it. The only reason Ferris was still breathing was because Reno was _not_ dead, and Tseng had thus been able to maintain a tenuous grasp on his emotions and professionalism. He had settled for terrifying the everliving shit out of the man and strongly implying that the next time they ever crossed paths, it would be the _last_ time.

It had, in fact, been the impetus for his decision to enroll Reno in the yoga class. His breakdown following Mayu's death aside, it had been a very long time since Tseng had felt such a lack of control... since he'd _allowed_ himself to lose control to that extent. As a boy, he really hadn't been all that different from his protege in some ways. He'd had a tendency to leap before looking, so to speak. His father had been both quick to discipline him and to _teach_ him discipline. There were times when he'd resented it, of course... _many_ times... but in the end, he was grudgingly grateful for it.

He had no desire to take things quite as far as his father had when it came to Reno... but he was beginning to think that he had, perhaps, gone too far in the opposite direction and been too lax with him. His rookie would benefit from better self-control just as _he_ had, and it could certainly be done without being overly rigid and strict, the way some of his _own_ lessons had been.

It was why he'd asked, instead of ordered. Tseng had never had a choice in the matter. His father had seen it as a serious flaw in his character and taken it upon himself to stamp that trait out of his son, steadily grinding it away over the years. And ultimately, even Tseng himself felt that he was better for it... but their relationship had undeniably suffered as a result – perhaps best evidenced by just how easily his father had rejected him. Tseng had never truly been good _enough_ for the man no matter how hard he tried, and his role in Mayu's death had been the final straw.

He didn't want that for Reno... no matter _how_ many foolish mistakes the teen made. He loved him too much to risk driving a wedge between them the way his father had. And... he needed him.

The thought of losing the young man was never far from his mind, but Friday night had resulted in something of a self-revelation for Tseng. Reno was quite possibly the only thing that was allowing him to function as a Turk right now. His nights were restless and all too often sleepless. Guilt still plagued him incessantly. Fear dogged his every step. And the only thing keeping all of that in check was his refusal to allow Reno to see it.

The redhead had already witnessed him at his weakest and most vulnerable... his most _broken_. And it had frightened him. He didn't want his protege to live with the same constant worry that _he_ currently did; that someone he deeply cared for might be taken from him. Reno had already lived that nightmare once in his young life. He needed his mentor to be a point of security for him... not a source of paranoia.

Still... it wasn't easy. After he'd concluded his business with Ferris on Friday, he'd returned home and started drinking. He'd woken up around noon the following day, feeling as though he'd been trampled by wild behemoths... but at least he'd slept. Since then, he'd carefully avoided going overboard, but alcohol had nonetheless become part of his nightly routine... even on the nights when he would be working the following day, which, until recently, had always been times he'd refused to indulge in more than the occasional glass or two after dinner.

He knew it was nothing more than a crutch... but it was one he felt he couldn't do without at the moment.

And he knew that if Veld learned of it, it would mean an immediate psychological evaluation. He would prefer to avoid the hassle... particularly since, if the person doing the evaluating decreed that he was unfit, it would mean that he'd be sideline right along with his rookie. A few weeks ago, that might not have made a difference to him, but now... now he had finally come to a decision.

He didn't care about Shinra. He didn't care about company loyalty. And he most certainly didn't care about the president or any of the board of directors, save for Rufus. But he _did_ care about his family... and he would do whatever it took to be with them. That meant remaining a Turk. Even if he could never be truly loyal to the company again, he would always be loyal to _them_... which in the end, wasn't so great a distinction to make, really. The Turks served the company...

... and Tseng served the Turks.

* * *

Reno flopped down into the chair at his desk and relaxed. By the end of his class, he'd been starting to feel a bit like a human pretzel... and he'd discovered that he was apparently a _lot_ more flexible than most people were. Somehow he'd never fully realized that before.

It hadn't been _terrible_. Actually, there had been a few parts that had even been kind of interesting, and a lot of the different stretches and poses had felt... odd, but surprisingly pleasant. He'd initially only done it to humor Tseng. And to get out of paperwork. By the end of the class, though, he'd decided to legitimately give it a chance and was reserving final judgment until he'd done it a few more times. Who knew... maybe he really _would_ learn something from yoga. There were certainly _worse_ ways he could spend his morning, at any rate.

The door behind him opened, and Rude staggered in, arms laden with... well, Reno wasn't entirely sure _what_ it was, but it certainly looked heavy.

"Need a hand?" he asked.

"... I got it," the other rookie ground out and shuffled over to his desk before setting his burden down with a loud thump. He dropped into his chair, panting softly as he caught his breath.

"The fuck is that thing?" the redhead queried, eyeing the strange collection of mechanical parts. It looked vaguely insect-like and was the size of a large dog. About the only thing he could recognize was the small camera lens on what he assumed to be the front of the thing.

"Old surveillance drone. Tres wants me to practice with it before he lets me play with one of the newer models... soon as he figures out where he left the remote."

Reno snickered loudly. "Why didn't you just wait 'til ya had the damn remote to bring it in here? I'm assumin' that thing can walk around on its own..."

"Because he wanted it out of his office. It was in the way. You wanna go grab some lunch?"

The redhead grinned. "Do you even have to ask?"

"Hmm... Stupid question, huh?" Rude laughed.

"Hey, guys!" Cissnei's voice called from just outside the open door. A moment later, she poked her head in. "Did... I hear someone mention lunch?"

"Wanna come?" Rude asked, and the other rookie positively beamed.

"Oh, dear Titan, yes. I overslept and had to skip breakfast this morning. I'm starved."

"Heh... alright! To the crapateria!" Reno announced, but Cissnei shook her head.

"Actually... That's why I haven't just gone to lunch by myself yet. I was sort of wondering... what do you guys think of food carts?"

Rude only shrugged.

"I love just about anything that'll sell me food," Reno grinned in response.

"Great! Because there's a thing going on over in the market place on Twenty-second Street in Sector 4... and I'd _really_ love to get out of the office and stretch my legs a little. Escort duty is super boring when no one actually _needs_ an escort all day. I could use some company, if you guys are interested."

"Count _me_ in," said Reno, and Rude nodded enthusiastically.

"Me, too."

"Awesome! I just have to deliver a message to Veld... Then we can get out of here."

* * *

The streets were packed. Besides just the usual shopping crowds, nearly three blocks worth of Twenty-second Street had been blocked off to traffic and were lined with food trucks, carts, and other vendors. The tantalizing aroma of all manner of tasty treats filled the air. Reno's mouth had started watering before they'd even made it around the corner.

"Holy Ifrit..." he breathed. "I don't even know where to start..."

He grinned widely as he was reminded of his very first day on the Plate, and the sheer awe that he'd felt staring at the buffet Tseng had taken him to for lunch. This felt a lot like that. Overwhelming... but _definitely_ in a good way.

"Mmm... I know where _I'm_ starting. I smell barbecued pork..." Cissnei replied, "My _favorite_. Come on, Rude!"

She giggled, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him bodily off towards one of the street carts. Reno stared after them for a moment... and smirked. He _knew_ he hadn't been imagining things. Looking for any excuse to talk to him... bringing him lunch when he hadn't been able to get away from everything Tres had dumped on him the other day... helping him out with said _everything_ even though she hadn't been ordered to... and that excited smile she'd flashed him back at the office when his friend had invited her to join them?

Cissnei had a thing for Rude.

He grinned and shook his head as he headed off in the opposite direction. Far be it from him to be a third wheel. If it worked out, they'd be kind of cute together. Rude could do a lot worse than Cissnei. He'd _thought_ about trying his luck with her himself, in fact... but after what had happened with Remy, hopping in bed with another Turk again didn't seem like such a great idea. Like the senior Turk, _she_ didn't strike him as a meaningless one-night stand kind of girl, either, and they'd probably both just end up regretting it. But Rude... he was more the dating type. _He_ might be able to make it work with a girl like Cissnei.

Whatever, though... he was starving and surrounded by food.

Reno made his way through the crowds to the first of many offerings set up along the street... a cart selling some kind of Costan fried dough coated in cinnamon and sugar. He bought two and happily munched on them as he wandered along, debating what to try next... some of that grilled Mideelian catfish on a stick? Or the spicy slow-cooked shredded beef wrapped in a tortilla? Ooooh... or the pizza...

The redhead was pretty sure that, if there was a heaven, this had to be about as close as he'd ever get to it while he was still alive. He spotted his fellow rookies again a little ways ahead of him. Rude seemed to be trying to talk Cissnei into sampling some sort of oddly shaped fruit. _Definitely_ cute together.

He snickered quietly to himself and disappeared into a group heading for the pizza truck before they caught sight of _him_ , too, and got in line.

While he waited, debating on what toppings he wanted, he wondered if Rude would actually go for it with the other rookie. Sure... he wasn't thinking about Margaret so much anymore, but he hadn't really said anything to him about looking to date anyone new, either. At last, he shrugged. If he was ready for a new girlfriend, Cissnei certainly seemed interested. If he wasn't... well... there were lots of other women out there if he let her get away.

The line inched forward, and Reno licked his lips in anticipation. He could practically taste it already.

 _BOOM!_

One moment, the redhead had been standing, moments away from getting his hands on hot, delicious pizza... the next, he was sprawled on the ground several yards away, ears ringing. Thankfully, aside from a few scrapes and a sore hip courtesy of his rather rough landing, he didn't seem to be injured. He groaned as he picked himself up.

Chaos. As the ringing began to subside, he quickly became acutely aware of the panicked screaming that had filled the air around him. People were running in all directions, pushing and shoving, trying to get... somewhere. Anywhere. Just away from here. It took him a moment to sort out why... though when he saw what they were running _from_ the 'why' became alarmingly clear.

There was a large, smoking crater a short distance down the block – obviously where that loud _boom_ had come from. But of far more concern to him right now was what was emerging from behind the smoke. A truck had run through the the barricades at the far end of the block, and several armed men had jumped out, advancing towards the terrified crowd. Several armed _Wutaiian_ men.

" _Shit_..." he swore, and pulled his PHS from his pocket. First order of business... get some fucking backup down here. He dialed Tseng's number.

" _Tseng here,"_ the Turk lieutenant answered a moment later.

"... Boss, we got problem," he said quickly. "Me 'n Rude 'n Cissnei are down on Twenty-second street... over in Sector 4. Shit just started blowin' up, and we got guys with guns 'n swords coming straight at us."

" _Understood. Backup is on the way,"_ his mentor replied, and the call immediately dropped. Reno shoved the phone back into his pocket and unclipped the EMR from his belt before hightailing it back in the direction he'd last seen his fellow rookies. He heard gunshots to his left and instinctively ducked, not bothering to check if he was the target or not. At last he spotted Rude.

"Where's Cissnei?!" he yelled over the commotion.

"Here!" the other rookie called back, forcing her way through a stream of fleeing bystanders. Moments later, the three of them managed to regroup.

"It is a Wutaiian attack?" Cissnei asked, having to shout to be heard over the din, and the redhead nodded.

"Think so... Tseng's sendin' help, but we're on our own 'til they get here. We gotta do somethin' about this, or a lot of people are gonna die..."

"What's the plan?" Rude asked.

"Cissnei... see those barricades down at the far end of the street?" he asked, and she quickly nodded. "Go get 'em outta the way or we're gonna have one hell of a bottleneck down there. Focus on gettin' people out outta the line of fire. Me 'n Rude will do what we can to slow these assholes down."

Rude tossed her his keys. "Use my truck. Shouldn't have too much trouble moving those things."

"On it!" she replied and took off at a sprint down the street. Reno turned to Rude.

"There's too many of 'em for us to handle if we try to do this head on. You go right, I'll go left. Circle around behind the fuckers 'n take 'em down when they're not lookin'."

"Watch yourself," Rude replied.

"You too, pal..."

With that, the pair separated, moving as swiftly as they possibly could along the periphery of the chaos. Reno darted between two food trucks and crouched low as he approached the attackers. Luckily, the smoke had yet to fully clear, giving him a small amount of cover as he flanked the group.

They were starting to spread out now, the gunners hanging back and picking targets off from a distance, while those with more close-range weapons tried to corral the men and women of Midgar into a shooting gallery of sorts for them. The redhead gave his EMR a sharp flick, extending it and charged the nearest gunner. The man went down hard, twitching violently from the electric shock. He'd never even known what hit him.

Reno did a quick count. Seven with blades, spears, and even bare fists... at least nine more with firearms. He caught a brief glimpse of Rude as he clotheslined one of them and then vanished again into the smoke.

A bullet grazed his arm, and the rookie dove for cover. Several more shots struck the cart he found himself crouched behind and he growled in annoyance as he drew his own gun. He returned fire, but had little time to aim, as his assailant started shooting again the moment he showed himself, and his shots were much too wide to hit their target. Shooting blindly wasn't going to do him any good. He needed a better position.

Reno glanced down at his feet and grinned. He kicked aside a broken bicycle and wedged his EMR into the little opening, prying upwards until he could get a decent grip on the manhole cover. Once he'd wrestled it aside, he slipped into the depths, dropping into the wet tunnel below. It was dark and the light from the opening above him only extended a few yards from its source, forcing him to feel his way some forty or fifty feet to the next ladder leading upwards. At last he found it and hurried up to the street again, straining to push the cover out of the way.

The redhead peered out and spotted his target, who, by then, had reached his previous location and was investigating the open manhole. He took aim and fired, landing a shot in the back of the man's head. He toppled to the ground and laid there, motionless. Reno, on the other hand, was already crawling the rest of the way out of the hole and looking for his next target.

One more shooter succumbed to his EMR – and the weapon sparked wildly when he did – before the welcome sound of reinforcements arriving met his ears. Both Shinra military _and_ additional Turks soon joined the fray, giving the redhead a moment to look around for his fellow rookies. He spotted Cissnei just as she let loose a painful attack on one of the swordsmen with her shuriken, but was having difficulty locating Rude.

A loud scream drew his attention to a large fire that had erupted from one of the vendor's carts, apparently a small propane explosion. One of the Wutaiian attackers had been caught in it and was rolling on the ground in a desperate attempt to extinguish the flames. And nearby, also on the ground, his eyes finally fell on the figure of his friend. He was shooting at someone a fair distance away, while simultaneously trying to drag himself towards cover, obviously injured.

Reno swapped his EMR for his gun and zeroed in on Rude's target. He squeezed the trigger and the man dropped to the ground. The redhead sprinted towards the wounded rookie, yelping as he narrowly avoided another barrage of bullets from somewhere behind him and skidded to a halt next to Rude, hauling him upright.

"Move it, pal... I don't think these guys like us too much!"

Rude grunted and leaned heavily on the smaller rookie as they hobbled towards nearby car. They took cover behind it.

"How bad you hurt?" Reno asked, and Rude shook his head.

"Just caught a bullet in the thigh. I'll be alright."

By then, the Shinra troops had advanced and were taking down the remaining Wutaiians... with extreme prejudice. It was quickly over, and the sounds of screaming and gunfire rather abruptly ceased.

"Found 'em!" a familiar voice called out, and both rookie's jumped slightly at the sound. Reno looked up and spotted Sato grinning widely at the pair of them as he waved the someone else over. Saya appeared next to him a moment later.

"Well thank Odin fer that! Are yeh two still in one piece?"

"Rude's got a bullet hole in his leg, but other than that we're okay. You find Cissnei yet?"

"I'm fine," the familiar voice suddenly piped up as she calmly stepped over the body of one of the Wutaiians, making her way over to them.

"Right then," Saya replied, "Now that we've got the wee rookies all rounded up 'n accounted fer, let's leave this mess ta the army, shall we?"

Sato nodded and helped Rude up again, pulling the younger man's arm around his shoulders. "I'll take this 'un on ta Midgar General ta get patched up."

Reno and Cissnei followed Saya as Sato led Rude off to a waiting medical transport. Few of the Wutaiians seemed to have survived the response by the Shinra military... but before the senior Turk escorted him out off the battleground and stuffed him into the back of Tseng's car, he caught sight of Luca and Tres dragging one of them off somewhere. Probably for later interrogation.

"Are you two alright?" the Turk lieutenant asked, climbing into the driver's seat.

"Yes, sir," Cissnei answered.

"Yep," the redhead responded.

Tseng nodded and put the car in gear, backing out of its impromptu parking space and heading back towards the Shinra Building.

"Veld wants all three of you debriefed as soon as possible," he said as they drove, "I'll drop you off at headquarters and then see to Rude. You're to wait in the lounge until someone comes to get you."

"Got it," said Reno. He grinned widely and leaned forward between the seats. "Ya know, boss... when I called for help, I didn't expect ya to send the _whole_ Shinra army..."

Tseng shook his head, but never took his eyes off the road.

"That was _hardly_ the 'whole Shinra Army'... though had I the authority to do so, I'd certainly have sent the _rest_ of it."

* * *

Almost an hour later, Reno was _still_ waiting in the lounge. Rude was still at the hospital. Sato had reported in to let Tseng know that they'd be awhile. The rookie's injury had been assessed as low priority, and there were a lot of people ahead of him. Thus Tseng and Veld had begun debriefing the two rookies they _did_ have on hand. They'd kept Cissnei for what felt like ages... and then they'd both been called to the executive conference room to brief the board on what had happened in Sector 4. Cissnei had popped back into the lounge to let him know what was going on, but then had left to return to her own assignments. He would have happily wandered off to do something productive, as well... but in the first place, he'd been ordered to wait and no one had updated that order – and he was on enough shitlists at present to want to avoid pissing anyone _else_ off – and in the second place... he was still officially sidelined because of said shitlisted status. He didn't _have_ any standing assignments to work on at the moment.

So instead, he was now on his fourth cup of god-awful coffee – Veld must have made it, because it had the consistency of motor oil – and was studying the freshly acquired dents on his EMR.

That last hit had done something to it. He'd known it the moment the sparks had erupted when it made contact, but hadn't realized the extent of the damage until he'd returned to headquarters. He wasn't sure if he'd wrecked it prying up that manhole cover, or if he'd done it when he'd made contact with that last shooter... but it was definitely fried. And he wasn't happy about it. It was the only one he'd ever used, and he'd grown kind of attached to it. He hoped it could be repaired.

The door to the lounge opened and the redhead looked up and grinned.

"Hey... you're still alive," he teased. Rude grunted noncommittally as he carefully made his way into the room on crutches. He didn't answer properly until he'd planted himself on the couch.

"... I'm on medical restriction for a _week_ ," he replied, glumly. Reno snorted in laughter.

"What? You thought they'd let ya work with only one good leg?" he snickered.

Rude shook his head, and leaned back into the cushions with a faint groan.

"Seriously, though... how ya doin'?" Reno asked.

"Okay. It's nothing serious. Bullet went clean through with no _major_ damage. Just hurts like everything," he replied, "... Thanks."

"For what?"

"Oh, I don't know... Saving my ass, maybe? Couldn't've made it to cover in time on my own."

"You'da done the same for me," Reno replied with a dismissive shrug. Rude rolled his eyes and dragged his fellow rookie into a headlock.

"Can't you just accept someone's gratitude?" he chuckled, unapologetically mussing the redhead's hair.

"Not when he's got my head stuffed under his fuckin' arm like a goddamn cantaloupe..." he muttered in a slightly muffled voice. Rude laughed and released him.

"Been debriefed yet?"

Reno shook his head in the negative. "Nah... they did Cissnei first 'n then got called in to talk to the President. I'm waitin' on 'em to come back and chew me out."

"Chew you out for what?" the other rookie asked, an eyebrow rising in surprise from behind his dark lenses.

"Who the fuck even knows? But I'm sure I did _somethin'_ wrong, and I'm sure I'm gonna hear about it," the redhead sighed. "Tch... and just to top it all off, I barely even got any lunch."

"... Why didn't you just run down to the cafeteria?"

"'Cause. Tseng ordered me to wait here and I've fucked up _enough_ lately, so I'm stayin' right _here_ 'til someone tells me otherwise. And everyone else has been busy as fuck since we got back so I haven't been able to ask anyone to go grab me somethin' before I die of starvation. Only thing keepin' me from keelin' over is Veld's shitastic coffee, and if I drink much more of _that_ , I swear it's gonna eat a hole in my stomach. Not that that's gonna stop me."

Rude chuckled and forced himself upright.

"Where the fuck are _you_ goin'?" the other rookie queried.

"The cafeteria. Wouldn't want to let you die of starvation right after you saved my life," he snickered.

~end of chapter 74~


	75. Back to Work

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 75: Back to Work**

 **by Desha**

Reno huffed in irritation and stuffed half a roll in his mouth. Rude had, as promised, returned with food... just as Tseng and Veld had returned from their meeting upstairs. For a brief moment, he had been convinced that his long, sequestered wait was finally over.

And then they'd summoned _Rude_ in for debriefing instead of him, citing his injury as the reason for not wanting to make the older rookie sit around and wait. Apparently doing so to a starving redhead was perfectly fine.

At least he now had something to eat... though he was unexpectedly finding that his appetite was waning. His thoughts were too focused on what he was going to say to them. Reno must have gone over the events of that afternoon in his head a hundred times by then, searching for anything he might have done wrong – anything he might have to justify.

He'd come up with a few things, the foremost being the way he'd just started telling the others what to do. Technically, Rude had seniority. Even though he was a rookie, too, he'd been a Turk longer than either Reno or Cissnei. Plus the redhead was still fucking sidelined. If they were going strictly by the book, Reno _should_ have deferred to him... not started giving orders like he had the faintest idea what he was doing out there. Hell, he ought to have deferred to him if only for the reason that _Rude_ wasn't a constant source of embarassment for the team. But he'd acted on instinct, and the others had obeyed without question.

Then there was the fact that, as he'd heard in passing from Tres shortly after Rude had left for the cafeteria, twenty-one people had died. Despite his best efforts to stop it, people were dead. Maybe if they'd moved faster... or maybe if he hadn't sent Cissnei off to deal with the barricades... or maybe if he'd let Rude give the orders like he was _supposed_ to... then maybe they could have been saved.

And undeniably _far_ lessdamning, but still certainly something he didn't look forward to informing them of, was the damage to his EMR. It would either have to be repaired or a new one requisitioned for him. Not a huge deal... but certainly a hassle, and he'd already caused his superiors enough headaches lately.

Reno picked in growing disinterest at the salad on his plate. He shook his head at Rude's choices. All the healthy options on the cafeteria menu, of course (if said menu could be considered healthy. Most of the time, it could barely be considered food). Not that the guy didn't eat the same junk Reno did... he just 'did so in moderation', as he put it. Still... it _was_ food, or at least close enough to it. But hungry as he was, eating had suddenly lost much of its appeal.

The door to the lounge opened and the redhead glanced up, hoping that his extended torture was finally over and someone had come to summon him to Veld's office so he could just get this shit over with. He mentally groaned when he saw it was only Rodney.

"Do you _ever_ stop eating?" the other rookie asked, rolling his eyes as he meandered over to the coffee maker and went to pour himself a cup... only to find the pot empty. "And can't you make more coffee after you finish it off _once_ in awhile?" he added with an annoyed scowl, "It's not like you have anything _better_ to do at the moment."

"Can't _you_ not act like a total asshat once in awhile?" the redhead muttered, pushing his half-finished lunch aside.

"Oh, _that's_ rich, coming from _you_ ," Rodney replied as he refilled the machine with ground coffee, and then snatched the pot, stalking off to fetch more water. He returned a few moments later, and set the machine to brewing. " _I'm_ stuck babysitting Rufus all week, thanks to you. You know, if you'd just kept it in your pants for a change, _you_ wouldn't be stuck here, and _I_ wouldn't be stuck with the president's spoiled little hellspawn for hours on end."

He very nearly responded in Rufus' defense just as a matter of principle. The fact that Rodney apparently didn't get along with him only seemed to raise Reno's opinion of the brat. Instead, though, the redhead scowled but did his best to tune him out, turning his attention back on his lunch.

"Cissnei told me all about the attack in Sector 4," Rodney went on without any prompting from his fellow Turk, "You know... if _I'd_ been there –"

"Yeah, well, you _weren't_ , were ya?" Reno snapped, cutting him off. He'd had enough. "Fuck off 'n leave me alone, Rodney. I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now."

" _Most_ rookies would be _grateful_ to have someone point out the mistakes they make so they can actually do something to fixthem."

"When I want _your_ advice, I'll ask for it. I wouldn't suggest holdin' your breath, though."

"Hmph... and that's why you're always going to be our little black sheep. No interest in self-improvement," Rodney smirked as the coffee finished brewing. He poured himself a cup and left, leaving the redhead glaring at his retreating form.

"On second thought... hold your breath. Preferably 'til ya pass out," Reno called after him.

He glumly sank down in his seat. For the most part, he tended to ignore the other rookie's goading anymore... but today he couldn't help but wonder if maybe he had a point. It wasn't as if he didn't _want_ to quit making stupid mistakes... hell, he was giving Tseng's yoga idea a chance, wasn't he? But what if that wasn't enough? What if Rodney really _did_ have some legitimate ideas about where he'd screwed up today? Wouldn't it be better to hear him out... even if he _was_ being a dick about it, as usual? Just because he was a dick didn't mean he was wrong.

After awhile, he was so lost in thought, he didn't even notice that he was no longer alone in the room until Rude was standing two feet away from him and had waved a hand in front of his face. The redhead jumped slightly at the unexpected movement, and looked up.

"... Veld wants you," his friend said as he glanced down at the largely untouched plate of food that was sitting nearby and frowned.

Reno sighed and dragged himself to his feet before wordlessly making his way down the hall.

The first time he'd been formally reprimanded, he'd emerged from Tseng's office feeling _almost_ like he'd been physically beaten – though in that instance it certainly hadn't helped matters that his mentor had also given him an early heads up about his Hell Week as well. He wondered if this would somehow manage to be worse. _Technically_ , it was just a debriefing, not a reprimand. But... people had died. And he'd been the one giving the orders. He'd have to justify everything he'd done, and he honestly wasn't sure he could.

He paused outside of Veld's office, hesitating as he raised his hand to knock. He slowly released the breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding, and tapped somewhat quietly on the door. It swung inward, and the redhead found himself being ushered inside by Tseng. Reno swallowed sharply as he took a seat in front of the Turk leader's desk.

"I'd like a full report on what happened this afternoon," Veld said, looking at him gravely. His serious expression didn't exactly do much to put the rookie at ease.

"... Yes, sir," he replied, "Me 'n Rude 'n Cissnei were over in Sector 4 for lunch. It was a special marketplace thing Cissnei told us about. Pretty crowded even before we got there. The street was packed."

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and glanced over at Tseng, who said nothing.

"Nothin' seemed unusual..." he continued, "One second I'm waitin' on pizza, the next somethin' explodes loud as all fuck and I'm lyin' on my back in the middle of the street. By the time I realized what was happenin', people were runnin' 'n panickin' 'n tramplin' each other to get out of there. Spotted the attackers as they were walkin' out of the smoke from the explosion."

"How many did you see?" Veld asked.

"It was kinda hard to tell at the time. Counted at least seventeen later on, but it was pretty crazy. I mighta missed some." He mentally kicked himself for that. Why hadn't he paid closer attention? How the fuck were they supposed to know if they got them all if they didn't know how many there were to begin with? Had the others gotten a more accurate count? He hoped so...

Veld nodded, and made a note of the number on a small notebook on his desk before motioning for him to go on.

"I... sorta figured it might be a _little_ more than the three of us could handle on our own, so I called Tseng, 'n then I went to find Rude 'n Cissnei 'cause we'd been in different lines before shit started blowin' up. Once we'd regrouped, I told Cissnei to move the barricades at the end of the block before people started gettin' trapped. Those guys were drivin' 'em as close together as they could, far as I could tell. It looked like they wanted to make 'em easy targets for their gunners."

But it hadn't been enough for at least twenty-one of them, he silently reminded himself.

"Me 'n Rude flanked the guys and dropped as many as we could. And then reinforcements showed up and started kickin' ass for us, so I went lookin' for the others again. Found Rude 'n then Cissnei turned up not too long after that. Then Sato 'n Saya found us and got us outta there while everyone else was workin' clean-up. Been sittin' in the lounge since I got back."

Veld raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

Reno's stomach twisted in uncertainty, not quite sure what else the Turk leader wanted to hear from him... or wanted him to admit to.

"Y-yes?" he finally replied.

"Why did you tell Cissnei to deal with the barricades? Why not do it yourself or send Rude?" Tseng prompted.

He glanced up at him, uncertainly. "... 'Cause she's smaller 'n faster than Rude 'n she doesn't stand out as much as _I_ do? It was easier for her to get through the crowd without turnin' herself into a target. I thought that if she could give people a way out, me 'n Rude could slow the fuckers with the guns down a little so they had a chance to escape."

"And you don't intend to mention anything about getting Rude to cover after he was injured?" Veld queried.

"Umm..." he responded, fidgeting nervously. Tseng moved to stand beside him resting a hand on his nervous rookie's shoulder.

"Reno... are you under the impression that you're in trouble for something?" the Turk lieutenant asked, a note of surprise in his voice.

"... Am I?"

"I think that I can unequivocally state that no... you are not. In fact, both Cissnei and Rude made quite the compelling case that, had you not been there with them, the death toll likely would have been much higher than it was. Rude, in particular, was quite adamant on that point."

Reno's shoulders slumped. "Twenty-one people still died."

"And no one could have saved them all. That's just the reality of war," Veld stated. "I think we have all we need. You're dismissed."

The redhead blinked and somewhat awkwardly got to his feet, not having expected things to go so easily for him. Tseng let him out of the office, closing the door behind him, and Reno headed off in search of his fellow rookies.

* * *

"I _really_ don't get that kid sometimes," Veld said shaking his head. " _I'm_ tempted to put him up for _commendation_ for the way he handled things out there, and _he_ thinks he's in trouble."

Tseng deeply frowned. "Well, perhaps if you hadn't referred to him as an embarrassment to the team after Director Faine's unexpected visit to headquarters..." he replied, somewhat snappishly, and Veld's eyebrows rose in challenge.

"I beg your pardon?"

The Turk lieutenant hurried to rein in his anger. "It's just that... I believe I've mentioned to you – on multiple occasions, in fact – that Reno has a somewhat, shall we say, _fragile_ ego at times. He's _extraordinarily_ hard on himself when he's done something wrong. So much so that it tends to leak over into unrelated circumstances. We should have debriefed him _first_. He's probably been sitting in there nitpicking and over-analyzing every decision he made today. It's not good for him."

"Cissnei was needed elsewhere and Rude should be resting, not concerning himself with a debriefing," the Turk leader pointed out. "You coddle him too much sometimes, Tseng."

The Wutaiian Turk stubbornly folded his arms over his chest.

"I was under the impression that _my_ First Rookie is to be trained as _I_ see fit."

Veld suddenly smiled. "You know... there was a time when you wouldn't have dared contradict me like that. Even in private."

"There was also a time when you did your _own_ share of 'coddling', sir..." Tseng shot back with a faint smirk.

"I would _hardly_ call it that. You just needed the occasional hand-holding as a rookie," he snorted in contempt, and then he sighed and shook his head. "Which, I'll admit, my _own_ mentor didn't _entirely_ approve of. But _he_ didn't know you as well as _I_ did." He paused for a moment before relenting. "And I suppose that I don't know _Reno_ as well as _you_ do, do I? You're right. He's yours to train. After all... you may well be training your own replacement. You're certainly not the first protege to take over as second in command after the mentor is promoted... and I doubt you'll be the last."

"Sir..." Tseng began, as a chill settled over him at that thought. He wasn't in _any_ hurry to take over for Veld. Particularly given the fact that, in order for that to happen, Veld would have to either step down – something that he was more or less convinced would _never_ happen – or be killed.

"I don't plan on going anywhere for a very long time, Tseng."

"... No one ever does, sir," he replied with a shake of his head. Veld looked up at him, a thoughtful frown on his face.

"Far be it from me to criticize someone so soon after a personal loss... but don't you think that sort of sentiment is just a _bit_ melodramatic? Particularly coming from _you..._ "

Tseng briefly looked away, but then took a seat in the chair that his rookie had recently vacated. He was silent for a few moments, and Veld simply waited for him to speak.

"... Her death is still weighing very heavily on me, sir," he said at last, "More so than any other loss I've ever experienced. And I... can't seem to stop worrying about what else – _who_ else – I might lose. Especially now with Shinra actively engaged in a war and virtually all of the people I can still count as family embroiled in it. Today's events certainly didn't put my mind at ease. Reno could have died today."

"Yes. He could have," Veld replied, gravely, "But he didn't. I won't patronize you by telling you to stop focusing so much on what _could_ happen. That, I think, is probably far beyond your control right now. The only advice I can offer is to be grateful that what _could_ have happened today did _not_ happen. No one knows what the future holds. We can only take things one day at a time. You were able to live knowing that before. You'll eventually be able to again."

"A timeline of when I can expect that to happen would be much appreciated," Tseng sighed.

"I wish I could provide it," said Veld. "In the mean time... might I suggest a visit to our on-call counselor? Speaking to an unbiased party might help."

Tseng shook his head. "I'd prefer not, sir," he replied, flatly. He'd never cared for therapists. He'd go if Veld ordered it, but... Tseng was, by nature, a private man. He would rather keep it that way. Talking to Veld about this – a man who had, for years, been a second father to him – was hard enough. Talking to someone who, at the absolute best, might be considered a passing acquaintance due to previous mandatory appointments was _not_ something he had any desire to even consider.

Veld nodded in understanding.

"Then... dinner instead? Esme has had a very large pork roast slow-cooking all day. She won't mind setting an extra place at the table. And Felicia has missed you. You haven't been by to see her since before you left for Wutai. You've always been her favorite Turk, you know."

Tseng chuckled softly in spite of himself. "Until she met Reno, perhaps... I think I lost my status as such the moment she laid eyes on him."

"You might still win it back... if you actually put in an appearance once in awhile, that is."

"... I suppose it _would_ be far preferable to subjecting myself to another night of my _own_ cooking," he finally replied.

* * *

Rude carefully made his way into his office the next morning, mindful of the crutches. Hobbling around on them was taking a little more getting used to than he'd expected, and he'd already had any number of embarrassing mishaps... quite possibly the worst of which had occurred only a few short minutes ago when he'd accidentally brought one down on some poor secretary's foot in the elevator. Profuse, awkward apologies had ensued. It hadn't been pretty.

"Hey... How's the leg?" Reno asked.

"... Sore," he replied, easing into his chair and setting the damned crutches aside. "And I hate these things."

The redhead snickered. "Could be worse. They coulda put you on _full_ restriction instead of just chainin' you to your desk for a week."

"Sounds like a nice vacation," Rude replied, and the other rookie snorted.

"Sounds like torture to _me_."

Rude shook his head and laughed. "That's just because you're part hyperactive squirrel. Most people _enjoy_ having time off to sit around relaxing at home."

Reno flipped him off, but silently grinned before returning to his perusal of the morning's memos.

"There's such a thing as _too_ much time off, pal," he said a couple of seconds later. "Tch... _I_ might as well not have even been here all week. Other than yesterday, I haven't done jack shit since Veld grounded me."

"Naughty baby Turklings need to be punished," a voice teased from the doorway, and Rude saw his friend roll his eyes before turning in his chair.

"Who fuckin' invited _you_ into this conversation?" he replied. Kai laughed and stepped more fully into their office. She walked over to him and ruffled his hair, and in response Reno smacked her hand away and glared. "Quit it."

"Well, _someone's_ certainly grumpy this morning..." she snickered, "In _any_ case, I'm here to inform you that you're officially allowed back into the morning briefing. And that you're working with _me_ today. Don't know if anyone told you, but one of those bastards from the attack actually managed to survive. He's been stewing in lockup all night, so... we have an interrogation to see to."

"I-I'm not stuck fuckin' around, doin' nothin' all day anymore?" Reno replied a hopeful look in his eyes.

"That's what Veld says," Kai shrugged, and turned to go. "See ya in a few."

"Oh, _thank_ Ifrit..." the redhead breathed once the two rookies were alone again. "I don't think I'da been able to take much more of that."

Rude shook his head, laughing quietly to himself. His friend really _was_ a walking contradiction sometimes. Reno _loved_ being lazy... but apparently only when it was on his own terms. If he was _forced_ to do nothing, he damn near lost his mind.

"Don't act so surprised," he said, "Veld would have an awful lot of explaining to do to the rest of the team if he kept you sidelined after yesterday."

"Why?" Reno asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

Rude looked up incredulously. "... Because you _kind of_ saved our collective asses? That attack took us _all_ completely by surprise. Even _Tres_ hadn't heard any rumors beforehand... which he's not happy about, by the way. And while Cissnei and I were still trying to figure out what the _hell_ was going on, you'd already called in reinforcements and come up with a plan of attack."

The redhead just shrugged.

"I don't see what the big deal is. That's our job."

Rude had to resist the urge to facepalm. "Are you serious? Yesterday _morning_ you kept telling me how you were a complete screw up. Today, you're writing off stopping a surprise Wutaiian attack dead in its tracks as just doing your job?"

Reno shrugged again. "I guess it just doesn't feel like one good day evens things out for all the shit I fuck up. I dunno... maybe I'm bein' –"

"Where's _Tseng_?" a petulant voice interrupted and Rude jumped slightly.

"Tch... Mornin' to you, too, sir..." the redhead replied. Rufus scowled and slammed the door behind him.

"I want a new escort. Immediately," he demanded.

One of Rude's eyebrows rose slightly behind dark lenses, but he kept quiet. Rufus seemed to be in a decidedly foul mood this morning. Tres had warned him on multiple occasions that the Shinra heir could be a bit... unpredictable. In a way, he was rather glad he'd never had cause to interact with him much.

"So why are you tellin' _me_?" Reno queried, confused.

"Because I can't seem to locate either your mentor _or_ your accursed _leader_ at the moment, and I haven't time to sit around waiting for them to return. _You_ can deliver the message. It's simple enough that even _your_ feeble brain should be able to repeat it accurately. I _want_. A _new_. _Escort_."

The rookie shrugged.

"Yes, sir. I'll tell him."

"Hmph!" the vice president snorted contemptuously before turning on his heel and storming back the way he'd come. Once he was gone, Rude finally deemed it safe to breathe again.

"What d'ya s'pose Rodney did to piss _him_ off?" Reno mused.

Now it was Rude's turn to shrug. Whatever it was, the executive was less than pleased. Frankly, Rude was just glad it wasn't him who had to deal with the man. Still... while Rodney could certainly be abrasive at times and had a tendency to run his mouth, but he knew better than to step out of line with the higher ups. He was having a hard time imagining the other rookie angering Rufus to the extent that a formal request for a replacement was made.

He could easily see _Reno_ doing so without even realizing it... but Rodney? He was always professional when he was working. Maybe not so much when it was just him and the other Turks, but in the field? Always.

And it piqued his curiosity.

* * *

Reno grinned widely as he claimed a seat in the briefing room and leaned back. _Finally_. He'd felt so utterly useless since the unfortunate incident with Director Faine, and he was only too happy to get back to work. He didn't know if this meant that he was off Veld's shitlist, or if the Turk leader had simply decided that continuing to punish him was a waste of resources... but he'd take what he could get.

Shay took a seat next to him while Rude was talking to Tres.

"I hear you were the star of the show yesterday," he said with a slight smile. The redhead rolled his eyes.

"Ya know, there were _three_ of us there, Shay..." he pointed out, which just seemed to make Shay's grin widen.

"Oh, I know. Who do you think I heard it from?" Reno blinked in surprised, but the senior Turk was already on to the next subject. "Kai said you're going to help her with the interrogation."

"Yeah... guess so."

"Can I offer you some advice?"

"Sure..."

"Be ready for anything. I'd wager good money it's not going to be a standard interrogation," Shay replied. "Times like this, information is paramount and we do whatever it takes to get it. _Whatever_ it takes. Our... guest... probably won't be leaving headquarters alive by the time Kai's finally through with him."

Reno swallowed sharply. The idea that the Turks occasionally tortured subjects for information wasn't foreign to him by any means. He knew it happened. He'd just never sat in on it before. The redhead glanced over at Kai, who was casually chatting with Luca and Sato on the other side of the room, and wondered just what he was in store for. Kai was a little... nuts... sometimes. And given her fondness for blades, he shuddered slightly as he considered the possibilities.

Blood didn't really bother him. Not really. Well... maybe a _little_ , when it was coming out of a person rather than, say, a cripshay or some other small vermin. But he could deal with it if he had to. Outright torture, though... he wasn't quite sure _how_ he'd react to seeing that. He had no particular desire to find out, but knew that thinking he'd never be in a situation like that was hopelessly naïve. He'd known he'd be expected to do it eventually... he just hadn't expected it to be today.

He didn't have much time to think about it, however, as almost as soon as the words had left Shay's mouth, Veld arrived. Tseng and Remy, however, were nowhere to be seen, even through everyone else now appeared to be accounted for. The Turk leader called his Turks to order.

"Sato. Anything to report on Fuhito's new recruit?" he began without preamble.

"Nothin' I can confirm," the senior Turk replied sourly. "But I'd bet my last beer he was responsible fer the bomb that went off over in Four yesterday. Had a wee peek at what was left. Definitely looks like Istev's style. Fucker's disappeared on me, though. If Tres can spare his mini-me fer the day, I could use a hand trackin' him down."

"Rude's on restricted duty," Tres grunted from the other side of the room... and Reno had to bite down hard on his lower lip to hold back his laughter at the term 'mini-me'. Tres and Rude couldn't have physically looked more different if they tried – particularly given the distinctive tribal tattoo down the side of the older Turk's face and the complete lack of hair on Rude's part – and yet it was disturbingly apt...

"I know _that,_ yeh pain in the arse. I'm not plannin' on havin' 'im chase the bastard through Midgar fer me. Don't need him ta do the leg work. Just the diggin' in the archives."

Rude glanced over at his mentor who, after a very brief consideration, nodded his consent.

"Find him. Eliminate him," Veld intoned, before turning to Kai, "I assume you and Reno are prepared for your interrogation?"

"Yes, sir," she replied, "Our... _new friend_... is already downstairs with Remy, under heavy guard."

Veld nodded, and the redhead heard an annoyed scoff from somewhere to his left. He was sure it had come from Rodney... probably upset that _he_ didn't get picked to assist in such an important interrogation. Reno was almost tempted to offer to trade with him. Whatever assignment _he_ got, it had to be better than that...

"Rodney, you're still with the Vice President," Veld stated.

Okay... maybe he _wasn't_ so eager to trade. Reno spared himself a brief moment to indulge in the look of dismay that came over the other rookie's face before tentatively drawing Veld's attention.

"Um... sir? _About_ that..." he broke in, and the Turk leader eyed him, irritated by the interruption. "Rufus stopped by headquarters right before the meeting and told me to give either you or Tseng a message. He wants a new escort."

He could practically _feel_ Rodney's eyes glaring a hole in the back of his skull at that pronouncement... and he wasn't ashamed to admit that he relished it slightly. It was nice to give the asshole a taste of his own medicine for once.

Veld groaned and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Of _course_ , he does," he muttered. "Fine. Cissnei, he's all yours. Rodney will take your place on escort duty for the other executives."

"Yes, sir," Cissnei replied, and Reno thought she sounded relieved. Not that he could blame her. Rufus might have been annoying as all fuck sometimes, but stand-by escort duty wasn't exactly the most thrilling of assignments... especially when the people you were supposed to escort were, by and large, too terrified to leave the building. At least with Rufus, you could count on him to provide you with _something_ to do besides stand around all day with your thumb up your ass.

"As for the rest of you... there's plenty on the to-do list here at home, but I _do_ need a volunteer to pay a visit to Nibelheim. Hojo has expressed some concern about his personnel there."

Tres snorted in contempt. "You mean he's worried about some of his precious 'specimens'. That asshole doesn't give two shits 'bout the _people_ he's got workin' for him."

"A volunteer to go to Nibelheim and retrieve sensitive research material and personnel," Veld reiterated, ignoring the second interruption of the day.

"I'll do it," Luca piped up.

"Alright. Everyone... get to it," Veld replied, dismissing them.

"Come on, Turkling. We've got a prisoner to interrogate."

"Uh... yeah, I'm comin'. Gimme one sec," he replied. Kai huffed and tapped her foot impatiently as Reno made his way over to the Turk leader.

"Sir? Er... Where's Tseng?" he asked.

"In Junon. He left early this morning," Veld said, "and he'll be gone for the foreseeable future."

"Sir?" Kai queried, having been unabashedly eavesdropping on the conversation. Veld sighed.

"There may or may not have been a disappearance. No one seems quite sure at the moment. Given the confusion, I thought it best to send someone immediately rather than hold off until a formal request was made. And base security is a bit more... cooperative... with Tseng than some of the other Turks. He was the best choice."

Kai snickered softly. "You mean Viridia'll do just about anything for the man she's hooking up with, which makes getting a straight answer out of those Junon assholes a lot easier..."

"I _believe_ that's what I just _said_ ," Veld replied, with a nearly imperceptible smirk, "Now get to work. I want to know what our prisoner downstairs knows."

"We're on it, sir," she said, grabbing the rookie by the shoulder and guiding him out. She shook her head as they walked towards the elevator. "Figures... Tseng gets a nice long date with little miss military, and I get to spend my day with an angry Wutaiian merc."

"Jealous much?" Reno teased.

"Well, of _course_ I'm jealous," Kai replied with a wink, "Viridia is totally my type."

"Thought you preferred blondes..." he replied, straight-faced, and Kai laughed.

"Oh, believe me... if I thought I had a cripshay's chance in hell, I'd make an exception for _her_ ," she said with an over-dramatic sigh, "But... she's only got eyes for Tseng."

Reno eyed her for a moment as they stepped into the elevator. She burst into laughter under his scrutiny, and the redhead rolled his eyes.

"... You're totally fuckin' with me, aren't you?"

She reached out and ruffled his hair.

"Of _course_ I'm just fucking with you, baby Turkling," she chuckled, "Learned my lesson about dating military the hard way. _Never_ again."

"There is somethin' _really_ wrong with you, Kai," Reno stated, shaking his head.

"Mmm... I've never denied _that_. I just wanted to lighten the mood a little. This isn't going to be a fun assignment. But... it's gotta be done, and Veld put us on it. Hate to be _him_ when Tseng finds out about this, though."

"What'dya mean?"

Kai's grin widened. "Oh, nothing. Just that he's not going to be happy to come home and find you permanently traumatized."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Reno deadpanned. Kai reached for his hair again, and he ducked away from her hand as the elevator chimed, announcing their arrival in the sub-basement. "Seriously, Kai... quit _pettin'_ me. It's fuckin' annoying."

She sighed shook her head slightly and gestured for him to get out. Reno strode out of the elevator car ahead of her... only to have her hand gently fluff the wild strands of hair on top of his head the moment his back was turned. He growled softly, but before he could say anything else, Remy appeared from around the corner, holding a small case in one hand.

"I think he's ready for you," she said, holding it out to Kai, "He's started shouting at the empty room, demanding that we release him."

"Perfect," she said, taking the case and opening it just enough to take a peek inside. "Com'ere, baby Turkling. Let's get you equipped."

Reno peered inside as well, and frowned at what he saw, not sure what the hell he was looking at. It was a tiny, rubbery ring, with a small metal piece attached on one side. There were two of them in the box.

"The fuck _is_ it?" he asked, as Kai snapped the case shut again. Remy escorted the pair of them into a room down the hall. One wall was a huge one-way mirror looking into the next room over. Facing it was a long table with a few metal chairs, a speaker, and an open dossier on the subject in the next room; a young Wutaiian man, who was presently shackled to a chair in the center of that room, eyes wide, screaming soundlessly at the glass.

"They're in-ear receivers," Remy explained, "He'll likely switch over to Wutaiian at some point... I'll be in here, translating for you when he does."

"Sit down and tilt your head, kiddo," Kai said, grinning as she plucked one of the devices out of the case with a long pair of tweezers.

"Uhh... 'kay..." the redhead managed, somewhat nervously, not entirely sure he was totally on board with the idea of Kai sticking something sharp and pointy into _any_ of his various orifices. But he took a seat, and leaned his head to one side anyway. His eye twitched slightly as she slid it in, far deeper than he'd expected it to go. It didn't hurt... but it certainly felt strange. He could feel the rubbery part pressing gently against his ear canal and a second later, he flinched at the short burst of static the thing emitted when Remy switched it on.

"How does it sound?" she asked, and Reno blinked as he heard her words echoed through the receiver.

"Like I got voices in my head," he replied. Remy clamped down on a laugh and took the case back from Kai.

"Your turn."

The process was repeated, and soon, the pair of them could both hear Remy's voice speaking to them at a volume only they would be able to hear.

"Shall we get started?" she queried.

Kai's mood quickly turned serious, and she nodded.

~end chapter 75~


	76. Witness to Torture

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 76: Witness to Torture**

 **by Desha**

"You know... normally, I'd be glad to see you."

Tseng paused in his bid for the administration building at the sound of a familiar voice, and turned to see Viridia mere steps away from him and approaching fast.

"You're _not_ glad to see me?" he queried.

"At the moment... no. Because if the Turks are getting involved, it means we've got a real problem here." She continued walking, and he quickly fell into step beside her.

"I take it, then, that the suspicion the captain is missing is more than mere suspicion at this point?"

Viridia nodded. "I've had security up all night searching this base from top to bottom, and then from bottom to top. We've been scouring Lower Junon, the shoreline, the forest... thus far, there's been no trace of him. Tseng... he has top level security access to virtually everything on base. Weapons, computers, the reactor... We're changing access codes left and right, per protocol, and increasing patrols and security checkpoints, but it goes beyond just a major security breach for Junon. He knows our battle strategies, infrastructure, defense capabilities, details of classified orders, troop positions in and around Wutai, and more. Information that could cripple any number of Shinra operations..."

"Wutai isn't playing around. They know they have no chance in an offensive war. They're hoping to sabotage us. Weaken us. Did you hear about the attack in Midgar yesterday?"

"Only bits and pieces," she replied, "It was a surprise attack on a civilian event, wasn't it?"

"Yes... it was. And had three of my Turks not happened, by pure chance, to be there to sound the alarm and slow them down until Shinra troops could arrive, it would have been _far_ worse than it ended up being. It was sheer luck that we found out about it almost as soon as it began and were able to mobilize as quickly as we did."

Viridia shook her head. "When the enemy is stronger than you, you focus your attacks at his weakest points. Something tells me this war isn't going to be as easy to win as the President seems to think it is. Wutai has no intention of facing Shinra head on, and never did. They'll sneak around in the shadows, chipping away at us bit by bit until they've evened the odds... or until they've done enough damage that pursuing this is no longer worth it to Shinra."

They entered the administration building and Viridia led him over to the elevators, pressing the button for the security offices, and sighed.

"I'm so caught up in everything that's happened in the last twelve hours I haven't even asked..." she said, "How have _you_ been?"

"... Well enough," Tseng replied.

"Tseng... don't lie to me."

The Turk gave her a small, self-deprecating chuckle. "I'm... _coping_. It's been eventful enough lately to keep my mind occupied with thoughts of other things most of the time."

"And when it's not?" she pointedly asked.

"As I said... I'm coping. I'm under no illusion that I've come to terms with the loss of my sister or my role in it."

"And what about staying with the Turks?"

"For now... all I know is that I desperately need them. They're my family. Indefinitely, however... as Veld recently told me, know one is certain what the future holds."

* * *

Kai firmly shut the door behind her, leaving Remy on her own in the observation room. She turned to Reno, a serious expression on her face.

"Look, kiddo... Fair warning. Things are probably going to get pretty ugly."

The redhead swallowed somewhat nervously and nodded. "Yeah... I kinda figured. Um... w-what exactly should _I_ be doin' in there?"

"Observing. Analyzing. And most importantly, watching my back," the senior Turk replied. "Not that he's likely to get loose, but this guy and his pals were out there gunning down unarmed civilians yesterday. Doubt he'd hesitate to try taking out a Turk, given half a chance. Weapons?"

"Yeah, yeah... I'm armed," he replied, and then at her pointed stare quickly added, " _With_ a gun. My EMR got fried in the attack, anyway. Haven't had a chance to see about fixin' it yet."

"Good Turkling," she chuckled, "And you'd better not pull any of that shooting the hostage bullshit like you did during Hell Week."

Reno managed a smirk in spite of his growing anxiety. "Don't get taken hostage 'n I won't have to shoot you," he returned.

 _'For Leviathan's sake, are the two of you planning on starting this interrogation some time_ _ **today**_ _?'_ Remy's disembodied voice suddenly chided in his ear, and Reno yelped in surprise... much to the amusement of Kai. She snickered at him and then scanned her ID to open the door to the observation room and stuck her head in.

"Keep you panties on, Remy. I'm just making sure my baby Turkling doesn't do anything stupid in there."

He heard a soft, impatient sigh over his earpiece, but the other Turk didn't say anything further as Kai shut the door again and guided the rookie over to the other room.

"For the record... I know it looks like we're alone down here, but there are guards – members of the Shinra army, not building security – stationed at strategic intervals, and Remy's going to be notifying them that we're starting. If he _does_ manage to get loose, he's not going very far. Which means that, in the unlikely event something _does_ go wrong, don't take off after him. If Remy tells them he's escaped, they're under orders to shoot anything that moves. And they _will_. With extreme prejudice. Got it?"

Reno nodded. "Got it."

"And don't just stand there like an idiot the whole time, either. You're smart. You're _damned_ smart. Something occurs to you, say so. You wanna know something I'm not asking about, ask the son of a bitch yourself."

The redhead blinked in surprise, not having expected to be told to actually take _part_ in this interrogation. Kai snickered.

"Nothing like getting tossed into the deep end and being told to sink or swim, eh, Baby Turkling?"

She scanned her ID a second time and the lock disengaged. Pushing the door open, angry shouts greeted them, as their prisoner loudly demanded he be released. A moment later Reno was following Kai inside. The man glared at them with what Reno could only describe as a look of pure hatred.

"You'll get nothing from me, Shinra _scum_!" he spat at them. Kai calmly drifted over to where he was shackled and he lunged at her, but the bonds held him fast in the chair. The senior Turk didn't so much as flinch. A split second later, she'd drawn a knife – from where, Reno wasn't sure. It seemed to appear in her hand as if by magic. She drove it through the prisoner's right hand and into the wooden arm of the chair, eliciting a howl of pain that sent a chill down the redhead's spine.

"We'll just see about _that_ ," she said, coldly, and yanked the blade back. It was accompanied by a brief fountain of blood and a stream Wutaiian that Reno had no need for Remy to translate for him.

* * *

It was nearly lunch time. Sato had finally dismissed Rude after the injured Turk had come across some information that had given him a new lead on the bomber, Istev. He'd disappeared about half an hour ago to follow up on it.

Rude wished he could have gone with him. Being stuck on crutches sucked... though at least he wasn't feeling _completely_ useless. One of the benefits of working in intelligence. There was plenty to be done that didn't require being one-hundred percent mobile. He eyed the screen in front of him and flicked the joystick on his controller with his thumb, watching as the image shifted, taking the view around the corner.

And since he _wasn't_ , in fact, one-hundred percent mobile at the moment, he was taking the opportunity to familiarize himself with the old surveillance drone Tres had given him... now that the controller had finally been located. He was largely just running the insectoid-looking machine around the halls of Turk headquarters, learning how to steer it, control its camera, and so on. It was an incredibly ancient and clunky piece of machinery by current standards, but interesting, none the less. The newer models ran smoother and quieter – and were a _lot_ lighter – from what Tres had told him... but they cost the company quite a bit of money to build. In his mentor's own words, Tres 'wasn't about to hand the keys to a sports car over to a beginner for a joyride'.

That was fine with Rude. He was having a blast with this thing.

The battery alert on the controller lit up, signaling that the drone needed to recharge, and he began guiding it back towards his office. Along the way, the camera zeroed in on a familiar figure emerging from the elevator, and he grinned, steering it straight towards her.

Cissnei let out a startled gasp as it surprised her by scuttling out in front of her, and stared at it in confusion for a moment before laughing quietly and bending down to pat it on the 'head'.

"Aww... Who's a nice little drone?" she giggled. Rude snickered softly and nudged the joystick forward, causing the robot to skitter off, back towards his office. A few moments later, it shuffled through the door and over to him.

"Having fun?" Cissnei asked as he was reaching down to plug it into its charger. The other rookie looked up a bit awkwardly, not having expected her to follow it back to him.

"... Just practicing," he replied, and gestured to his leg, "Can't exactly hit the training hall right now."

"Well, it certainly looks like you're having fun to _me_ ," she teased, smiling warmly, "Um... at the risk of tempting fate, given how things went the _last_ time I asked... Do you want to join me for lunch?"

"I _was_ waiting for Reno..." Rude said. He glanced over at the clock. Kai and the redhead seemed to be taking their sweet time with this interrogation, and he _was_ getting hungry. "... but I think he's going to be busy for awhile yet. Sure. Let's go."

He hoisted himself out of his chair and grabbed his crutches from against the wall. The pair made their way down the hallway and back to the elevator.

"... How are things going with Rufus?" Rude asked as the car began its decent to the cafeteria. Cissnei laughed quietly.

"You know... I _really_ don't know why all you guys make him out to be just awful. He's been perfectly fine for _me_ all morning. Maybe a little cold, but not outright terrible. Seriously... from the stories I keep hearing, I half expected him to start behaving like a screaming toddler the moment I stepped into his office."

Rude shrugged. "I haven't worked with him much, either, so all I know about him is what the others have told me. Reno calls him a dick most of the time, but I don't think he really _dislikes_ the guy. And Tseng is actually _good_ friends with him. So... I don't know."

The elevator chimed and they stepped out into the hallway and headed for the cafeteria. A line was already forming, and they hurried to join it.

"Well, _Rodney_ apparently hates him," she snickered. "I can't get him to tell me why, though. Every time I ask, he gets this embarrassed look on his face and changes the subject."

The line moved surprisingly fast, and Cissnei picked up both of their trays, carrying them over to the Turks' usual table while Rude hobbled after her. He wondered just what had happened with Rodney and Rufus. Judging by the way Rufus had stormed into their office that morning, the vice president wasn't exactly thrilled with the rookie Turk any more than Rodney liked _him_. He was _definitely_ going to have to look into this further.

The pair took their seats, and Rude started in on his sandwich. He grimaced slightly at the dryness of the turkey inside of it, but at least it was palatable. He'd seen a lot worse come out of that kitchen.

"So, Rude... can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"The attack yesterday... I can't seem to stop thinking about it. I woke up _twice_ last night, after dreaming about it. Does it bother you, too?"

"... Yeah," he replied, "Don't think I've ever been that scared in my life." He paused for a moment before admitting, "I'm glad Reno was there... because I think _I_ froze for a minute or two. Didn't know _what_ the hell I was supposed to do..."

"Yeah..." Cissnei sighed, "I _kinda_ did, too. I mean... all those people running everywhere, and the explosion, and the screaming, and the shooting. It was just... I didn't know where to start! Everywhere I looked, someone needed help!" She took a small bite of her pasta and shook her head. "And ever since, I've been wondering... am I really _ready_ to be in the field yet? Or do I need more training?"

Rude snorted softly. "You're as bad as Reno..." he chuckled.

"... I'm... what?" she asked, puzzled.

"You don't even _want_ to know how many times I've heard _'I'm not good enough'_ from him... _and_ had to smack some sense into the idiot," he replied, grinning now.

"But... _he_ kicked _ass_ out there!" Cissnei protested. Rude shrugged.

"Sometimes he just doesn't see how good he really _is_. Gets real down on himself when he screws up, too... like he did with Director Faine."

"... I suppose I can relate," the other rookie said. "I've always been kind of a perfectionist myself. I _hate_ it when I can't seem to get something right on the first try."

"He's not really a perfectionist... he just had a really screwed up childhood. He doesn't like making things hard on other people," Rude replied, without thinking. He frowned and shook his head. "... But I shouldn't be talking about that. It's pretty personal. Don't think he'd appreciate it."

Cissnei nodded and took another bite. "Gotcha. Though I can kinda relate to _that_ too. My childhood was a little... er... _unconventional_. I'd bet a lot of people might call it 'screwed up'."

Rude raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and Cissnei giggled.

"I mean, I didn't like... grow up in a cult or anything like that. I was... raised by the company. By Shinra. Sort of. I've been a ward of Shinra Company since I was seven, so more than half my life."

He blinked, trying to process that information, and suddenly found himself wishing that he'd snuck a peek at her background file at some point. _Technically_ , he wasn't supposed to have access to them... he didn't yet have that level of clearance. But Tres could be a bit...er... forgiving... when it came to his protege doing everything strictly by the book... largely because knowing things he wasn't supposed to know was kind of in his job description. If there was a legitimate reason for it – or even a vaguely justifiable one – the senior Turk was unlikely to berate him for excessive snooping. It's what they did.

Thus far, he'd restrained himself out of respect for his fellow Turks' privacy. He only knew so much about Reno – beyond what the redhead had told him after they'd become friends – because he'd personally helped compile _his_ background file.

Cissnei suddenly giggled again, and Rude shook himself from his thoughts.

"So I guess you don't know everything about everyone _after_ all," she teased, and he blushed.

"... You were raised by Shinra?" he asked, recovering slightly.

"Well... in so much as the company has legal custody of me until I turn eighteen next month. I suppose, _technically_ , I was raised by my guardian. Who _works_ for Shinra... SOLDIER division. Basically the same arrangement Reno had with Tseng. See... my dad was in SOLDIER. And my mom... she was _training_ as a Turk recruit, but then, well... _I_ came along and I guess she decided that she wanted a safer career, since she was about to be a mom and all. So she went into military intelligence instead."

She looked down at her plate, with a sad expression. "Not safe enough, as it turned out. It's a long story and I'd rather not get into it... The short version is that, when they died, I didn't really have any living family I could go to, but the Director of SOLDIER... the one before Faine... he'd known my dad since he was little. He made sure I'd be taken care of."

"That's –"

"Hey, Cissy... Enjoying babysitting duty?" Rodney abruptly cut in, a smirk firmly plastered on on his face. He sat down next to her, setting his lunch on the table. Cissnei glowered at him.

" _Stop_ calling me that. And hasn't anyone ever told you it's impolite to interrupt someone else's conversation?"

"Well, if you're in this good a mood, I guess I have my answer," he snickered. The other rookie rolled her eyes.

" _Actually_ , I should be thanking you. Being assigned to Rufus is _loads_ more interesting than being a stand-by escort all day. At least I get to do something once in awhile. Are you having fun sitting around doing nothing?"

"Better than having to put up with that spoiled little shit of a vice president all day. Come on, Rude. You must've spent some time with him. Back me up here. Rufus is a nightmare."

"..." Before Rude could say much of anything in response, Cissnei was laughing.

"A 'nightmare'? Oh, _come_ on, Rod... He's been perfectly civil to _me_. To be honest, I can't for the life of me figure out why you have such an issue with him. What happened that was so terrible?"

"None of your damn business," Rodney scowled, and shoved an bite of pot roast in his mouth. After a moment, Rude suddenly realized that he was sulking. He could venture a guess as to why. Rodney prided himself on being the best. The best in his class in the recruiting program. The best materia user among the rookies. The best marksman of the four of them... But apparently he _wasn't_ the best when it came to diplomacy. And he was irked that Rufus got along with Cissnei and not him.

Cissnei seemed to pick up on that as well, and hid her smirk behind her apple.

"So..." she said, changing the subject, "Any sign of Kai and Reno yet? They were still downstairs when Rude and I left. What could be taking so long?"

"Hmph... how should _I_ know? _I_ didn't get picked to take part. Again," Rodney muttered, petulantly.

"Ugh..." Cissnei groaned in exasperation, "Are you _still_ on about that? Of _course_ Reno's going to be picked over us for assignments like this. He's been a _Turk_ longer. He has seniority."

"Hmph... sure. Technically. But you and I have been training at _least_ as long as he has, if not longer. And it probably doesn't hurt that he's Tseng's personal hand-picked rookie," he shot back. He glanced over at the other rookie, "And as far as that goes, _Rude_ has seniority on _all_ of us. Why didn't Veld send _him_ with Kai?"

"... Might have something to do with me taking a bullet to the leg yesterday," Rude pointed out and Cissnei snickered.

"Rodney... just admit it. You're jealous."

The rookie choked violently on the bite he'd just taken and spent the next several seconds coughing spastically while the other two looked on in amusement.

" _Jealous_?" he finally managed, "Of _Reno_? Oh, please. What in Hades' name do I have to be jealous of _there_?"

"Would you like a list?" Cissnei asked, smiling sweetly. Rodney glared at her, and then gathered his half-eaten lunch, stood up, and stormed off. Cissnei rolled her eyes and turned back to Rude. "Sorry about that... Normally, I just humor him when he gets like this, but he's been such an ass lately. He thinks he's _so much better_ than Reno just because he didn't go through recruitment like we did. Ugh..."

Rude smiled slightly.

"... I think Reno'd really appreciate you standing up for him like that."

In fact, he was sure of it. _Rude_ certainly did.

* * *

Reno watched in silence as two men in Shinra army uniforms carted off a stretcher, its formerly white covering stained a deep crimson in several places. Kai stood next to him, her face a mask of dispassionate apathy. He repressed the urge to shudder.

He'd known it wasn't going to be pleasant, but dear Ifrit...

The man had lasted a lot longer than Reno would have, he was _certain_ of that. If someone had done to him even a handful of the things Kai had done to their prisoner, he'd have told them _anything_ just to make it stop. Hell, he'd have made shit up, if he had to.

His eyes fell on the chair in the center of the room. The steel shackles hung from the arms, their gleaming metal coated in sticky red. It was still dripping into the pool on the floor, and he was slightly amazed by just how much blood their was.

This time, went the urge came, he couldn't stop the shudder of revulsion. He didn't bother to try. Shortly after the body had disappeared down one of the long hallways, Remy joined them.

"I'm surprised he lasted so long," she commented. "The younger ones typically break much faster than that. A pity he knew so little, but I think what he _did_ tell us will be useful, none the less."

"They must be keeping things compartmentalized. Anyone we pick up is only going to know what they absolutely _need_ to know," said Kai, and Remy nodded.

"Then we'll have to see about capturing someone who needs to know a bit more than _he_ did."

"So... Who's up for lunch?" Kai asked. Reno felt his stomach turn, and swallowed hard against the bile that was rising in the back of his throat. How the _fuck_ could she want to eat after _that_? _He_ wasn't sure he ever wanted to eat again.

Remy snickered. "Your interrogation. Your cleanup," she replied, nodding to the mess in the room.

"Hmph... What do you think I brought the rookie for?" the other Turk answered, grinning. The redhead's eyes widened and he suddenly felt faint. A soft groan escaped his lips, unbidden and the next thing he knew, Remy was holding him by the shoulders, steadying him. She frowned deeply at Kai.

"That's not funny. Clean this up. Reno and I will handle the transcription."

If Kai answered her, Reno didn't hear it. He was too busy trying to keep his stomach's contents inside his stomach. He was swiftly escorted out the door, leaving her behind. He simply let Remy guide him, not particularly caring where she was taking him as long as it was away from... _that_. He found himself in another room... this one occupied by a long conference table and several leather-bound chairs. The senior Turk pressed him down into one.

"Lean forward," she said, without preamble, "Head down, between your knees, and take a few deep breaths."

Gentle pressure between his shoulder blades encouraged him to follow her instructions. He pulled in several shuddering breaths while her hand rubbed slow circles on his back. He wasn't sure how long he sat like that, but eventually, the disgusted, nauseated feeling began to subside and his breathing evened out.

"Better?" Remy asked and he managed a nod. "Ugh... sometimes I _swear_ Kai has no recollection whatsoever of what it was like to be a rookie herself."

"You sure she doesn't just get off on _tormentin'_ us rookies?" he asked, voice still somewhat shaky as he looked up. The senior Turk chuckled softly.

"Well... there's that, too, I suppose. Are you alright?"

"Tch... other that havin' that shit haunt me in my sleep for the next few nights? Never better." He slowly sat up, and when he was confident he wasn't going to spew whatever might remain of his breakfast all over her, he turned his gaze on Remy and fixed her with a curious expression. "... Just... _Why_?"

The senior Turk sighed. "Sometimes the information is more important than the person who possesses it. It's seldom pleasant, and it takes a very skilled hand to extract that information. Too little, and you learn nothing. Too much and you risk killing the prisoner before he says anything useful, or tainting what _is_ given up with their own desperation for it to end. Kai is one of our best when it comes to walking that line."

Reno swallowed sharply. "I don't think I'd ever be able to do that to someone..."

Remy stood up and smiled slightly. "Perhaps not. No matter what the rumors about us may say, not every Turk has the stomach for torture. Though one should never say never. You're still young and relatively inexperienced. You don't yet know _what_ you'll eventually be capable of."

The rookie couldn't help but wonder if that was supposed to be comforting or not. Some of what Kai had done to that man was... monstrous. He wasn't sure he ever wanted to find out if he was 'capable' of doing that. Because he wasn't quite sure what that would make him.

"Come on," said Remy, "Let's get back upstairs. Veld will be wanting a full report on everything we learned... even if it wasn't much."

His legs still felt weak as he stood and followed her down the hall to the elevator. He pointedly avoided looking at the door to the interrogation room, even though it was closed. The knowledge of what was behind that door was already seared into his mind. He didn't need any reminders.

The two Turks boarded the elevator and Remy turned to press the button that would take them back to headquarters. Her hand froze midway to the panel and she hesitated a moment before turning back to him and pulling him into a tight embrace.

Reno relaxed into her, letting his cheek rest against her shoulder, nuzzling against the side of her neck. He could smell her perfume, and it was oddly calming. He was almost positive it was the same scent she'd been wearing the night he'd gone home with her... a far more enjoyable memory than what he'd just witnessed, and he let himself lose himself in it for a short while.

All too soon, though, it ended and Remy wordlessly released him after pressing a soft kiss against his forehead. She turned and pressed the button for the fifty-eighth floor.

* * *

Reno sat silently in his office, half-reading through the various memos that had arrived in his inbox since that morning but largely just thinking about what he'd witnessed earlier that day. He'd skipped out on lunch, not fully trusting his stomach quite yet. The other rookies had, apparently, gone on without him and then gone back to their respective assignments, because there was no sign of either Cissnei or Rodney in headquarters, and Rude was absent from their shared office and had been since the redhead had returned.

Remy had told him to take a break. That they'd tackle the transcription of the interrogation together after lunch. That had been almost an hour ago. He'd have to go meet up with her again soon, and frankly, he wasn't sure he was ready to hear the recording played back to him. He took a deep breath in through his mouth and slowly exhaled through his nose. It was one of the breathing exercises from his yoga class... and silly as felt doing it, he couldn't deny that it _did_ have a small calming effect. At the moment, he'd take whatever he could get.

A soft knock interrupted his rhythm, and he turn to see Kai hovering just outside the open door.

"Hey," she said, a note of hesitation in her voice.

"What's up?" the redhead asked, a bit leery of anything she might have for him to do at the moment. The senior Turk stepped inside. She sighed quietly.

"... I just wanted to make sure you were still upright. You looked pretty shellshocked when Remy took you back to headquarters," she replied. She paused awkwardly for a moment, "And... _maybe_ I should have been just a _little_ less flippant after we finished. You probably didn't need that."

"Ya think?" he snorted, and Kai snickered.

"So'd you puke?" she queried, taking a seat on the corner of his desk, "Because you _looked_ like you were gonna puke..."

"Tch... _no_ , I didn't puke," the rookie said with a roll of his eyes. She grinned slightly.

"That's my baby Turkling," she laughed, and reached for his hair. Reno made a vague sound of annoyance, but let her pet him. Kai's grin widened.

"Finally decide you like that?"

"Finally decided there's no point in tellin' you to cut it out when you're just gonna do it anyway," he muttered... though the protest was halfhearted. It actually wasn't _so_ bad, really. It did kind of _feel_ nice, even if it did make him look like a kid. He glanced up at her. "Hey... can I ask ya somethin'?"

Kai withdrew her hand and folded her arms over her chest. "About the interrogation?" she guessed, and Reno nodded somewhat awkwardly. "You want to know how a person gets to the point they can do something like that to another human being and still live with themselves, huh?"

The redhead opened his mouth to protest – that might have been what he was wondering, but it wasn't how he'd intended to phrase it – only to be cut off.

"Look, it's alright. I know. It's beyond fucked up, and you have to be a little fucked up to do it," said Kai, as she smirked, "And let's face it... I'm more than a little fucked up."

"Yeah, but..."

"Reno... We've all got darkness in us somewhere. Some of us are just more okay with letting it out once in awhile." She let her hand gently caress his cheek and slip under his chin, lifting his face to look at her. "You're still just a baby Turkling. You haven't seen enough yet to get to a place where you _want_ to hurt someone before they can hurt you or someone you care about. And honestly... I _hope_ you never do, but I'm not that naïve."

"... How'd _you_ get there?" he found himself asking, and Kai's face darkened.

"I lost someone... special. Bad intel, bad command decisions, bad luck, bad situation all around. After that... I _wanted_ the people responsible to suffer. And eventually, I wanted to make sure it never happened again, no matter what I had to do." The senior Turk shook her head and sighed. "This job changes you. It changes everyone eventually. And not _always_ for the better. Do me a favor, okay? Stay a baby Turkling awhile longer for me, huh?"

* * *

Viridia was far too thorough sometimes, Tseng mused as he read through the reports from the base's security office. He'd be joining the investigation personally once he was completely up to speed... though to be honest, there wasn't a whole lot he could do that Viridia hadn't already thought of and seen to hours ago. He'd placed a call to Veld to keep him advised of the situation, but beyond that... well, without a hostage or a ransom or a body, his role at present was mainly just observation. Everything that _could_ be investigated was already being investigated... and by people who knew Junon and the surrounding area far better than he did.

Light footsteps interrupted his reading, and a moment later a plate and a steaming cup of tea was set down on the desk in front of him. He glanced up from his reports.

"Lunch," said Viridia, "It's almost two and, given how early you arrived, I'm sure you haven't eaten all day."

"Any news?" he asked, obligingly reaching for the sandwich on the plate.

"Possibly. One of the search teams found a campsite near the foot of the mountains. I'm going up there to see if there's anything of interest."

"I'll join you," Tseng replied, setting his meal aside and getting to his feet. Viridia gently shoved him back into the chair.

"The transport doesn't leave for ten minutes. Eat. And in the meantime, I'll fill you in on what I know."

"Has anyone ever told you how insufferable you can be at times?"

Viridia snickered softly. "Constantly. You should hear what the new recruits say when they think I'm not listening... and I'm fairly sure I've heard it from _you_ on more than one occasion before now, as well," she teased.

"So long as you're aware," Tseng chuckled. He picked up his tea and sipped it. "Now... about this campsite."

"It was extremely well hidden. A search team passed it by entirely this morning. They only spotted it after climbing a low ridge. No one was there, but they report that someone _had_ been very recently. The remains of the campfire were still warm."

"I see..." he replied, and at her stern look reached for the sandwich again. He had to admit... he hadn't realized how hungry he'd been getting until there was food in front of him.

"Do you think we'll find him alive?" Viridia asked.

"The longer he's missing, the less likely that becomes, I'm afraid."

The security officer nodded in understanding. "Then hurry up and finish that. We've got a captain to find."

~end chapter 76~


	77. Prelude to Trouble

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 77: Prelude to Trouble**

 **by Desha**

The mid afternoon sun was unusually warm for this time of year. Certainly the summers near Junon could be sweltering, but they were still firmly in spring and would be for several more weeks yet. Tseng suspected that Viridia wasn't looking forward to the later months, if this was any indication of what was to come. She never _did_ like overly hot weather. For _him_ , however, it was nearly perfect.

Or would have been, had he been able to relax and enjoy it. Unfortunately he was on duty... which meant that he had to settle for merely not being uncomfortably chilled while he worked.

The campsite had been deep in the forest. They'd had to hike for nearly an hour to reach it, and the terrain, while not _overly_ difficult to navigate, hadn't exactly been a walk in the park. By the time they'd reached it, Tseng was beginning to wonder if the month he'd spent wandering about Wutai, and then holed up in Junon, had left him a bit out of shape.

The trees and brush surrounding him were thick. So thick that everything lay in shadow, even with the sun shining brightly above. The camp had been made in a small clearing, little more than a bedroll and a makeshift firepit, some discarded food wrappers, and a stack of collected kindling and dry wood.

Tseng was crouched beside the extinguished fire, holding a hand out over the charred logs. As Viridia had mentioned back at the base, he could feel the residual warmth still rising from it. It looked as though whomever had been here had rather hurriedly kicked some loose soil over it to put it out. Perhaps indicating a hasty exit. It was possible that they'd heard the search teams from Junon making their way through the woods and left before the camp could be located.

A burnt scrap of paper caught his eye and he fished it out of the pit, carefully smoothing it out as best he could. There wasn't much to it... but in a corner that was only scorched rather than blackened, he could make out familiar characters. Wutaiian characters. It was largely illegible, but the note _seemed_ to say something about Lower Junon and the elevator to the base. He frowned slightly, wondering if they'd been bold enough to enter via what was essentially the front door... and if so, why the base's security hadn't stopped them, or even remembered seeing them. The elevator was _always_ guarded.

Of course... there was always the possibility of a traitor. Viridia wouldn't like to hear that, but it was something he'd have to bring up with her when they compared notes later.

At last, he stood and moved on to the next item of interest. Junon personnel had specifically been told to avoid disturbing the site before their superiors arrived, but he could clearly see where they'd trampled through haphazardly at one point. A jumble of heavy boot prints marred one entire end of the camp, virtually obliterating any trail that might have been left there. He shook his head and moved past the minor destruction, slipping out of the clearing and into the forest.

He half-wished he'd thought to contact Midgar and request that Kai join him in the field. This was more her area of expertise. The woman had an eye for spotting what most people would miss in a patch of dirt. She could track prey – be it animal or human – for miles if necessary. Tseng, meanwhile, was left to meander around in the trees, hoping to stumble upon what Kai would likely have seen in mere moments.

Today, however, it seemed that fortune favored him... because after several yards he came across something that was most certainly out of place. It glinted in a patch of sun that had made its way through the canopy. He stooped down and retrieved it, brushing aside some of the soil it had been resting in. The lighter was decently heavy, and of fairly good quality. It was engraved with the familiar pattern of a double-headed dragon... a rather iconic subject of Wutaiian folklore, and an image that had been extremely popular in the village closest to his family's estate when he was a boy. He himself had once built a kite bearing the design, which he'd been quite proud of.

He resolutely forced himself _not_ to recall that he'd made said kite for his sister.

Instead, he flicked the lighter open and tried to strike a flame. It flared brightly on the first try and he snapped it shut again. Besides the design, it didn't seem to hold any other clue to its owner's identity. There were no initials. No personalizations. He tucked it into a pocket and drew his weapon before moving on. He doubted the former owner had stuck around to watch the Junon troops pay his campsite a visit... but it never hurt to be cautious.

Now that he knew someone had come this way at some point, his eyes scanned the forest floor intently, looking for further signs of their passage. Eventually, he was able to make out the faint outline of a footprint. And then another. Soon, he was following the trail. After some distance, the trees began to thin slightly and ahead of him, he saw a figure.

His first instinct was the drop down, out of sight, before he was spotted. Hidden behind the brush, he watched the figure for a moment and it didn't take him long to realize who it was. With a grimace he stood up and lowed his gun, making his way over to the body.

Captain Alfonso del Mar. Formerly the commanding officer in charge of the entirety of the Junon military base... now _very_ dead.

He'd been stripped to the waist and lashed to a tree, arms stretched out around its trunk in a painful embrace and tied in place with what looked to be leather cord. He'd clearly been either whipped or caned. Deep welts that had stopped bleeding some time ago when blood flow had ceased littered his back and arms. Judging by the various bruises that dotted other areas of the body, he'd likely been beaten as well. Tortured. But as he looked closer, he could see that those injuries had not caused his death. No... _that_ was undoubtedly the result of having his throat unceremoniously cut.

He'd clearly been dead for quite some time. Long before the teams from Junon had found the camp... possibly before they'd even begun their search of the forest. It hadn't been a swift kill to cover their tracks before making a hasty retreat to avoid being caught. They'd taken their time, gotten what they'd come for, and then disposed of the man.

With an aggravated sigh, he turned back in the direction he'd come from and raised his fingers to his lips, letting out a sharp, piercing whistle that cut through the still air of the forest. It wasn't long before his summons had the desired effect. Viridia and two of her men appeared from thick foliage, making their way towards him. The security chief took one look at his discovery and shook her head.

" _Dammit_. Alright... get him down from there," she said to one of the infantrymen. "And contact base. Tell them that we've found the captain. Have them recall all search teams."

* * *

Remy paused the recording and Reno groaned, flexing his fingers.

"... Okay, not that I'm questionin' orders or anything here but... why in the _fuck_ are you havin' me hand write this shit? You know how bad my handwriting is... we'll be lucky if anyone can even read it by the time I'm done."

"Because you need the practice. You're right... I know _exactly_ how awful your handwriting is. It's almost as bad as your cooking," the senior Turk replied, smirking slightly.

Reno snickered quietly. "Please. You've never even _eaten_ my cooking."

"No... but I've been apprised of the aftermath."

"Tch... ya poison _one_ Turk and no one ever lets ya forget it..." he grumbled in mock aggravation, but then turned to her, grinning. "Ya know, everyone's pretty much convinced I'm hopeless in the kitchen. Maybe I'm just hopeless at this, too. Why bother?"

"Because we can at least _attempt_ to improve your penmanship through vigorous practice and correction _without_ endangering lives. Attempting to improve your culinary skills might prove dangerous to all involved," Remy replied with an amused smile, "Your mentor may not be so inclined to place priority upon dealing with it, but frankly, it irritates the hell out of _me_."

"Ya know... if it it weren't legitimately so bad that _I_ can't read half of it, I think might be insulted right now..." The senior Turk merely gave a soft snort of laughter as an answer. The redhead rolled his eyes, but a moment later simply snickered and picked up his pen again. "Yeah, yeah... whatever. Let's just get this over with."

But instead, Remy only chuckled.

"Actually, I think you're done with your part. You can go, if you like. I'll finish up. The latter half of the interrogation is almost entirely in Wutaiian. We can barely read your writing in English... I shudder to think how badly you'll mangle a language you don't even speak."

"Well, gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Remy," the rookie laughed. He tossed the pen onto her desk and stood up, making his way to the door, but paused halfway there and turned back. "Hey, uh... before I take off, I just wanted to say... ya know... thanks. For earlier."

Remy shook her head. "You're not the first rookie to have a hard time seeing that. Trust me... I remember what it was like for _me_ the first time. It gets easier."

"Should it?" Reno found himself asking. "I mean, should... _that_... ever be easy to watch?"

The senior Turk leaned back in her chair and fixed him with a serious look. "No... it shouldn't. And I only said it gets easier. It's _never_ easy. Not even for Kai, as much as she might pretend otherwise and hide her revulsion behind dark humor. There are a _lot_ of things about being a Turk that you simply learn to live with." She lifted her hand off of the desk, holding it up slightly and studying the stump of her left index finger. "The senseless loss of good friends, for instance. Or the fact that you survived something that another Turk didn't."

He didn't quite know what to say to that. She was right, he knew. Turks handled the dirty jobs for Shinra. The jobs that were too dangerous or too abhorrent for normal people. That man downstairs wouldn't be the last person the Turks had to torture... just as Aaron wouldn't be the last Turk that would die in the line of duty. And Reno would just have to live with that. They _all_ had to live with that.

"It's... best not to dwell on it for too long," Remy added, with a thin smile. "Not even if you end up with a permanent reminder, like I did. Just remember... we _all_ have scars of one kind or another. And no one understand a Turk like another Turk."

Reno nodded and silently slipped out of her office, heading towards the lounge and hoping that someone had made coffee. He'd decided to forgo lunch, and felt the familiar sluggishness from lack of food creeping in. Caffeine would perk him up a little. As he rounded the corner, he was nearly run down by Shay.

"Is Remy in her office?" the other Turk asked, somewhat breathlessly.

"Uh... yeah, she is," he replied, "But she's workin' on a transcript right now."

Shay shook his head and hurried past him. "It'll have to wait. Tseng reported in. He wants her and Kai for backup in Junon. They found someone tortured to death in the middle of the forest near the base."

* * *

"Hey, Reno," Rude greeted him without turning around from a new monitor that had appeared on his desk. The redhead opened his mouth to ask how the fuck he knew it was him, but paused when he saw his own image on the screen. It was an odd angle, and he looked down at the floor, seeking out the hidden camera... which, as it turned out, wasn't so hidden.

"... That thing is fuckin' _creepy_ , man," he snickered, eyeing the drone as it shuffled slightly to its left. It was even more insect-like when it moved. Like a giant scuttling beetle. "I see Tres finally found the remote."

Rude turned to face him, grinning. "Yep."

"So... according to Shay there's a dead guy in Junon. I miss anything else while I was gone?"

"Just lunch. And Cissnei telling off Rodney," the other rookie replied, "Who's dead? The missing captain?"

"Probably," Reno shrugged, "I didn't have time to ask Shay for specifics. He was in a hurry to talk to Remy. Tseng wants backup. What's this about Cissnei and Rodney?"

"Don't you think there are more pressing matters to worry about right now?" Rude teased.

"Fuck you. I wanna hear today's gossip," the redhead snickered sliding into his chair. His fellow rookie chuckled and reached over to shut off the monitor for the drone.

"It wasn't really anything big. Rodney was just being a pain in the ass because you got the interrogation assignment and he thought _he_ should have. Cissnei called him out on it. That's all," he replied, and then smirked, "Oh... and she got in a few digs about Rufus not being too impressed with him, too. Apparently he's been downright _nice_ to _her_. Er... nice for Rufus, anyway."

Reno laughed and folded his arms behind his head, leaning back in his chair. "Man... _almost_ makes me wish I hadn't skipped out on lunch. I'da liked to see _that_..."

"... I'm not going to have to report you to Ward, am I?" Rude asked, only half-jokingly. "You know what she thinks about you not eating."

"Tch... Trust me. After what I had to sit through downstairs, I don't think it woulda stayed down even if I'd _tried_ to eat. It was _bad_. Like... I'm gonna be dreamin' about it bad."

Rude nodded in understanding. "Tres told me the prisoner died."

"... Yeah. Fuck, Rude, I know it's like... for the greater good and all that shit but... _damn_. It was fucked _up_. Killin' someone who's tryin' to kill you back is one thing. Doin' it in the most painful way possible to a guy chained to a chair, though..." He shivered. "You... ever sat in on an 'interrogation' like that?"

"Kind of. I was in the observation room, though, not the interview room. And I wasn't _technically_ supposed to be there. It was right after Tres officially took over as my mentor. He... took me downstairs for the beginning of it. We left about ten minutes in because they got the info _he_ was interested in pretty quickly. Didn't see how it ended. Tres never told me and I never asked. I saw plenty."

"Was it Kai doin' the questioning?" Reno asked. She seemed to be the go-to for this kind of thing. He wondered if she just handled all of it by default. But Rude shook his head in the negative.

"No. It was Tseng. I don't think I was ever actually _afraid_ of him until I saw some of what he did to the guy. Took me a few weeks to really feel comfortable around him again."

The redhead blinked in surprise. Somehow, he'd never pictured his own mentor doing what he'd watched Kai do earlier. It seemed so far removed from the Tseng _he_ knew... but then again, Tseng was kind of the ultimate professional. He did what needed to be done, and the only time Reno had personally seen _anything_ really affect him was when his sister had mistakenly gotten caught in the crossfire. Maybe it wasn't so far-fetched after all. He shrugged and filed the thought away for later.

"Hey... so... how bad's your leg hurtin'?" Reno asked, changing the subject. The other rookie raised an eyebrow.

"... Why?" he cautiously asked, and his friend snickered.

"'Cause... Tseng's got me in this... er... yoga class... as a new part of my training. And I figured since you're sidelined anyway, maybe you'd wanna come with me if you're feelin' up to it."

"Not sure I'd be able to handle much stretching right now," Rude replied. "Wouldn't mind coming to watch, though. Always _thought_ that kind of thing looked sort of interesting."

"Yeah? So how come you've never tried it out?"

The older rookie flushed pink. "... I... Those classes... They always seem to be mostly girls," he stammered awkwardly, "I was always too shy to sign up."

Reno grinned widely. "Oh, come on, man... You _gotta_ be over that by _now_."

"Well, yeah..." Rude replied, "... mostly. I guess."

"So ya wanna come watch? Starts in about twenty minutes."

"Sure. Why not?" he said at last.

"Great! Let's go!" the redhead replied, still grinning. Rude eyed him suspiciously.

"... Thought you just said we had twenty minutes."

"Yeah... well... I _kinda_ need to make a little side trip. To the Weapons Department. To see about gettin' my EMR fixed." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "I don't really wanna risk runnin' into Scarlet without someone to watch my ass."

Rude's eyebrows shot up. "When did you piss off Scarlet?"

"I didn't. _Yet_. And I'd like to keep it that way. I just... 'kay, fine. I'll level with ya. You've heard the rumors 'bout how she's bangin' half the company 'cause the president dumped her, right? Well... I think she's got her eye on _me_ now. And much as I enjoy gettin' laid, somethin' tells me screwin' a board member won't end well for me. Plus she's like... _Veld's_ age. It'd be like doin' my grandmother... if I had one."

The other rookie snorted in laughter and shook his head. "Actually, I think she's closer to Tseng's age..."

Reno rolled his eyes. "You comin' with me or not?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," Rude chuckled, as he reached for his crutches. "If only to see what happens if you actually _do_ run into her."

* * *

"More Turks will be arriving shortly," Tseng said, snapping his PHS shut, "I assume you'll want to be included in the investigation wherever possible?"

"I'd appreciate it," Viridia confirmed, "But what in Titan's name are we going to do about this? Replacing the captain isn't an issue really. Yorik's next in line, and he's a good man. But we have _no_ idea what Captain Turrant may have told them. Or if he told them anything of importance at all."

"And we likely never will. The people who did this are long gone," said Tseng, "However... that's not what concerns me."

"What, then?"

"Junon is as secure as secure gets," he replied, and smiled faintly at the woman, "You see to that yourself, and I know better than to question your commitment to keeping it that way. Which begs the question... how did they get in, take him prisoner, and get out with not one single person noticing? I can think of only one possibility. A traitor in your ranks. Perhaps more than one."

"That's one hell of an accusation to be leveling at _any_ of my men, Tseng," Viridia said, coolly.

"I know. But unless you have a better explanation..."

Viridia ran a hand through her spiked hair and sighed. "I don't need shit like this... I have enough to deal with on a daily basis as it is," she grumbled. "Alright... let's say there _is_ a traitor. It would have to be someone innocuous. Someone who doesn't stand out. My security teams don't take their job lightly. If anyone was acting suspiciously, they'd have heard about it. Maybe someone in the infantry, or a recent recruit."

"I recommend looking at anyone who has stood guard duty at the base elevator in the past forty-eight hours to begin with," he said, handing over the scrap of paper he'd found in the fire. "Most of it is burnt beyond being legible, but the elevator is specifically mentioned."

"I'll check the duty rosters as soon as we get back and get you a list of names."

* * *

Reno jolted awake and struggled upright in bed, gasping as his eyes scanned the room, heart pounding in his chest. The water-filled mattress undulated slowly underneath him. He began to relax as he realized where he was. And where he _wasn't_.

He'd largely been joking around about having bad dreams about the interrogation... but apparently his subconscious had taken those jokes seriously and run with it. And only narrowly escaping the Weapons Department with Rude that afternoon before Scarlet walked in and noticed him probably hadn't helped. He groaned as he flopped back down against his pillow. _She'd_ made an appearance in his nightmare as well. He hadn't been quite so fortunate in his dreams as he had been in real life. She'd caught him before he could scramble into the safety of the elevator.

"Yeah, fuck you, too, brain..." muttered as he rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. After about fifteen minutes, he finally decided it wasn't happening. The redhead yawned and rubbed blearily at his eyes as he extracted himself from the sheets and climbed out of bed. He grabbed his pillow and a blanket and carried them into the living room. Hopefully a little late-night TV would chill him out enough that he could grab at least a couple more hours.

If _that_ didn't work... maybe he'd take a walk. Sure, there wasn't much to see in the neighborhood in the middle of the night, but circling the block once or twice would burn off some energy and wear him out. Though, to be fair, he was pretty worn out as it was. Maybe he'd get lucky and the infomercials would knock him out so he wouldn't have to resort to that.

Reno grabbed the remote and settled down on the couch, making himself comfortable. He flipped on the TV and was greeted by the voice of a saleswoman hawking some kind of 'tactical flashlight'. He snorted softly. The things people were willing to buy when they were half asleep.

Of course, he was hardly one to talk. He _still_ had the 'portable sauna' he'd bought off one of those shows awhile back sitting somewhere in the back of his closet. It was, not surprisingly, junk... but he'd paid almost seventy gil for it. He just couldn't bring himself to toss it.

The redhead yawned and let his eyes drift shut, the droning voices on the infomercial gradually lulling him back to sleep.

When he was jolted awake a _second_ time, it had nothing to do with his subconscious. In fact, at first, he wasn't quite sure _what_ the hell was going on. It took him far longer than it should have, in his sleep-addled state, to zero in on the television screen and realize that _it_ was what had suddenly started emitting the blaring tone that had woken him.

Reno grimaced and pushed himself upright, running a hand over his face and blinking the sleep out of his eyes. The grating noise had stopped, only to be replaced by an urgent sounding voice. He groped for the remote and turned up the volume.

"– are advised to remain inside their homes until authorities issue an all-clear notice. Again, Midgar is under an unknown attack. All residents are advised to remain inside their –"

Before it was finished, the power cut out and the screen went dark, and Reno was suddenly very much awake. He ran back to his bedroom, expecting his phone to start screeching at him next with a summons to report to the office... but it was mysteriously silent. He flipped it open, vaguely confused, and realized that he had no signal. No service.

Well... _that_ probably wasn't a good sign.

~end chapter 77~


	78. Attack on Midgar

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 78: Attack on Midgar**

 **by Desha**

Reno's first thought had been to go straight to headquarters. Unfortunately, that was somewhat easier said than done at the moment. It wasn't just _his_ apartment building that was without power. Hell, it wasn't even just his block. Everything as far as he could see was pitch black, illuminated only by the sliver of a moon that hung in the sky. So much for hopping the first train over to Sector 0.

He checked his phone again – still no signal – and sighed. He'd just have to do this the hard way. Tseng was gonna kill him if he ended up in jail again for this, but...

He stalked across the parking lot, pulling his gun from its holster. Rather than fire, however, he brought the grip down hard against the passenger side window of an old four door sedan and reached in to unlock the door. He climbed over the broken glass and slid behind the wheel, and then reached down, below the dash.

He'd watched Sato do this a couple of times on the rare occasions he and Saya had given him a ride home after work... The man had a habit of misplacing his keys, and Saya refused to carry a spare, hoping it would force her cousin to be more mindful. Reno had his doubts as to whether or not that would ever work, particularly when Sato could just start the damn thing any time he felt like it.

It didn't really look _that_ difficult.

The redhead yanked down hard on the panel below the steering wheel, popping it open and exposing the wiring in the steering column. It took a few tries – and several minutes of swearing profusely – but eventually he found the right ones, and with a spark, the engine started.

Moments later, he was on the freeway, making his way to headquarters.

* * *

Rude woke to the sound of loud knocking at his door, and groggily dragged himself from his bed, limping across the room. He flipped the light switch and paused in confusion when nothing happened. Was the power out? The knocking turned to pounding and he groped for his crutches before shuffling out of his bedroom, and peered through the peep hole into the darkened hallway. He couldn't see much… but there was just enough light to recognize the silhouette that was standing outside his door. He snapped the deadbolt and opened the door.

"'Bout goddamn time… I was ten seconds away from just pickin' the damn lock," Tres said, by way of greeting, "Get dressed."

"What's going on?" Rude asked, as he automatically obeyed his mentor's order and redirected himself towards his closet.

"Fuck if I know… I was on my way to a late-night meeting with an informant over on this side of town and suddenly an alert comes across the radio. Then the power went out, and from what I could tell, it's not just a sector or two. It's the whole fuckin' city. No way in hell it's not related to the war. On top of that, I lost cell service around the same time as the power died. Hmph… hence the personal wake-up call. Figured since I was in the sector anyway, I'd save Veld the trouble of tryin' to get in touch with ya and haul you into headquarters myself. Ready to go?"

By then, Rude had finished pulling on a uniform, and grabbed his gun. With a nod, he followed Tres out into the night, locking his apartment behind him.

* * *

He'd ditched the car on the street... not just because he'd technically stolen it, but also because it was just plain faster to hop out and go through the front door rather than trying to get through the parking deck gate – which probably wouldn't even open with no power – and climb up three extra floors from the basement. Security had already taken up a position out front, and he had little trouble getting in there, flashing his ID card and heading for the stairs.

The lobby was bathed in an eerie orange glow from the emergency lights, so apparently the emergency generators down in the basement had kicked in. Unfortunately, that still meant that the elevators were offline. With the exception of the executive elevator – which, naturally, was reserved for executive use only and required a key card Reno didn't possess – they only ran on main power.

And _that_ meant a fifty-eight story climb. Biting back a resigned groan, he stepped towards stairwell.

"Reno!"

The redhead somehow miraculously managed not to immediately have a heart attack at the sudden shout, and turned around to find Veld striding purposefully towards him.

"This way," the Turk leader declared, and motioned him towards the main security office in the first floor lobby. Reno hurried to fall into step beside him. "With the elevators out, I've commandeered Building Security's facilities to use as a temporary base of operations."

"Oh, thank Ifrit... I wasn't lookin' forward to makin' that climb, sir."

"Have you been in touch with any of the others?" he asked.

"No, sir. Tried callin' in, but my PHS isn't gettin' service right now. Figured I'd be better off just comin' straight here than wastin' time tryin' to get ahold of someone. What the hell's goin' on? I caught the tail end of an alert on TV before everything went dark... said somethin' about an 'unknown attack'."

Veld escorted him into the security room, where he was a little surprised to see Tres and Rude both present, along with Saya, who was handing out radios.

"It seems the attack on the marketplace was meant to distract us from a much larger plan. According to military guardposts near the edge of the Plate, three of the reactors reported some kind of intrusion. That's what prompted the alert you saw. A few minutes later, a series of small, targeted detonations were set off, damaging several of the city's primary power junctions. They're estimating that 75% of the city is without power, and the rest is extremely limited," the Turk leader continued, before casting a glance over at Saya, "Has Sato checked in yet?"

Saya shook her head. "Radio's bein' a wee bit sketchy. But last transmission, he was only halfway ta the explosion site. I did hear from Luca, though... he's on his way in. Pickin' up Cissnei en route since she's not far from his place. Hmph... and ta think, I always laughed at 'im fer having that bloody CB in his car..."

Veld nodded in acknowledgment. "That still leaves Shay and Rodney unaccounted for. Alright... we'll just have to make due. Rude, you're on communications duty. I want you listening in on the military bands and keeping the rest of us up to date. Tres, take Reno and check on the intrusion at the Number 6 reactor." He glanced over at Rude again. "Get Luca on the radio again and send him and Cissnei on to Number 8. Saya and I will investigate Number 4, and if Shay and Rodney ever deign to grace us with their presence before morning, have them secure Number 2... our mystery attackers seem to have a fondness for even numbers tonight."

"Come on, kid. We ain't got all night," Tres said, guiding the redhead out of their temporary headquarters and out towards the street. They hopped into the senior Turk's car, which Reno hadn't noticed parked a short distance down the block when he'd arrived, and soon they were speeding off through the darkened city towards Sector 5.

"Tch... I was just _over_ here a goddamn half hour ago," Tres muttered. "I get my hands on the asshole who knocked out the cell towers, I'm makin' the fucker pay for my gas."

"What were you doin' out _here_ this time of night?" Reno asked, curious. Tres lived over in Sector 2. Sector 5 was a hell of a long ways out of his way.

"Meetin' with an old friend from my days workin' with Corneo. He's... uh... found new employment topside, ya might say. But he's just as nosy a bastard as ever. Said he had some info on where Fuhito might be operatin' outta... for a price... so I went to talk to him." Tres shook his head, "Then everything went to hell. Guess I'll have to reschedule." He paused a moment, and eyed the redhead. "How the fuck'd _you_ get to the office so quick? Last I checked, _you_ were still takin' the trains."

"... I... uh... kinda borrowed a car. Ya know... without askin'," the redhead replied, somewhat sheepishly, "Do me a favor and don't mention that to Tseng, huh?"

Tres snorted and shook his head in amusement. "Hell... long as you're here 'n ready to work..." he chuckled.

The Number 6 Reactor loomed in the distance, and Reno suddenly found himself staring over the railings of the Sector 5 freeway at the gaping maw that was once the Sector 6 Plate. Shinra hadn't yet begun rebuilding it. All they'd done was reinforce the tiny sliver that had sheltered Wall Market from the worst of the collapse. It was as if someone had taken a slice out of a massive pizza.

The reactor, on the other hand, had been almost completely rebuilt in the year and change since the explosion. It was presently operating at about eighty percent capacity, with plans to bring it fully online by that summer, as if nothing had ever happened to it. The redhead frowned as they approached it. It had been the site of his first 'real' mission with Tseng... even if said mission had only been playing delivery boy. That mission had, coincidentally, also been the day he experienced his first loss as a Turk... and a tiny, nagging voice in the back of him mind kept reminding him of that. And hoping that history wouldn't repeat itself.

* * *

Rude glanced up at some unexpected movement on one of the security monitors, and saw a rather frazzled looking Shay hurrying past the guards at the front door. With a soft grunt, he hauled himself out of his chair and grabbed his crutches, heading out into the lobby to cut his fellow Turk off before he reached the stairs.

"Rude!" Shay called out when he spotted him, and quickly altered course. He spared a brief glance at the door the rookie had emerged from. " _Please_ tell me we're working out of the security office..."

Rude nodded. "Lucky for _me_. I'd probably still be trying to crawl up the stairs if we weren't. Some of the reactors have reported intruders. Veld wants you and Rodney to check out Number 2. Rodney hasn't reported in yet, though."

"I suppose that means I'm on my own, then," the other Turk replied. "When he gets here, send him after me, would you?"

The rookie frowned. It wasn't a good idea to walk into an unknown situation without backup. But then... Shay _was_ a senior Turk. If he was okay with going it alone, who was Rude to stop him? Besides... he outranked the rookie. At best, all Rude could do was voice his concerns.

"... Sure you don't want to wait?" he asked, but Shay shook his head.

"If we've got Wutaiian hostiles running loose in the reactors, best to deal with it quickly. Don't worry. I'll be careful."

"Watch yourself," Rude said, and tossed him one of the radio units from Security's office. "We're on channel six."

* * *

"Authorized personnel only!" an angry voice greeted the pair of Turks, and Reno found himself looking down the barrels of a pair of rifles, their owners' fingers dangerously tense on the trigger. He immediately froze.

"If _we're_ not authorized, I don't know who the fuck would be..." Tres muttered, pulling out his employee ID card. The two security guards eyed it for a moment and then lowered their weapons.

"I, er... I'm sorry, sir. Headquarters didn't inform us that we should expect the Turks," one of them stammered. Tres snorted and pushed passed the man, Reno bring up the rare.

"Well, no shit, genius," he muttered to himself as they made their way inside, "Communication's out across the whole goddamn Plate, and Shinra's priority is telling the fuckin' rent-a-cops that the Turk's are comin' for a visit..."

Amber warning lights were flashing in the hallway, though if there had been an audible siren, it had apparently been silenced. The redhead looked over at his partner quizzically.

"Reactor's on lockdown," Tres explained, as they made their way deeper inside, "No one gets out without authorization, and incoming personnel are limited to those of us with high-level security clearance."

"That mean these intruders of ours are stuck inside, too?"

"Yup. That's the idea, anyway. There are ways to get out if you're industrious enough. They're not _pleasant_ by any means, and you're just as likely to die of mako poisoning as escape... but it's technically possible. Most people wouldn't be suicidal enough to try it. 'Course that doesn't mean our Wutaiian friends might not try 'n rush us _or_ reactor security forces, given the opportunity. If they're here, we're takin' 'em out on sight. Veld wants to risk his neck tryin' to bring one home alive for questioning, he can do it his own damn self."

"... Shouldn't we try, though?"

Tres snorted in contempt. "Tch... don't be stupid, kid. _You_ sat in on the interrogation yesterday personally. That asshole tell ya anything useful? This Fuhito bastard's not gonna send out anyone with any decent intel to handle grunt work like sabotagin' a reactor. Waste of our time tryin' to catch the fuckers. End 'em 'n be done with it."

The senior Turk had a point... and hell, for that matter, Kai and Remy had basically said as much yesterday as well. He blamed the lack of sleep for not realizing that himself. It should have been obvious. Reno didn't have much time to berate himself for it, however, as they rounded a corner and nearly walked headlong into a rather imposing figure. The rookie's hand instinctively went to his gun.

"Easy, kid," Tres said. The man in front of them snorted.

"Oh, great. Now I got a goddamn infestation of _Turks_ running around my goddamn reactor," he said, crossing his arms over his broad chest. He was a bearded man of about forty, dressed in coveralls and a white hard hat... and he looked none too pleased to be there at the moment. Reno relaxed. He hadn't realized right away... but he knew the guy. He'd met him – very briefly – months ago when he'd been paired up with Shay to run security sweeps at the reactors. He was the foreman of this particular facility.

"Tch... Since when do _you_ work the night shift?" Tres asked.

"Since my goddamn night shift lead calls me in a goddamn panic at two in the goddamn morning tellin' me he thinks – doesn't _know_ mind you – _thinks_ that there's someone in the goddamn reactor that's not supposed to be there. Bullshit like this is the reason my ex is an ex," he ranted, "Then the idiot ignores protocol and waits 'til I _get_ here to initiate the goddamn lockdown. I'd really love to know where the Company finds these idiotic kids they keep shovelin' in here! And why they _hell_ they think it's a good idea to hire them in the first place!"

He turned his gaze on Reno for a moment, and the redhead got the distinct impression that the man was wondering if _he_ still fell into that category.

"Hmph... Looks like you've got the same problem," the man added, and Tres smirked and rested a hand on the rookie's shoulder.

"Nah... This one's mostly just a pain in the ass when you're hungry. Eats every damn thing in sight. So where are these uninvited guests hidin'?"

"Well, how in the nine hells should _I_ know? I just got here myself. I'm not even supposed to be awake right now," the man grumbled, and waved the two of them towards the elevator at the end of the hall. He slid his access card through the slot and with a beep of confirmation, the doors opened, allowing them inside. He jabbed the button labeled "Reactor Control" with rather more force than necessary and the car jolted downward. He eyed Reno again. "Does the kid talk, or does he just stand their with that slightly glazed look on his face all the time?"

The redhead scowled and opened his mouth to reply, but Tres elbowed him and snickered.

"Ah, just ignore this cranky old son of a bitch. The more you visit the reactors, the more you learn Bastion here exists in a state of perpetual annoyance."

"Hmph," the man snorted.

"You two've probably crossed paths once or twice by now, but just in case... Bastion Meheara... Reno Donovan," Tres said by way of introduction. "Bastion here's been foreman of Number 6 since the explosion wiped her out awhile back. Hates incompetent employees, Turks that interrupt his workday, and gettin' his ass dragged outta bed in the middle of the night." He glanced up at the foreman and grinned. "Reno's our youngest."

"Tch... ya know, there are _two_ other rookies that I got seniority on..." the redhead groused.

"And _still_ you're younger than both of 'em," Tres smirked.

The elevator pinged and opened up into another long hallway. Most of the offices that lined it were dark, their doors firmly shut, but the room at the far end was brightly lit and bustled with frenzied activity. Reno followed Tres and the foreman towards it, pausing briefly as they passed what seemed to be a memorial about midway along the corridor. He was fairly sure it hadn't been there on his last visit... but then, the reactor had still been under heavy reconstruction at the time. It took him a moment to realize that it was for the people that had been killed when Number 6 had exploded.

In the center was a photo of a man, probably around Bastion's age, with short blond hair and honey colored eyes... and the redhead suddenly realized that he recognized him. He was the man he'd met the _first_ time he'd been here. The _former_ foreman. The one who'd signed over the delivery he and Tseng were picking up. He'd completely forgotten that he'd been among the casualties of the reactor accident.

That had been _well_ over a year ago... but that whole day had been seared into his memory from start to finish. He was certain it was the same man. He stuck out to him... largely because the redhead distinctly recalled being offhandedly compared to the man's daughter. It had irked him, because he'd been pretty sure that the girl he was talking about was even younger than _he'd_ been back then.

Now, he found himself inexplicably wondering how the kid was doing. He knew what it was like to lose a parent completely out of nowhere, without any warning whatsoever. To just wake up one day and find out they were gone. He hoped she was okay.

"Move your ass, rookie!" Tres called back to him, and Reno hurriedly tore his gaze away from the memorial, quickening his pace to catch up.

* * *

When Shay arrived at the Number 2 reactor, things were... suspiciously quiet. As he entered, he quickly saw why. The guards assigned to the main entrance were both dead, one lying crumpled on the floor near the doors, the other slumped over the security station desk, fingers just inches from the switch that would have triggered a lockdown. Shay shoved him upright in his chair and noted the bullet hole in the center of his forehead. Well... _that_ didn't bode well.

He kept his gun ready as he started deeper into the reactor, wondering what their endgame was. Occupation? Hostages? Outright destruction of the facility? It could be any number of things, really. On top of that, he had no idea how many he might be dealing with. He _hoped_ that Rodney was on his way there by now. He could, of course, handle himself in a fight... but it was always nice to have someone to watch your back.

The reactor was silent save for the low hum of machinery. Wherever the workers were, they didn't seem to be on the main level... not that that was unusual. This time of night, only general maintenance technicians would be on duty. The reactors basically ran themselves... Human interaction was really only needed when something broke and for preventative maintenance to try and _stop_ things from breaking ahead of time. The preventative stuff was largely conducted by the day shift. The night shift were mostly just there in case of emergency.

Still... there should be _someone_ here. Assuming they didn't meet the same fate as the security guards, the most likely place was probably the control room. By the looks of things, though, security had been taken by surprise. No alert had been sounded. Which seemed odd to him, as Rude had specifically told him that the reactors had reported intruders.

Then again... the rookie had only said _some_ of the reactors. It was entirely possible that Number 2 hadn't been one of the ones they'd heard from. The lack of communication was reason enough to investigate.

Shay made his way to the elevator that would take him downstairs... and groaned when he found that the panel had been thoroughly smashed. Whoever was here, they didn't want to be easily followed. He didn't know the reactor layout well... but he was fairly certain that most if not all of them came equipped with a service stairway off the main chamber that led down to the control room. He'd have to try _that_ way.

* * *

" _Oy! Any of yeh bastards payin' attention out there?"_ a voice suddenly called out from the radio. Rude reached for it and clicked the button.

"Rude here," he replied.

" _Be glad yer_ _ **there**_ _'n not_ _ **here**_ _, rookie... 'tis not a pretty sight. Explosion took out an entire electric substation. And 'bout half 'o each building sittin' on either side. Civilian casualties are bad, but nothin' Midgar General can't handle."_ Sato responded. _"And just in case one bomb wasn't enough... there's another'un at the power junction across the street just itchin' ta blow. Looks like the timer's faulty but the bomb itself's still armed. Workin' on her now."_

"Anything I should let Veld know about immediately?"

" _Aye. Let 'im know I expect a hazard bonus in my next paycheck. And... eh... if somethin' were ta go wrong 'n I end up in several pieces splattered across the Sector... tell that cousin 'o mine she'd best not toss out my still. I intend fer anything of me yeh can scrape off the pavement ta be buried with that!"_

"Hmph... will do," Rude replied with a faint chuckled... though amusing as the comment had been, he couldn't help but worry. Back when he'd been doing demolition training with Sato, the senior Turk had told him that bombs that failed to explode were vastly more dangerous than the ones that went off as intended. They were unpredictable. Touchy. Potentially devastating at the worst possible moment.

Still... there wasn't a more experienced Turk on the team when it came to explosives. Sato would be alright. Crazy as he was, he knew what he was doing.

* * *

Reno was studying the complicated status screen in the control room, trying to make sense of it. He didn't pretend to have the first clue about how a mako reactor worked... but judging by the sheer amount of green indicators, nothing seemed to be wrong with it. At least not as far as the computer system could tell. Which told him that the reason power seemed to be out to most of the city was either due to issues at one or more of the other seven reactors... or due to some problem in the power grid that supplied the generated energy to the city.

Someone back at headquarters had mentioned Sato looking into an explosion... apparently _not_ at one of the reactors. Maybe they'd blown up some critical piece of infrastructure that had cut the link between the reactors and the the rest of Midgar? He was tempted to ask Tres about it, because not having all the pieces was bugging him... but the senior Turk had more immediate issues in mind. He and Bastion, the foreman, were pouring over a series of maps of the various levels of the reactor structure, planning out a route for a thorough security sweep.

"You gotta lift the lockdown selectively. If anyone's here, I don't want 'em slippin' past us into sections we've already searched. You open a door for us, and then you lock it behind us while we clear the area. Every time."

Bastion nodded in agreement.

"Looks like we've got a crew of five down in the pump room for a repair. But other than them, everyone's accounted for in either Control or Security. You find _anybody_ else walkin' around, they're not supposed to be there."

"Alright, rookie... time to do a little pest control," Tres called over to him. The redhead pulled his gaze away from the screens. He joined the senior Turk as he headed for a door that lead deeper still into the reactor. As they left the safety of the secure control room, it slid shut behind them and locked with an audible click. "Stay close, keep your eyes open, and shoot anything that moves. Remember... we're interested in corpses... not captives."

* * *

Veld crouched lower to the floor as a spray of bullets struck the large console in the center of the room, and he swore under his breath. Saya was pinned down several feet away, unable to reach a more advantageous position without putting herself directly in the line of fire.

They'd been ambushed. The route to the reactor core had been clear the entire way down... but _somehow_ when the two Turks had retraced their steps back into the antechamber, six Wutaiian mercenaries had been there to greet them. It was instinct alone that had saved him... At the first sign of movement, Veld had thrown Saya bodily behind the large pipe that was currently serving as her shield and dove behind the center console just as the shooting has started. He'd felt at least two bullets whiz past him, disturbingly close to his head.

Thus, the immediate crisis had been temporarily averted. They were both still alive. The question now was how in the nine hells were they going to stay that way?

He raised his gun and fired blindly over the top of his makeshift cover, and the shooting from across the room paused momentarily at the disruption. It all too soon resumed, however, and he glanced over at Saya.

"If you've got any ideas, now would be an excellent time to put them forward!" he called out to her over the deafening sound of their attackers' guns. The other Turk smiled faintly.

"Aye, I've got one, sir," she replied, producing a small, rounded object from her jacket's inner pocket. He had little trouble recognizing it as a grenade. "Really more Sato's idea than mine, though... Gave it ta me fer emergencies awhile back"

The antechamber outside of a reactor core was no place to be setting off explosives. Then again, it wasn't exactly a suitable location for a firefight, either, and their position wasn't a good one. It was only a matter of time before one of those bullets hit something important – a control valve, or a regulator panel – and Shiva only knew what might happen then.

They didn't have much of a choice... and if he was destined to die in a reactor explosion, better to set it off himself than wait for some asshole mercenary to do it for him.

He nodded at Saya... and she pulled the pin.

* * *

Shay fired two shots. The first missed its target. The second struck the man in the neck. He collapsed to the floor, choking on his own blood, and the Turk ducked back behind the heavy door that led to the reactor core before his cohorts could return fire.

One of them shouted angrily in Wutaiian. He was pretty sure he caught the word for 'bastard' somewhere in there, but to be honest, he'd never really mastered the language. His Wutaiian was limited to the more touristy phrases he'd picked up vacationing with his parents in the island nation over the years. It was followed by several gun shots.

The Turk darted into view just long enough to squeeze off a few more rounds and managed to drop a second assailant, this one a woman. She fell to her knees with a shriek of pain and Shay grimaced. He'd done some damage, but he'd missed the kill shot. And he was _really_ started to rethink his decision to go it alone at this point. But it was a little late to be waiting for Rodney to show up now...

He ducked back into hiding and fired blind around the corner, hoping to distract them long enough that he could take aim at one of the two remaining intruders... and as it turned out, luck was on his side tonight. There was a loud pop, followed by a hiss... followed by an agonized scream. When he dared to peer out from his hiding place he saw the remaining male shooter clawing at his face, as a plume of boiling hot steam erupted from a nearby pipe. The woman he'd wounded seemed to rally herself, taking aim at him again, but it was too late. He already had a bead on her, and put a bullet in her head without hesitation. She slumped over, propped up against the catwalk railing.

He similarly dispatched the third one, sending him over the railing and tumbling down into the depths of the well of the reactor core... and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well... _that_ wasn't so bad," he said quietly to himself as he stepped more fully into the space and strode over to where the bodies had fallen. His relief, however, was short lived, as a soft, steady beeping met his ears. Shay felt his blood run cold in recognition even before he spotted the source.

"Of _course_ there would be a bomb..." he breathed.

* * *

"I think that just about takes care of things," said Luca. Cissnei roughly twisted the arm of her prisoner behind her back as she made a futile effort to break free. The Wutaiian girl yelped in pain and stilled, allowing the rookie Turk to handcuff her. Cissnei shook her head. The girl couldn't have been any older than _she_ was... if that. And for some reason, it ticked her off to no end to know that Wutai was recruiting _kids_ to do their dirty work.

She supposed that was a little hypocritical, really. After all, if the opportunity had come along sooner for her to become a Turk, she'd have jumped at it, age be damned. And Reno was even younger than she was... _he'd_ only been sixteen when _he_ was recruited. Rude and Rodney weren't really that much older, either, when it came right down to it.

Still, though... something about the level of rage and hatred she saw in this girl's eyes made her feel slightly sick. What drove a person to hate like that? What had Shinra done that had made her _that_ willing to kill? To die?

Her cohorts were dead. All five of them. Cissnei had the feeling that they hadn't been the most experienced of soldiers or mercenaries or whatever they were... but you didn't necessarily need experience if someone else was pulling the strings. And she knew that _that_ was the mysterious Fuhito. He or she was sending in children... _children_ , for Titan's sake... to die. It was sick!

Luca helped her drag their prisoner over to his waiting car. Cissnei had heard that the last Wutaiian merc they'd captured hadn't known anything of any substance. She doubted that this girl did, either. But they had her now, and whatever she _did_ know she would tell them. And she would most likely be killed afterwards... perhaps even _during_ the interrogation.

Cissnei wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. She understood it, from a logical perspective, of course. Wutai was threatening not just Shinra Company, but all of Midgar. Thousands upon thousands of people were at risk. What was one life compared to all that? What were ten lives? Or even a hundred, if it saved thousands? And it wasn't as if she were _innocent_ by any stretch of the imagination. Five minutes ago, she'd been trying to kill the two Turks and help plant a bomb inside of the Number 8 reactor.

Luca opened up the back door of his car, but before Cissnei could get their prisoner inside, the still night air filled with a loud rushing sound.

"Get down!" the senior Turk suddenly shouted. The last thing Cissnei remembered was an explosion and a massive fireball coming straight at her.

* * *

Reno regarded the body that lay at his feet far more dispassionately than he would have expected himself capable of. They'd taken the three men completely by surprise. Shot two of them dead before they even knew the Turks were standing behind them. The third died a few seconds later, a look of utter shock on his face. It had been over almost before it had even begun.

The redhead felt like it should bother him more. After all, he'd just helped gun down three people in cold blood. Shot them from behind. They'd never even had a chance.

But then... he found that he didn't _want_ them to have a chance. These people were attacking _his_ city. Trying to kill innocent civilians, as evidenced by the bag full of explosives sitting on the floor next to their corpses. If they'd had the opportunity, they would've killed him and Tres, too.

Fuck them. They deserved whatever the hell they got.

Tres picked up the bag and tossed it to the rookie... who very nearly dropped it, and then spent the next several seconds with his heart in his throat as he tried desperately to get a decent grip on it before it slammed into the floor and blew them both to kingdom come. Finally, his hands tightened around the strap in a white knuckled grip and he froze in place, hardly daring to breath. The senior Turk laughed.

"Are you outta your fuckin' mind?!" Reno shouted.

"Oh, for Ifrit's sake..." Tres snickered, "Relax, kid. That's C-4. It's not gonna explode if ya breath on it too hard. Hell, you could probably throw that shit around like a goddamn football and not have to worry _too_ much."

"Tch... well, how the hell would I know? Excuse _me_ for not wanting to end up a smear on the wall," Reno shot back. Tres just continued to smirk and turned to head back the way they'd come.

"Let's get outta here, rookie. Been a long night. Don't know about you, but I could use some coffee right about now. We'll let reactor security clean up the mess down here."

Reno, in spite of the other Turk's reassurances, took great care as he looped the strap of the bag over his shoulder and fell into step behind him. The sooner he could ditch that shit, the happier he'd be.

"Well... at least we got the fuckers before they could do any real damage, I guess. S'pose the others had as easy a time as we did?" he asked.

"Hmph... Don't start countin' your chocobos before they hatch, kid. Night ain't over yet," Tres replied.

* * *

Back at Shinra Company headquarters, the radio in the security office suddenly blared to life, startling Rude. The military frequencies had been largely quiet over the last hour or so... just a few normal communications back and forth between units detailing movements and statuses. Nothing especially interesting, though he'd been keeping track of what they were up to in case Veld radioed in for an update. But now... it was very clear that something was happening. Another attack, most likely.

He sat up in his chair and turned the volume up slightly. He wasn't entirely up on military lingo... but he got the gist of it. There'd been another explosion. He wasn't sure where, though... he'd missed the location earlier in the transmission, and he started listening intently, hoping they'd repeat it. But by then, they'd started talking about casualties.

 _Multiple_ casualties. The words echoed in his ears and for a moment, they seemed to be stuck on repeat.

His thoughts immediately went to Sato first... seeing as he'd actively been attempting to diffuse a bomb shortly before the explosion had occured. But Sato had been on his own. Or at least he hadn't been with any other Turks. There were plenty of soldiers there, though, keeping the area secure for him. He prayed something hadn't gone wrong.

But he already knew that it _had_. Maybe or maybe not for Sato, but certainly for someone. He just hoped it wasn't one of theirs...

~end chapter 78~


	79. Casualties

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 79: Casualties**

 **by Desha**

Veld sat up slowly, shaking his head in a somewhat futile attempt to clear the loud ringing from his ears. The air was filled with smoke and reeked of gunpowder, making his eyes burn as he peered out from behind his makeshift shelter.

The concussion from the grenade had been far worse than he'd expected. Probably some Shiva-be-damned modified mess that Sato had cobbled together in his spare time. But as he cautiously stood up, even the Turk leader had to admit... it had been effective.

One of their attackers had been thrown into the rear wall with enough force to snap his neck. Two more had died from the explosion itself, and another was bleeding badly, much of the left side of his body riddled with shrapnel. He likely wouldn't last long even if they _did_ call in medical assistance for him. Not that Veld was planning on doing so.

Of the remaining two, one was unconscious, and the other moaning loudly in pain several feet away.

"... bloody stupid... the hell... thinking...?" Saya's voice said, oddly muffled beside him.

"What?"

The other Turk shook her head and smirked slightly. "I said, that bloody stupid arsehole! What in the hell was he thinkin' givin' me somethin' like _that_?!" she repeated at a louder volume.

Veld snorted softly and put a bullet in the dying man, leaving only the last two alive. They wouldn't be much of a threat for awhile. They'd take them back to headquarters for interrogation.

"For once, I think I'm grateful for your cousin's tendency to go overboard. Even if I _do_ end up slightly deaf for awhile because of it..."

* * *

No one was answering. Why was _no one_ answering?! Sure, there was so much radio chatter it was hard to determine who was talking to who at the moment. And sure, the hand units they were using had been meant for building security's use, not for long-range field work. But for Odin's sake, was it asking too much for _someone_ to respond to his repeated attempts to contact them?!

Rude sighed heavily and returned to listening to the military bands. The reality was, if the others were still deep inside the reactors, he couldn't just will a message to them. He'd try raising them again in a few minutes. Meanwhile, though, reports of damage and injuries kept flying across the airwaves. He'd learned that the explosion that had so concerned the Shinra army had occurred in Sector 8. Cissnei and Luca had been sent up to the Number 8 reactor... but that was _also_ where Sato was attempting to diffuse the unexploded bomb. The former, he could understand not answering their radios... They were likely either out of range entirely, or the signal was being blocked by the walls of the reactor.

Sato, though... _he_ should have been able to hear him. Rude's concern was rapidly growing. It had been awhile since the senior Turk had last checked in, and now all this?

As he was reaching for the radio yet again, he spotted movement on the security cameras and a wave of relief came over him as he recognized his mentor strolling through the front doors, Reno in tow. That was two Turks, at least, that he no longer had to worry about. He reached for his crutches and hobbled across the security office, all but flinging the door open just as they arrived.

"What happen?" Tres asked, noting the his rookie's agitated expression.

"Explosion over in Sector 8," Rude replied, "Not a lot of details on the military bands. And I haven't been able to get ahold of anyone on the radio."

"Ah, hell," Tres groaned, and glanced down at his own radio handset, "Fuckin' piece of crap. Alright... stay here 'n keep tryin'. Make updatin' Veld a priority. Let him know the Number 6 reactor's clear, 'n that me 'n Reno are gonna go check things out in 8."

Rude nodded and headed back into the little command center. Tres turned to Reno with a soft snort.

"Tch... _Told_ ya tonight wasn't over yet."

* * *

Mako wells ran deep... though until tonight, Shay wasn't quite sure he'd ever truly realized _how_ deep. Of course, it helped that the city's reactors themselves were several hundred feet up, perched on the edge of the plate, rather than down below, siphoning up mako at ground level... but still. They were _damned_ deep.

Deep enough that chucking a bomb over the catwalk railing had been enough to save him from the blast several seconds later.

Reactor maintenance wasn't going to be happy, of course. He could see scorch marks rising up the sides of the well, and Titan only knew how much damage it had done down were he _couldn't_ see. Hopefully the explosion hadn't caused any major leaks. Even if it had... he was still alive and not currently drowning in raw mako. The reactor could be repaired. Given the choice, he'd prefer to save his own hide than save a bunch of machinery.

That had been much, _much_ too close, though. He'd been in some dangerous situations before but literally watching the countdown to one's imminent death was something new. The device had had only twenty-two seconds left on it when he'd spotted it. His first instinct had been to run... but he'd quickly realized that, if he did, he was almost certainly just as dead as he'd be if he stood there and waited for the end. The bomb was in the reactor core. An explosion there would trigger a chain reaction that would take out the facility itself. Not to mention flooding the surrounding sector with enough raw mako to poison everyone in a ten block radius.

So, he'd done the only thing he could think to do. He'd grabbed it, chucked it over the side, and ducked and covered while he prayed.

Apparently some deity or other had been listening, because the reactor was still standing, the core was still in one piece, _he_ was still in one piece, and the immediate threat to the facility was under control. He _almost_ couldn't believe his luck.

Breathing a relieved sigh, he leaned back against the railing... but as much as he would have liked a few minutes to allow his heart to stop trying to hammer its way out of his ribcage, he knew he had to report in. This seemed far too simplistic for it to be the Wutaiians' endgame. Sure... blowing up the reactors would have crippled the city for months if not years... but Shinra had other outposts it could run the company from. And more importantly, an army that was presently invading the island nation. Turning out the lights on Midgar wouldn't save Wutai. There had to be more coming.

Right now, though... right now, all he _really_ cared about was the fact that he was still alive.

* * *

The streets in Sector 8 were swarming with military. The closer they got to the sight of the first explosion of the night, the more security they had to wade through, and it soon became clear that wherever the second explosion had occurred, it wasn't here. As chaotic as it was, it was an _organized_ chaos. The injured were being tended to – in fact, it looked as though the vast majority had already been transported off to the hospital – the streets were locked down, and no one seemed to be running around in a panic. This was aftermath coming under control, not a fresh crisis.

Tres stopped his car as close to the destroyed power substation as he could get and he and Reno disembarked.

It didn't take Reno long to spot Sato. He was lounging beneath the awning of a flower shop, smoking a cigarette and studying some sort of electronic device. As the redhead started towards him, he spotted another familiar figure making a beeline for the same destination.

Rodney.

The redhead snorted softly. "So _that's_ where he's been all night..." he said, more to himself than to Tres. The senior Turk nodded.

"Not _that_ surprising, to be honest. Pretty sure he lives somewhere around here. Probably heard the explosion and came here to help instead of goin' straight to headquarters for orders when he found out communications were down. Not exactly _protocol_ , but... I s'pose he _did_ technically report to Sato." He shook his head. "Either way... ignorin' protocol is Tseng's problem to deal with if Veld ends up pissed about it. Not mine."

As they drew closer, Sato glanced up and gave them a dismissive wave.

"Not ta worry... She's sleepin' now," he said, hefting the device in one hand. With the other, he stubbed out the cigarette against the wall of the flower shop.

"What about the second explosion the army's freakin' out about?" Tres asked, but Sato shook his head.

"Dunno. Heard it from here... but I was a wee bit preoccupied when it went off. Just finished up with this. 'Twas a real bitch ta disarm, too. I dunno if I'm impressed by this Istev fucker, or gettin' more 'n more pissed at him fer blowing shite up," he replied just as Rodney reached the little group, "Sent the rookie over to find out what's goin' on."

"It was outside of the Number 8 reactor," Rodney said with no further prompting, and Reno couldn't help but notice that he looked slightly pale... unusual for the normally cocky son of a bitch. He suddenly had a bad feeling about this. "They said... there are casualties. And at least one of them is a Turk."

Tres swore loudly. "Eight was Luca 'n Cissnei's assignment. What kinda 'casualties'? Hurt or killed?"

"... The field commander I spoke to didn't know for sure."

"Goddammit..." Tres grumbled.

"Tch... Well, what the hell are we doin' standin' around _here_ for?" Reno asked, "Bomb's taken care of, right? Let's _go_ already!"

"Calm your tits, kid," Tres replied, "If the army's swarmin' all over the scene, gettin' anywhere near it's gonna be a nightmare. Even for us." He glanced over at Rodney. "They takin' 'em to Midgar General?"

"Yes, sir," the other rookie said, nodding.

"Then that's where _we're_ goin'."

* * *

Her world was dark and filled with pain. It radiated up her right arm, a burning, searing sensation, worse than anything she'd ever felt before. Her skin felt raw and unnaturally tight across her forearm. She'd been told she'd been burned. It felt as though the limb had been flayed.

Hesitantly, she finally opened her eyes and looked down at the dressings that hid the damage from her, swallowing harshly at the sight and wondering just how bad it really was. Even with painkillers, there was little relief. It _had_ to have been bad for it to hurt so much.

Cissnei largely ignored the medical personnel that flitted in and out of her room. She'd only regained consciousness a short while ago, and she still wasn't quite sure what had happened. The last thing she remembered was incoming fire and Luca pushing her down onto the street. She must have smacked her head on the curb or something, because the next thing she knew, she was waking up here.

Here being Midgar General Hospital, apparently.

The attack had come out of nowhere. She hadn't even realized it was happening until Luca had yelled at her to get down. She'd been too focused on her prisoner. He'd almost certainly saved her life today. She wouldn't have been able to move in time... she was absolutely positive of it... and the next time she saw him, she was going to thank him profusely for what he'd done.

She just hoped that _Luca's_ injuries weren't too serious. There was no way he'd escaped unscathed, at any rate. He must have been right on top of her, shielding her from the blast. He was the reason she'd emerged with just a charbroiled arm, rather than a charbroiled face. And to be honest... she was getting a little worried. No one had told her anything about him or what sort of treatment he was getting or even what room he was in. Though, she supposed, they didn't necessarily have a _reason_ to do so. She was just a patient herself, and Luca wasn't technically family, no matter how she thought of her fellow Turks. She'd just have to be patient.

But being patient wasn't easy. She was desperate for information, and more than that... she was desperate for someone to come and tell her that everything was going to be alright. It was childish, she knew, but she couldn't help it. She was alone and hurt and she just wanted someone there with her. Rodney... Saya... Rude... _anyone_.

"Hey, guys! I found her!" an anxious voice shouted from the doorway, and Cissnei jumped slightly in surprise, turning her gaze in the direction of the proclamation... and nearly fainted in relief, seeing a familiar mop of red hair. Reno was waving, apparently at someone farther down the hallway, beckoning them towards him. A moment later, he abandoned that task and slipped into the room. "Fuckin' place is a goddamn _maze_ ," he said, grinning at her, "How ya doin', Cissnei?"

"A lot better _now_ ," she replied, smiling back at him, grateful to see a friendly face. Rodney and Sato were the next to arrive.

"Would you keep your voice down already?" Rodney muttered, "It's barely five in that morning and this is a _hospital_. Show a little courtesy to the other patients."

Reno rolled his eyes and pointedly ignored the other rookie.

"Sorry ta say we can't stay long," Sato said, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. "Communications're still down, 'n we'll be expected ta report in at headquarters 'fore long... but I fer one'll be glad ta be reportin' yer still in one piece."

"Thanks to Luca," said Cissnei, "Have you seen him yet? I think I was out for awhile, and they haven't told me much of anything."

Sato shook his head. " _These_ two idiots saw yer name on the board by the front desk 'n ran off ta go 'n find yeh themselves... so I volunteered ta rookie-sit while Tres talked ta the docs. He'll find his way back ta us eventually." 

"So what happened?" Rodney asked. "Our contact with the Shinra army said it was a second explosion."

Cissnei leaned back against her pillows. "I... I'm not _exactly_ sure, to be honest. One second, I'm taking our prisoner over to Luca's car... the next he's yelling at me to get down and there's a huge fireball coming right at me. He pushed me out of the way, and that's all I can remember. I must have been knocked out, because everything after that is a blank... until I woke up _here_."

"Well... yeh just lay back 'n rest up. Yeh _look_ in pretty good shape fer someone who was just blown up," Sato said, with a chuckle, "I'd wager yeh'll be outta here in no time."

"Docs agree with Sato," a new voice reported from the door, "They're gonna keep ya for a few hours in case you cracked your head harder than they thought 'n so they can pump you full of antibiotics to keep that burn from gettin' infected. Proabably 'til sometime this afternoon. Then you're free to go."

His tone was light, but something in his voice seemed off. And when Reno looked over at the senior Turk, she could tell that he could hear it, too. He seemed to stiffen slightly, as if preparing himself for bad news.

"What's up, Tres? What'd they have to say about Luca?" the redhead asked. Tres didn't say anything right away, letting his gaze drop to the floor for a moment before stealing himself. Sato got to his feet and looked over at him.

"It's bad, innit?" the Mideelian Turk said quietly. Tres ran a hand through his hair and nodded.

"... Luca... didn't make it."

"No..." Cissnei whispered, feeling herself go numb with shock at the words. Tres turned toward her with a sad expression.

"Talked to one of the other casualties out in the hall. Reactor security guard. Saw the whole thing, and took a chunk of shrapnel in the leg for his trouble. It was a rocket launcher. Blew up Luca's car from the roof of one of the nearby buildings," he said, swallowing harshly, "Explosion killed him _and_ your prisoner. He was still on top of you when help arrived."

Cissnei shook her head in denial. Luca _couldn't_ be dead. He just... couldn't be. She felt a hand take hold of hers and somewhat robotically glanced over to find Rodney looking down at her. She tried futilely to blink back tears, but they refused to be restrained, falling freely down her cheeks. For a moment, she felt as though she couldn't breathe.

"Rodney... Stay here with Cissnei. Let us know when the docs are ready to discharge her," Tres ordered, "The rest of us'll head back to base. The others will be startin' to regroup by now, and they'll need to be told."

"Y-yes, sir," the rookie stammered.

* * *

Reno stared silently out the window of Tres' car, as they made their way through largely abandoned streets towards the Shinra Building. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, it's soft pink and yellow hue beginning to illuminate the city. The rookie wasn't paying attention to that, however. All he could think about was Luca. And Cissnei.

He'd just stood there, useless, after Tres had broken the news to them. He didn't know what to say... or what to do. And then Cissnei'd started to cry and all he could think was that he didn't want to be there anymore. He wanted to leave. He wanted to be _anywhere_ but that room just then.

It was the tears that had done it. He couldn't stand seeing that. He'd seen it too many times before. His mother, when another one of her customers beat on her and left without paying... Lira, any time her dad got drunk and took his frustration with life in general out on her – before she'd finally had enough and told him to rot in hell on her way out the door, that is... Kel's grandmother when she realized that there was something or someone she should know but couldn't remember anymore...

It was excruciating for him, knowing that they were hurting, and there was nothing he could do about it. It made him want to run away so he didn't have to see that pain... as if not being able to see it might make it somehow cease to exist. But of course, he knew that wasn't the case, so he could never actually bring himself to run. All he could do was just stand there, frozen and _fucking_ useless. Every time.

And then there was Luca. He certainly hadn't forget about _him_... though he'd been trying his damnedest not to think about what had happened. Luca was a great guy. He'd always been friendly and quick to help the rookies out. He was good for a joke or even a serious conversation depending on what the situation called for. He was dedicated and just... a good friend.

Reno remembered the first time they'd met. He'd actually seemed rather impressed to learn that the rookie had given Rufus a taste of his own medicine on his first day at work. It had made him slightly less nervous about explaining that whole mess to anyone else who happened to ask, and Reno had liked him immediately.

And now he was gone.

"Hey... Ya still with us, rookie? You've been awfully quiet," Tres gently prodded him as they exited the freeway. The redhead pulled his gaze away from the scenery just long enough to nod.

"Aw, leave the kid be, Tres," Sato muttered from the back seat. "Ain't none o' us got much ta say right now."

The other senior Turk gave a noncommittal grunt, but let the attempt at conversation drop. As they were nearing Sector Zero, the street lights began to turn on, one after another, adding to the meager light of dawn.

"Power's comin' back on. Tch... Took 'em fuckin' long enough..." said Tres, "One of you check your PHS. See if service is back up, too."

Reno reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone, flipping it open. Still no signal.

"No such luck," he reported back.

"Give 'er a minute or two," Sato replied. "The towers dunnae come on immediately after a power outage. Takes 'em a wee bit ta get their computer's 'n shite goin' again. … 'least that's what Luca always told me."

The trio lapsed into silence for the duration of their trip back to headquarters.

* * *

Tseng was up early. Though to be honest, he really hadn't slept much anyway. Viridia had delivered on her promised list of names, and he and the others had spent most of the night clandestinely observing the soldiers _on_ it. Their duties shifts had been spread out from one end of the schedule to the other. Tseng had volunteered for the overnight watch., leaving Remy and Kai to get some rest.

They hadn't yet determined a link between any of the names and the captain's kidnapping and murder... but they _had_ ,at least, eliminated a fair few of their suspects. He'd be discussing the remaining names with Viridia. As soon as she was awake, that is. The woman was just as much an early riser as he himself was... but the hour was early even for _him_ this morning. He doubted it would be long, however. The sun was up now and soon she would be, too.

He was beginning to think that perhaps he should have forced himself to get back to work much sooner. The distraction of duty helped immeasurably. Perhaps, had he not spent so long lost in his own thoughts, he would not have fallen into such deep dismay and regret after Mayu had died. He still keenly felt her loss, as well as the pain of essentially being disowned by his entire family, but the longer he was back in his normal routine, the more bearable that loss seemed. Or, at the very least, he found himself dwelling less upon it.

His PHS chimed, and the Wutaiian Turk raised an eyebrow in somewhat hesitant curiosity as he retrieved the phone from his jacket's inner pocket. If Veld was contacting him _this_ early, it almost certainly meant that something had happened back in Midgar.

To his surprise – and no small amount of concern – the message _wasn't_ from his mentor, however. It was from Reno. For the _redhead_ to be contacting him at this hour... well, unless he was in jail again, and looking for bail money, whatever was going on must have been serious indeed.

His worry wasn't exactly assuaged by the short, rather ominous text message currently displayed on his phone's screen.

 _'Call me. Please.'_

* * *

The cell towers had come back online just as they'd pulled into the Shinra Building's parking deck. Tres and Sato had summoned Rude back from the security office immediately, then made it their sole task to contact everyone still in the field, starting with Veld, and summon them back to headquarters. Reno, meanwhile, had been dispatched to procure coffee and breakfast for them upon their return. The task didn't take him long... which had resulted in him slipping silently into his own little office while the others dealt with the events of the morning.

He _probably_ should have gone straight to Tres and asked him what he should do now... and if they'd been mid-crisis, he certainly would have, but by then the immediate threat was contained and they could manage for awhile without him. He just needed a few minutes of not being ordered to do anything. Just to sort out everything rampaging through his head.

Reno wished that Rude wasn't busy with his own tasks... He could really use a friend right about now. That in mind, and almost before he even realized he was doing it, he was composing a short message to Tseng. Just three little words. A plea.

The sun was barely up... his mentor probably wouldn't even see it for another hour or two... but his fingers seemed to be on autopilot.

The rookie quietly shut the office door behind him and leaned back against it, sliding to the floor and landing on the cool tile with a soft _thump_. He pulled his knees against his chest, and let his head rest against the door, gazing up at the ceiling as he took a long, slow breath in, and just as slowly exhaled, trying to banish the lump in his throat.

He jumped violently a moment later when his PHS rang, and dropped the little device in his shock. It clattered onto the floor beside him. For a few seconds, he could only stare at it in a sort of dazed confusion... and than he reached for it, answering the incoming call. Or trying to, at any rate. At just that moment, his voice didn't seem to work.

" _Reno... ?"_ Tseng's voice prodded, and the note of concern was readily apparent. _"Are you there? What's wrong?"_

The redhead blinked several times, trying to stave off the tears that were threatening to break free of his tenuous hold on them... before finally deciding that he didn't give a shit and let them fall.

"... He's dead," Reno finally managed, in something between a whisper and a sob, "Luca's dead..."

~end chapter 79~


	80. Mourning

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 80: Mourning**

 **by Desha**

The rain seemed entirely too appropriate. It certainly matched _Reno's_ mood that morning, at any rate, and if he'd had to venture a guess, he'd have said that the others were of much the same mindset.

Luca hadn't had a _large_ family to mourn his passing... but those few relatives he did have all turned up for the funeral. Even his elderly grandfather, whom the redhead had briefly met during their mission to Icicle Inn, had come... though the rookie hadn't spoken to him much beyond expressing his condolences. It was more than clear that the old man was heartbroken over his grandson's death.

He'd met Luca's elder sister as well... and her two children... though it was a very short meeting. She was quite blatantly cold towards _all_ of the Turks, but particularly Veld, and had pointedly herded her kids away from them at the first opportunity, steering them towards some people that the rookie understood to be Luca's aunt and cousins. Reno, for one, didn't hold it against her. He'd have probably been angry, too, in her position. She'd just lost a brother. Her two little boys had just lost an uncle. Shay had mentioned in passing that the woman had never been overly fond of her brother's choice of profession. And in the end, his profession was what had gotten him killed.

Yeah... _he'd_ have been pissed, too.

He'd barely heard two words of the graveside service, too lost in his own thoughts to really pay more than the bare minimum amount of attention. Aaron's death had certainly been painful, but it hadn't hit him quite _this_ hard. It had happened so soon after he'd been recruited, and Aaron had spent so much time outside of Midgar during that period, that really, he hadn't had time to develop much of a relationship with the late Turk... something he _still_ regretted.

But Luca... he'd really gotten to know _Luca_. The man had become a fixture in his life, and there was now a gaping hole where he'd once been. Even now, four days later, a part of him still expected to see him walking into the morning briefing everyday, and was crushed when reality set in and he realized that he wouldn't be.

And he knew he wasn't the only one who felt that way... which made the loss just a tiny bit more bearable.

Cissnei, in particular, had been quiet and withdrawn since her release from the hospital, and the redhead got the impression that it had a lot to do with the fact that Luca had died saving her life. That had to be one hell of a burden to bear, knowing that you were only alive because someone else had sacrificed themselves for you.

Rodney, too, was unusually subdued... and Reno had been a little surprised to realize that the reason for it was, apparently, his concern for Cissnei. At first, he'd thought he was just imagining things. But no... the obnoxiously cocky rookie seemed genuinely empathetic in this instance, and had been hovering protectively near the other rookie for days now.

Rude, meanwhile, had expressed his feelings by beating the ever-living crap out of at least two heavy bags in the training hall. He seemed a bit better afterwards.

And then there was Tseng. Reno had half-expected a repeat of the day Mayu had died... to the point that he'd almost immediately regretted contacting him in the aftermath of the attacks. He'd been so wrapped up in himself that he hadn't taken the time to consider how it might affect his mentor... especially having it sprung on him without any warning like that. He _still_ couldn't get a good read on the man. He was deeply affected, Reno was certain, but it wasn't the all-consuming sorrow he'd seen following Mayu's death.

He'd taken the news surprisingly well, in fact... or at least as far as Reno had been able to tell over the phone. It was a little hard to be sure when all he'd had to go on had been the Turk lieutenant's voice. Tseng had taken great care to ensure that his rookie was faring alright, and comfort him as best he could given the physical distance between them at the time. And it wasn't that Reno wasn't grateful for that... but he still worried that his mentor's apparent calm in the face of this new tragedy was largely an act put on for _his_ benefit.

The conversation had left him... conflicted. He was torn between his devastation over the loss of a good friend, and his nagging suspicion that Tseng wasn't really as calm and collected as he seemed. Trapped between mourning one loss, and worrying that said loss might undo the stability Tseng seemed to have regained since his return from Wutai. The missing members of the team had only come back from Junon yesterday... and Reno had been watching him closely every chance he got.

But if he _was_ in danger of slipping back into that deep despair, Tseng was doing a damned good job of hiding it this time around.

"Reno?"

Rude's voice startled him out of his thoughts and the redhead realized that he'd been staring blankly at the casket in front of them for quite some time now. The service had concluded, and the gathering was slowly breaking up... including his friend who'd started to move off, carrying the umbrella he'd been sharing with his fellow rookie, only to realize after a few steps that the younger teen wasn't following him. Reno hurried back under the meager shelter, ignoring the rainwater now dripping down his face. Rude's arm wrapped around his shoulders as he lead him towards the cemetery gates, back to where their various vehicles were parked.

"You alright?" he asked as they walked, trailing the rest of the group.

"Fuck no, I'm not alright," Reno replied, annoyed, " _No one's_ fuckin' 'alright' right now."

"..."

"Sorry..." the redhead amended, somewhat sheepishly. It wasn't fair to take his shitty mood out on his friend.

"Don't be. That was stupid thing to ask."

"You hear anything about the son of a bitch who did it yet?" the redhead asked. The person who'd blown up Luca's car – and subsequently Luca himself – had vanished in the confusion. A security camera had caught a glimpse of them, but the image wasn't the greatest. Still... Tres and Rude were using every resource at their disposal to attempt to track them down. Thus far, they hadn't had much success, and Reno had tried his best to refrain from asking for details... even though he was anxious to see the fucker caught... because he knew that they were getting that same question from everyone _else_ on the team, too.

Rude shook his head miserably.

"The guy's just vanished. _All_ of them have. We can't find a trace of _any_ Wutaiian agents anywhere in Midgar all of a sudden. Tres doesn't know if they've pulled out of the city, or if they've gone so deep underground we just can't find them. And he's _pissed_ about it, too."

"Bastards..." the redhead muttered. Fucking cowards is what they were. Blast a guy with a goddamn rocket launcher, and then slink back into the shadows.

"You coming over to Veld's place or do you want me to drop you off at home?" Rude asked as they neared the gates. The Turk leader had invited everyone to his home following the funeral... A chance to finally commiserate with their fellow Turks. The remainder of the work week had been such a flurry of activity for all of them that no one had really had the opportunity to do so yet.

"... Yeah. I'm comin'. Tch... All I'd end up doin' at home is sittin' around feelin' like shit anyway. 'Least at Veld's I won't be the only one."

Rude nodded in agreement, and the pair headed for his truck in silence.

* * *

Tseng quietly entered his apartment, fingers automatically loosening his tie as he dropped into his armchair. Keeping it together at the funeral had been... difficult, to say the least. He'd _thought_ he'd be alright, initially, but when the time had come to actually leave for the service, he'd very nearly reconsidered going at all. In the end, though... Luca was his family, and he couldn't be absent for this. He knew he'd ultimately regret it.

But there was no way he'd make it through Veld's little gathering afterwards. He didn't even bother to try, opting instead to bow out as gracefully as possible and head home.

None of this was his fault. Logically, he knew that. Luca had been following orders and had simply wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time. He'd been forced into an impossible choice between himself and Cissnei, and he'd chosen Cissnei. It was a truly noble sacrifice and Tseng would have expected no less from the amiable young man.

And yet, guilt still nagged at the Turk lieutenant. If he hadn't been wasting his time in Junon – which, he was forced to admit, he had been... the traitor _had_ been located, but it was because of Viridia and her forces, not the Turks – would Luca have even been sent to that particular reactor? Or if, instead, Tseng had been there in Cissnei's place, would Luca still be dead? They were questions he knew had no answer... but that didn't change the fact that he'd lost yet another member of his family. Nor did it make him wonder any less whether or not it could have been prevented if only he'd been there.

'If only' seemed to be becoming something of a regular thing for him. If only he'd been in Midgar instead of Junon. If only he'd disobeyed Veld and warned his sister to stay away from Sector 3. If only he hadn't suggested that Leviathan-be-damned attack in the first place. Luca might still be alive. His sister might still be alive. His family might not hate him. The countless people in Wutai falling to Shinra forces might still be alive, too, given that his idea to preemptively attack the train station had been the trigger for this war.

And that was yet _another_ concern for him. He knew that at least _some_ of his brothers, and likely various cousins and other relatives, were fighting in said war. He knew that his father was openly supporting Lord Godo against Shinra. And he knew that the odds were high that one or more of them might _also_ end up dead before this was all over.

And that would be his fault, too. His father may have despised him... and other relatives likely shared that sentiment... but he still loved _them_ very much.

He'd been a fool to think that merely getting back to work would be enough to make him forget what he'd done. What he'd lost. Arrogant to think he could move past it so easily. And it was _also_ his own arrogance that had brought it about. It seemed it was going to cost him even more, the longer this went on.

His thoughts immediately turned to Reno. If something happened to _him_ , Tseng would undeniably be to blame, no matter _what_ the circumstances. He'd recruited him to begin with and he was _personally_ responsible for whatever happened to that boy as a result. At the time, such considerations hadn't concerned him in the least... and he felt slightly sick now when he realized just how little the redhead's life had actually meant to him when he'd first brought him on board. The deep bond he'd developed with his rookie didn't change the fact that, for short while at least, he'd been little more than a means to an end. A way to prove himself to his mentor. Now, though...

Reno was, perhaps, the most important thing he had left now. The thought of any harm befalling him left him cold and terrified. It would be as bad, or possibly even worse, than losing Mayu. It would destroy him so completely there would be no coming back from it.

And they were in the middle of a goddamned war. One that his rookie was expected to be directly involved in.

* * *

Reno leaned back into the couch cushions, a beer in hand, watching as Esme busied herself with seeing to the needs of her husband's Turks. The woman seemed to be on a personal mission to ensure that each one of them was comfortable and made to feel welcome. He was pretty sure Felicia was around _somewhere_ as well... but the girl had yet to show herself.

He could guess why. It was a weird feeling knowing that someone had died. You didn't know quite what to say or how to act. You weren't sure if venting your frustration and sadness to others would garner sympathy or just make everyone look at you like you were being an overly dramatic idiot. And you walked on eggshells, worried that something you might say might make this harder than it already was for someone else.

At least... that's how _he_ felt.

The cushion to his right dipped slightly as Saya took a seat next to the rookie and she gently pulled him into a warm embrace.

"Poor thing... Yeh look as though yeh don't quite know what ta do with yerself," she said, fingers toying with his hair. She pulled back a moment later, just enough to look him in the face, and smiled slightly. "We all miss him. Nothin' ta be ashamed of."

Reno sighed softly and looked up at her. "Saya?" he asked, "Does it ever get easier? Losin' someone like this?"

"'Fraid not, love," she replied, shaking her head. "And I wish I could tell yeh that it's a rarity. But I can't. Fact is, there aren't many Turks who'll live long enough ta retire. Luca knew that. We come in ta work everyday knowin' we might not make it home."

The redhead snorted softly and folded his arms over his chest. "Tch... so what's the point of bein' a 'family' if we're all just gonna die anyway," he muttered. Saya ran a hand through his hair, gently fondling the ponytail at the base of his skull and chuckled quietly.

"As my cousin likes ta say... we're all dying. Some o' us'll just end up in the ground sooner'n the rest," she replied, "Sweetie, no one... Turk or otherwise... knows when the end might come. Yeh can either live yer life alone so yeh never get hurt, or yeh can let others in, and be happy in whatever time yeh have with 'em. Up ta yeh... but I know which one _I_ prefer. I'd rather have known Luca 'n lost him than ta never have known him at all."

"... Yeah."

She was right. Luca was an awesome guy, and Reno was glad to have been able to call him a friend. And... he knew what it was like to be alone. Being alone sucked. It sucked even more than _this_.

"Dear Odin, yeh two are depressin'," Sato groused, as he made his way over to them, drink in one hand. With his free hand, he ruffled the rookie's hair and grinned. "Come on... Luca wouldn't've wanted us cryin' over him. He'd want us to celebrate his life. Not mourn his death."

He raised his bottle and turned to the others in the room.

"Ta Luca!" he proclaimed, "Bloody amazin' friend, 'n one helluva Turk."

Several of the others likewise raised their various drinks and murmured in agreement, and Sato shook his head in mock disgust.

"Oh, fer... _That_ was fuckin' _pathetic_. Come on, yeh bastards... pull a little feelin' inta it!"

A chorus of "To Luca!" went up around the room, followed by a ripple of laughter as some of the tension in the room began to ease. Sato rolled his eyes and took a seat on the opposite side of the rookie.

"Hmph... I'm just gonna put this out there right now. Fer _my_ funeral, I don't wanna see any 'o yeh sobbin' or sulkin'. I want a goddamned _party_... with booze 'n strippers... 'n _fireworks_. If somethin' don't blow up by the end of it, I'll come back 'n haunt every last one o' yeh."

"I am _not_ hirin' strippers fer a funeral," Saya groaned, "Not even _yers_."

* * *

Despite the eventual levity of the post-funeral get together, when Monday came, a morose fog had settled over the office. Luca's absence seemed to be felt by everyone, and they all tried to avoid mentioning it. Following his morning training, Reno made his way into the lounge for a quick refill on his coffee... only to find Sato seated at the table, a plethora of electronic components spread out in front of him.

"What's all that?" the rookie asked, curious. The senior Turk glanced up at him and smirked.

"The bomb I pulled outta that power junction over in Eight last week. What's left o' her, anyway."

"... Uhh... is that... ya know... _safe_?" he asked, a hesitant note in his voice. It was common knowledge that the man liked to play around with explosives in the office... but typically, they were _small_ charges, that wouldn't do too much damage if they accidentally went off. _This_ thing was meant to take out part of a city block, for Ifrit's sake!

"Nothin' ta worry 'bout. She's sleepin' sound. Couldn't go off even if she wanted ta."

He had his doubts on that. After all, Sato had likewise assured him that setting off his 'noise maker' would just result in a very loud boom. Instead, it had taken out Rude's ceiling. The rookie shook his head.

"So what're ya doin' with it?" he asked.

"Learnin'," Sato replied. "It's another one 'o Istev's, no doubt. All his bombs have a signature o' sorts. This'un's a wee bit different from others 'o his I've seen, though. Istev usually likes remotes. Here, he used a timer... 'n it failed on 'im. Been tryin' ta figure out _why_ it failed."

"Tch... does it matter?"

Sato shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. If nothin' else, it'll give me a better idea how ta disarm the next one. And yeh can rest assured... unless we take the son of a cripshay out, they'll _be_ a next one."

"Reno... I need you in my office, please," Remy said, poking her head through the open door. The redhead shrugged and left Sato to his bomb dismantling, quickly following the senior Turk out into the hallway and down to her office.

"What's up?" he asked, as she shut the door behind them.

"With Cissnei out of the field until her arm heals, Rufus is going to need a new escort. Rude's still on medical restriction, and the vice president has categorically stated that he will _not_ tolerate Rodney. Tseng is handling it for today, but he can't play bodyguard indefinitely. So... you're up, starting tomorrow."

The redhead stared at her for a moment, surprised. "Uhh... Thought I wasn't allowed anywhere near his secretary anymore," he ventured, as diplomatically as possible. He _definitely_ didn't want a repeat of his run-in with Director Faine... but Remy shook her head.

"That's no longer an issue. He fired her this morning, apparently," she replied. "Additionally, Rufus will be traveling mid-week to Kalm. You'll be part of his security detail for _that_ as well."

"The fuck's he doin' goin' to Kalm right _now_?" the redhead asked, surprised. It certainly wasn't an ideal time for anyone with the last name Shinra to be traveling anywhere. Not even to the sleepy little town east of Midgar.

"War or not, Shinra Company is still a business. And Rufus was in the middle of negotiating the building of a new reactor in Corel. The President wants that deal settled so that as soon as the situation in Wutai has been dealt with, we can begin building it. Leadership from the town, however, has refused to come to Midgar after the recent attacks on the city, and we're certainly not sending Rufus all the way to Corel, even under heavy guard. Kalm was a compromise."

"... 'kay, guess I'm babysittin' tomorrow, then," said Reno, "Got anything for me this afternoon?"

"Yes, actually..." Remy replied, and the rookie could hear the hesitation in her voice, "But... you don't have to do it if you'd rather not. It's technically Tseng's responsibility. It's just that his hands are a bit full at the moment, and so are mine..."

Reno's eyebrow rose in suspicion. "What is it?"

Remy sighed softly.

"... Someone... needs to clean out Luca's office. Gather up his notes, file any completed reports, pack up any personal items so we can return them to his family... That sort of thing." She paused for a moment, before hastily adding, "As I said... you don't _have_ to do it. It's not really an immediate priority. It... well, it can wait until either Tseng or myself have time to see to it. But it would be greatly appreciated."

The redhead swallowed sharply but nodded.

"Y-yeah. I can do that."

He really didn't _want_ to... but if he didn't, Tseng would probably end up getting stuck with it, and after his disappearing act following the funeral, he wasn't so sure the Turk lieutenant would be up for it any time soon.

"Thank you," Remy said, gratefully.

* * *

Reno had been standing outside the door to Luca's office, clutching an empty cardboard box, for nearly a solid minute now. The whole time, he'd been telling himself to just get it the fuck over with and go in, but somehow it just wasn't that simple. There was a certain finality to this. As if he were somehow erasing the last of Luca's existence from headquarters. It felt wrong.

But it had to be done, and he'd told Remy that he'd handle it.

At last, he pushed the door open and slipped inside, turning on the lights. No one had been in here since last week, and everything was just the way Luca had left it. The rookie set the box on the floor next to the desk, and took a seat in the chair behind it.

Luca had been a bit of a computer nerd in his spare time, and a small pile of tech magazines bore witness to that. They were the first items Reno tucked into the box reserved for the Turk's personal items, followed swiftly by the little collection of anime and gaming figurines lined up on top of his computer monitor. He recognized one of them as the Master Sergeant figure from the Aurora video game series that Reno had given him for his most recent birthday. It was a game Luca had introduced him to, and had quickly become one of his favorites.

He had a feeling it was going to be weird playing it for awhile.

Several reports were stacked neatly in a little outbox on one side of the desk, and the redhead stuffed them into a folder to take back to his own office for data entry and eventual filing. After that, he turned to the drawers, opening them one at a time and sorting through the items inside. Luca's notes joined the reports on the corner of the desk. Office supplies and a few stray boxes of ammunition were set aside to be redistributed to the rest of the team. Still more of the late Turk's personal possessions went into the box. That became Reno's routine for nearly twenty minutes, and though he made a valiant attempt at doing so dispassionately, it gradually became harder and harder.

So much so that when he reached the second to last drawer, he had to stop. Inside were several loose photos, and underneath them, a large album. Apparently, Luca hadn't found time to add them to the book. He flipped through a few pages, realizing that they were all pictures of the team, and honestly wasn't sure if it should go in the box, or stay here, at headquarters. It was certainly personal... but judging by the way Luca's sister had looked at them the other day, he somehow doubted she'd appreciate having it. Assuming she didn't just destroy it at the first opportunity.

A moment later, he was forced to wipe his eyes with the back of his hand, before his emotions got the better of him, and finally set the photo album with the stack of reports. If Tseng or Remy or whoever was in charge of returning the items thought it should go to Luca's family, he'd let _them_ make that decision.

He just couldn't.

~end chapter 80~


	81. Out of the Office

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 81: Out of the Office**

 **by Desha**

"Don't bother sitting down," Rufus huffed, and brushed past the rookie Turk just as he was walking into the Vice President's office the following morning. Reno did a quick about face, falling into step beside the executive. His charge pressed the button for the roof.

"Uh... Where are we goin', sir?"

Rufus snorted softly in contempt. "Ugh... That blasted meeting in Kalm," he muttered, sourly, in response, "Father wants me to gain some additional insight on the reactors before I continue negotiations, so we're going for a little _tour_ of one."

"... Is that such a good idea, sir?" the redhead asked, "We, uh... we still haven't confirmed that the guys who just tried to blow 'em up are outta the city yet."

"Hmph... hence why we're heading to the roof and not the parking deck." The elevator chimed at their destination and the pair stepped out into the warm summer air, making their way towards the large executive helicopter. Reno had only flown in _that_ beast once... on his first trip to Junon. And he'd _never_ actually piloted it.

Thankfully, it turned out that he wasn't going to need a crash course in doing so quite yet. A pilot was already waiting for them upon arrival. Reno followed Rufus into the back of the aircraft and settled into one of the plush leather seats. For a few moments the pair lapsed into an awkward silence. It was Rufus who finally broke it.

"I heard about last week's... loss," he said, in a rather clipped voice, as though struggling to maintain the expected level decorum while at the same time attempting to restrain his usual snide inflection. Reno wasn't quite sure what sort of answer was expected of him, so he merely responded with a nod of acknowledgment. Rufus turned his gaze to the window for a few seconds as the helicopter lifted into the air, before suddenly returning his sole attention to the redhead. "Is Tseng alright?" he blurted out, unexpectedly.

Reno blinked in surprise and stammered . "I... uh... he's... Why are you _askin'_ exactly?" he finally managed. "He say somethin' about it to ya yesterday?"

"Not in so many words, no. But _something_ was certainly odd about his behavior," Rufus replied, "And though it _pains_ me to admit that I must go through _you_ of all people for information... you spend far more time in his company than I do of late..."

The redhead sighed quietly. "So... you noticed it, too, huh?" he replied. Tseng had been... well, it was a little hard to put his finger on it, really. He wasn't withdrawn. He wasn't visibly upset. Hell, he wasn't even overcompensatingly happy, as if he were trying to cover up whatever was going through his head. He just wasn't quite... normal. Not since the funeral. Maybe not since Luca's death, and Reno just hadn't caught on immediately.

"I have, indeed. Luca is hardly the first Turk to die," Rufus stated... rather bluntly, in the redhead's opinion, and he did his best not to be annoyed by it. "But Tseng has never seemed quite so... off... before. I'd almost venture to say that he was distracted all day yesterday, and Tseng is _never_ distracted."

"I don't know what's goin' on with him," Reno sighed, "Ya want my best guess, though, I think he's still dealin' with what happened to his sister, 'n Luca gettin' killed just opened up the wound again."

The vice president scoffed and rolled his eyes. "That happened _months_ ago," he sneered. Reno glared back at him.

"Not even _two_ months yet," he ground out, but Rufus merely waved a dismissive hand.

"Semantics..." he replied, "My point is that he's had more than enough time to get over that."

"Yeah?" the redhead said, coldly, "How long did it take _you_ to get over your _mom_ gettin' gunned down like a fuckin' dog?"

Rufus suddenly lunged at him seizing him roughly by the collar of his shirt, his face only inches from Reno's.

"You _will not_ speak of my mother like that, you vile little slum rat!"

The rookie Turk didn't say anything. He just continued to look the older boy dead in the eye until Rufus finally released him and sat back in his seat a furious expression on his face.

"Yeah... I know. That was a low blow, and I'm an asshole for sayin' it," the redhead said at last. "I'm guessin' you _never_ really got over that. I know I sure as fuck never got over _my_ mom dyin'. Tseng 'n his sister were close. He's not just gonna suddenly forget about the fact that somethin' _he_ did got her killed."

The young executive continued to glower at the Turk... but after a moment, his expression faded to one that was more contemplative than angry. It was quite some time before he spoke again.

"So... what do we do about it?"

"Tch... fuck if I know," Reno replied. When Rufus shot another glare in his direction, he returned it, folding his arms over his chest. "What? I look like a goddamn psychiatrist to you? I. Don't. Know. … Okay? I'm worried about him, too, but I don't fuckin' _know_ what to do to fix this shit! I don't have all the goddamn answers!"

The redhead suddenly realized that his charge was looking at him, shock etched clearly on his face... and maybe even a little bit of dejection. Reno took a deep breath, releasing it slowly in an effort to calm down.

"... Sorry, sir," he said a moment later. They weren't going to accomplish anything fighting with one another. And as big a pain in the ass as Rufus could be, he knew the vice president cared about Tseng and wanted him to be alright just as much as Reno did. By then, however, the helicopter was descending towards a small landing pad on top of Reactor No. 1. Rufus peered out the window and quickly schooled his expression.

"We'll have to continue this discussion later," he said, "Hopefully, this waste of time won't take up my _entire_ day."

* * *

Tseng was settled in his office, a mug of tea steaming unobtrusively on his desk as he leafed through the collection of unfiled reports Reno had retrieved yesterday from Luca's office. There really weren't that many. The Turk had always been good at keeping up with his paperwork. His notes, likewise, were neat and organized, detailing all of his recent assignments. _Those_ might take a bit longer to go through. Tseng would have to compare them with already entered reports, as well as those in the other stack of papers, and determine what, if anything, needed to be formally added to the Turks' records.

He could probably have just have Cissnei do it. The rookie was temporarily sidelined due to her injury, and likely eager for something to do... but she also seemed to be taking Luca's death quite hard. He suspected it was survivor's guilt. He had died and she had lived. Tseng knew how unfair that could feel. Thrusting his notes and reports on her might not be the kindest thing to do right now.

For the time being, though, he set them aside and turned to the box of items to be returned to Luca's family. Ostensibly, he had to double check it just to make sure that nothing classified had made its way into the collection... but he trusted Reno's judgment on that. It was more morbid curiosity that drove him to snoop through the box.

And, perhaps, the desire for one last connection with his friend.

On top was a photo album, with a note protruding from its pages. Remy's handwriting, noting that his rookie had been unsure of what to do with this particular item. Tseng understood why as soon as he opened it. The album seemed to be dedicated exclusively to his Turk brethren, with pictures dating all the way back to Luca's days as a rookie over six years ago. Tseng had never even known he kept such a record of his second family.

He leafed through it briefly and it was almost as if he were watching him progress from new recruit to full fledged Turk all over again. It ended with several snapshots taken during Reno's most recent birthday party, and some additional loose photos of various events after that, tucked into the back, not yet secured beneath the protective plastic of the pages.

He snapped it shut and set it on his desk. A part of him felt guilty for wanting to keep it. After all, there were many photos of Luca that resided amongst those of the rest of the Turks, and his family might want to have them. But at the same time, that book enshrined Luca's _other_ family. It was tangible evidence of just how important they'd all been to him.

It would stay here, he quickly decided. Perhaps on the shelf in the lounge, where everyone could have access to it. They deserved that much, at least... didn't they?

* * *

Reno did his best to suppress the yawn he felt coming on, but wasn't _entirely_ successful in the endeavor. Dear _Ifrit_ , he'd never been so bored. The initial tour of the reactor was actually pretty cool... even if it _had_ been overly long. He'd gotten to see a lot of stuff he'd had to rush past when he and Tres were clearing Number 6 reactor last week. Lot's of machinery and turbines and pipes... not to mention the control room. But after the tour had wound down, he and Rufus had been lead to a small conference room where a man – wearing what had to have been the thickest damn glasses in existence – had begun to lecture them on the hows and whys of mako as an energy source.

It was a whole lot of very long, very scientific sounding words that Reno didn't have the faintest idea what they meant... and the asshole didn't seem to be in the mood to define them. Actually, he didn't seem to be in the mood to even pause for a breath. He just rambled on and on and on... and _on_. After awhile, the Turk had been forced to either tune him out for the most part, or succumb to the desire to fall asleep.

Rufus made a faint sound next to him, drawing the rookie's attention back to his charge... and Reno quickly realized that the vice president _had_ , in fact, fallen asleep. The sound appeared to have been a very quiet snore. Reno smirked and elbowed him sharply in the side, startling the executive awake. If their lecturer noticed, he didn't give any indication of it... he simply continued on, in the same droning monotone he'd been using for...

Reno glanced down at his watch.

… the last two _hours_? Seriously? He bit back a groan, wondering just how much more the guy had to say on the subject of mako reactors, and looked over at Rufus.

"This is _intolerable_..." the vice president muttered under his breath as he sat up slightly in his seat. A moment later, he was on his feet. "I've heard enough."

The reactor employee paused just long enough for their tour guide, who'd been hanging out in the back corner of the room, to get a word in.

"Er... um... thank you, Arlin. You can get back to the monitoring room, now," he said. The other man blinked owlishly from behind his thick lenses and awkwardly shuffled off towards the door, mumbling something about 'just about to get to the good part', and Reno allowed himself a brief sigh of relief. "I _am_ sorry if that was a little on the dry side, sir. But... er... the President _did_ ask us to be thorough..."

"That was _more_ than thorough," Rufus replied, dryly, "Was there anything else planned for this tour?"

"I... No, sir. I think you've seen just about everything the facility has to offer."

Rufus nodded and turned on his heel so fast that Reno very nearly tripped over himself as he scrambled to his feet and hurried after him. He didn't speak again until they were back aboard the helicopter.

"Four Ramuh-forsaken hours," he hissed, a scowl firmly embedded on his face, "Half my _day_ wasted on this..."

The copter lifted into the air once more and Reno leaned back in his seat.

"Coulda been worse, sir," he shrugged.

"How?" Rufus asked with a snort of contempt.

"Coulda got stuck with Rodney as your escort today instead of me," he grinned.

The vice president rolled his eyes. "Unlikely. I made it _very_ clear to Veld that he was not to be assigned to me again until his attitude improves. Which, if I am _any_ judge of character at all, will be exactly... never."

"Um... If it's not outta line to ask, sir... what the fuck did Rodney _do_ to piss ya off so bad?"

"Do? Nothing," Rufus replied, "He didn't have to _do_ anything. It became more than obvious within the first five minutes of being stuck with that obsequious little toad that he's little more than a manipulative, self-serving, yes-man. My father relishes surrounding himself with such useless cannon-fodder. _I_ do not."

Reno snickered quietly. "Yeah... he _is_ kind of a brown-noser, isn't he?"

"That term hardly even begins to describe him. Had he sucked up to me any harder, I'm quite certain he would have eventually managed to invert himself. It was pathetic. I much preferred the other one Veld sent," said Rufus, "She, at least, seemed genuinely dedicated to doing her job rather than advancing her career... as well as passably intelligent. And she is _far_ less irritating than _you_ are."

"Ya know, I think that's about the nicest thing I've ever heard you say about _anyone_ , sir. Heh... well, anyone who wasn't Tseng."

The other boy shook his head and gazed out the window. "I wasn't trying to be 'nice'. I was merely stating a fact. And incidentally, you are _easily_ the most irritating individual I've ever had the displeasure of having to interact with. I had to dismiss a perfectly good secretary just to ensure your presence today." Before Reno could fully process that statement, Rufus' eyes suddenly narrowed and his full and undivided attention was directed to the outside of the aircraft. He pressed the intercom button on the little console embedded on the wall. "Where in Ramuh's name are you _going_? I specifically told you to take us straight back to company headquarters!"

Reno twisted in his seat to get a better view outside of the aircraft, and felt his stomach sink in response to what he saw. They'd _started off_ heading for the office... he was sure of that. But at some point, the pilot had made a wide turn – so wide he hadn't even felt it happening – towards the south side of the city. By now, they were rapidly approaching the edge of the Plate once again.

"I _want_ an answer!" Rufus continued to demand when his previous inquiry was met with silence from the cockpit. A moment later, there was a loud crackle, followed by a hiss, and the speaker went dead. The sinking sensation in his gut noticeably increased and Reno got to his feet, moving toward the door that separated passengers from crew. He pulled hard on the handle, and found it locked.

" _Fuck_..." he muttered as the most likely scenario for what was happening began to take shape in his mind.

"What is this? What's happening?" the vice president asked, a faint note of panic in the young man's voice.

"I... uh... kinda hate to say this, but... I think you mighta just been kidnapped." Reno reached into his jacket for his PHS and flipped it open, only to discover that there was no signal. "Oh, _come_ on... Again?!" He turned to Rufus. "I got no service. Try yours."

The vice president reached into his pocket for his phone, only to freeze, and then begin patting himself down, searching for the device. A moment later, he visibly cringed.

"I... seem to have left it at the office."

"Oh, _terrific_..." Reno muttered, shoving his own currently useless PHS back where it had come from. Of course, if he couldn't get a signal on _his_ phone, Rufus probably couldn't either – and that was probably by design... these assholes had knocked out communications once before, already – but still... it was the principle of the thing, dammit! Tseng had been on Rufus' case, well... pretty much since Reno'd been recruited, and even more so since things between Shinra and Wutai had begun to get bad... to make sure to always have his phone on him.

"What do we do now?!" Rufus asked.

To be honest... Reno had absolutely no idea _what_ standard protocol was for dealing with enemy combatants hijacking a helicopter and kidnapping the vice president. Calling in backup was, obviously, not an option at the moment. They had no means of communication. The door to the outside had a manual override, he knew. It could be opened from within in case of an emergency... but they were hundreds of feet in the air right now. It wasn't as if they could just hop out and make a run for it.

That only left the option of trying to take control of the aircraft back from their pilot. Reno internally groaned. Even if he _could_ get through the cockpit door, and even if he managed to take the guy out without getting shot himself... he _still_ wasn't certified on this type of helicopter. But then, he supposed, a rough, improvised landing was probably better than ending up prisoners of the Wutaiians.

Not that _he_ was likely to be taken prisoner. Rufus was the only one with any value to them. Reno, on the other hand, was entirely expendable, and would probably have a bullet in his head about thirty seconds after they got wherever the fuck they were going.

"Fuck... Okay. _You_ , get as far to the back of this thing as you can get, and put anything solid you can find between you 'n the cockpit," the redhead said, drawing his gun and checking the magazine.

"And just what are _you_ going to do?" demanded Rufus.

"I'm gonna try real hard not to kill us _both_."

"How _very_ reassuring..." the executive deadpanned, but he hurried to duck behind the farthest row of seats, nonetheless.

* * *

"Hey. How's the arm feeling?" Rude asked, taking a seat beside Cissnei at the Turks' usual cafeteria table. Medical had finally let him rid himself of the crutches. His wound was still healing, but it wouldn't be _too_ much longer before he was back to a hundred percent. He was even allowed back in the training hall starting tomorrow, provided he started out easy.

"It's not so bad," she replied, "The doctor said there will probably be some scarring, but there's no nerve damage, and it's not nearly as painful as it was a week ago..." She smiled faintly as she noticed his newly regained mobility. "It looks like you're doing better, too."

"Getting there. I'm hoping Tres will give me something other than paperwork to do this afternoon."

Cissnei sighed. "I know what you mean. I feel so completely useless right now." She paused for a moment before adding, "... Not that I was much use last week _before_ I got hurt."

Rude shook his head. "Don't say that."

"Why not? It's true. I did nothing. Nothing! I just stood there like an idiot until Luca pushed me down. And look what happened."

"It wasn't your fault."

"I know. I just..." she sighed heavily and let her gaze drop to her largely untouched plate. "Why him and not _me_? Not that I'm not glad to be here, but... I can't help feeling like I didn't earn it. It's not _fair_ that I get to live and Luca... doesn't."

Rude was silent for a moment, considering his words carefully before he finally answered her. "Life isn't fair. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and all you can do is watch," he replied, "And sometimes bad things happen, and you _can_ do something... like Luca did."

"I guess so," Cissnei said. She glanced up at him. "Would you do something like that?"

The other rookie shrugged. "Don't know. I don't think anyone can know for _sure_ until they're in that situation."

She managed a faint smile. "Luca didn't even hesitate," she mused, and then the smile faded, "I don't know if I could have done what he did if our positions had been reversed. It's sort of expected of us, though, isn't it? I always thought... I just instinctively understood what that meant. It was just a given. Something a Turk had to accept. And then I lived through it, and I'm not so sure I really understood that sort of sacrifice at _all_ before now."

"I –" Rude began, only to be interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice calling to them.

"Rude! Cissnei!" Shay yelled as he tore across the cafeteria towards them. He reached their table slightly out of breath, and looking somewhat frantic. "Veld sent me to find you guys and tell you to get back upstairs. Now. Cell communication just dropped all over the Plate again. We think it's the start of another attack."

The pair immediately abandoned their lunches and hurried after the senior Turk, heading back to the fifty-eighth floor. When they arrived, they found most of the team convened in the briefing room. Notably absent from the meeting were Tres and Reno. The former made his appearance moments later, striding through the door with what looked like several printouts of status reports from the various monitoring stations around the city.

"Where's Reno?" Cissnei queried, more to Rude than to the room at large... but apparently her voice carried, because Tseng looked up at the mention of his rookie's name.

"With the vice president. Unfortunately, we're not entirely certain where that _is_ at the moment," he replied, and Rude could plainly hear the worried undertone to his reply.

~end chapter 81~


	82. Kidnapped

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 82: Kidnapped**

 **by Desha**

"Tch... Come _on_ , you stubborn pain in the ass..."

The lock was a tricky one, and thus far his progress in picking it had been nil. It refused to budge, leaving him trapped in the passenger section of the aircraft. He hadn't fared any better when he'd attempted to kick the door in a short while ago, either.

"This 'rescue' of yours leaves a lot to be desired," Rufus' voice sneered from the back of the helicopter. Reno ignored him... even while he silently admitted that the little shit was right. They were running out of time, and he couldn't afford to keep screwing around with a damn lock. He was going to have to try something else.

He supposed he could try _shooting_ the stupid piece of crap open... but something told him he'd probably end up regretting it. Opening fire in a small, confined space was generally considered a terrible idea. Plus... what if it went _through_ the door and took out the pilot without actually breaking the lock? He and Rufus would be stuck back there, with no one flying the damn helicopter and no way to reach the controls.

Which, in his mind, only left him with one other option. With a mental sigh, Reno stood up and moved over towards the release for the large exit door in the side of the aircraft.

"What in Ramuh's name are you doing?" Rufus asked, peering over the seat backs.

"Somethin' I _definitely_ didn't wanna do..." he groaned, "Stay the fuck down, sir. And, uh... you _might_ wanna strap yourself to somethin'... ya know... just in case."

"Just in case of _what_ ,exactly?!" the executive demanded, clearly not fully convinced that whatever the redhead had in mind was a good idea... or that the Turk hadn't _lost_ his mind entirely. To be fair, Reno had his doubts on that, as well.

But doubt, for the moment, at least, had to be cast aside. Steeling himself, the rookie Turk pulled downward on the door release lever. It swung outward with a loud clang, slamming against the outside of the aircraft, and continuing to bang against it intermittently in the current of air created by their forward momentum. Reno carefully eased himself out onto the skid.

"Are you out of your mind?!" he heard Rufus shout from the relative safety of the cabin.

"Probably!" he shot back.

* * *

"Reactor security said Rufus' transport left the Number 1 Reactor almost twenty minutes ago. They should have been back by now," Tres said as he slipped back into the room with more updates. With the cell towers down yet again, they were having to rely on other measures to keep in contact with the monitoring stations Tres had helped to set up over the past week. Fortunately, the senior Turk had thought to factor in the possibility of another such communications breakdown, and reports were coming in directly to his office via hardwired fax machine.

"No answer on the radio," Kai added. "I've tried every frequency. Either the helicopter can't hear us, or they're ignoring us. And the Transportation Department is just as blind as we are right now."

"This is ridiculous," Tseng muttered and rose from his seat, storming towards the door.

"Tseng? Where are you going?" Veld asked.

"To the equipment room to find a pair of binoculars, and then up to the Leviathan-be-damned roof!" the Turk lieutenant replied, angrily.

Rude turned to his mentor, the question already on his lips.

"Don't even bother askin', rookie... just get your ass upstairs with him, 'n let us know when ya spot 'em," Tres ordered, tossing him a radio. The rookie Turk nodded and took off after Tseng.

* * *

The only sound that filled Reno's ears once he was fully outside the helicopter was the rush of wind that assailed him relentlessly. If Rufus was still loudly proclaiming that he was nuts, he could no longer hear it. Which was probably a good thing. He didn't need the reminder... The sight of the massive drop to the street below was reminder enough.

The redhead inched his way along the skid towards the cockpit as carefully as he could. A slip from this height, and he'd be little more than a smear on the ground when all was said and done. Unlike the helicopter reserved for the Turks, which had only a sliding door on either side of the cargo compartment, the executive helicopter had an entry directly into the cockpit from the outside. He'd been told that this was a privacy feature so that the ViPs in the passenger section would never have to interact directly with the lowly flight crew.

His plan... if one could call it that... was to make his way up to that door, wrench it open, and slide inside, gun drawn. Then he'd order the son of a bitch to land. A gun pointed in one's face made for a very convincing argument, after all. Once they were safely on the ground, he'd handcuff the fucker, radio headquarters, and check on the brat. Simple. What could go wrong?

Well, he thought, as his boot momentarily slipped off the skid... a fall from about twelve hundred feet, maybe. But aside from that...

He sidled along the narrow metal rail, clinging to whatever handholds he could get – and making a mental reminder to actually _thank_ Kai for a change, for the many times she'd forced him up the climbing wall in the gauntlet – until he finally reached the other door.

"Oh, thank Shiva," he breathed, as his fingers wrapped around the handle and he pulled himself forward. He peered through the window, careful not to be seen, and spotted their pilot. Thankfully, he was alone. A good thing, too, because Reno wasn't _real_ sure of his odds of this actually working with only _one_ guy up front. If there was copilot he'd be fucked.

He took a deep breath and readied himself, reaching for his gun to have it ready the moment he was inside the cockpit. Just as he pulled it from the holster, however, the aircraft banked sharply to the right, nearly dumping him off his perch. His instinctive reaction was to grab onto whatever was available with both hands and hold on for dear life until it leveled out.

Unfortunately... that meant letting go of the gun. He watched in dismay as it tumbled downward, and eventually out of sight.

"Are you _fucking_ kidding me... ?" he groaned. Well... there went the first part of his plan. He'd just have to hope the asshole was as intimidated by his EMR as he would have been by the gun. This time, he'd get his ass inside _before_ drawing the weapon, though. Fucked if he was going to make the same mistake twice.

Reno reached for the handle again and twisted, feeling the seal release, and then pulled outward. It was harder than he'd expected it to be. Between his precarious position, and the air currents created by the helicopter's movement, it took all of his strength to force it open enough to wedge himself inside. It was hardly the dramatic surprise entrance he'd been going for.

He was only halfway in when the first shot was fired at him, the loud report of the gun ringing in his ears. The bullet itself left a neat hole in the plexiglass window over his right shoulder. His saving grace was that his attacker, apparently, was just as surprised by the deafening sound as _he'd_ been. Reno used the opportunity haul himself in the rest of the way and dive across the copilot's chair. From there, he was able to force the man's arm – and the gun with it – upwards. The second shot hit the ceiling, sending a shower of sparks raining down on the two of them.

Annnd... that likely took care of the _second_ part of his plan. He was pretty sure the main casualty of that shot had been the helicopter's radio.

Reno reeled back as the man landed a hard punch to his face, though his awkward position didn't actually allow him to get out of range. Instead, he ended up on the floor in between the two seats. His hand clawed at the mag-rod on his belt, only just managing to pull it free before the gun was leveled at him. The redhead brought it up in a wide arc, slamming it into the pilot's arm with a painful sounding crack. The other man howled in pain and dropped his weapon.

Now was his chance. Reno fingered the controls on the handle of the EMR, setting the electrified baton high enough to stun a goddamn chocobo and brought it home a second time. It crackled loudly, and he felt a faint buzz himself, as the current passed through his target and into the metal infrastructure of the copter. The pilot tensed and twitched until Reno let up on the attack, and then slumped forward against the controls.

Which, of course, sent the helicopter into a sharp dive.

"Oh, _shit_!" Reno hissed, struggling to right himself. His EMR dropped, forgotten, onto the floor, as he staggered to his feet and yanked the man's limp body upright in his seat before desperately grabbing for the controls and leveling them out. For a moment, he could only stand there, breathing shakily and staring through the windshield at the rather large sky scraper in front of him.

"... Ooooookay... Not _quite_ the way I planned it..." he exhaled, "But, hey, whatever works, right?"

Down. He _really_ wanted to go back down now. He maneuvered the aircraft into a more open area, and then released the controls just long enough to secure his unconscious prisoner and slide into the co-pilot's chair. He looked around at the instruments, trying to match them up to the ones he knew from the Turk's helicopter. The executive copter may have been a lot fancier than what he was used to, but some things were pretty much universal. A few short minutes later, they were dropping slowly into a small park near the center of Sector 1.

Once they were on the ground, he shut down the engines and just sat there for a few seconds... hardly daring to believe he'd actually pulled a stunt like that off. By all rights, he ought to have been dead about three times over right now. A loud hammering on the door behind him pulled him from his thoughts, and the redhead scurried out of the seat and unlocked the opening to the passenger section.

"Heh... Still alive, sir?" he asked, upon seeing Rufus.

"It seems so. _How_ ,I have absolutely no idea," the vice president replied, wide-eyed and looking slightly pale. "You're a complete _lunatic_!"

"Yeah. I'm _not_ gonna argue with ya, sir," he admitted. Before Rufus could comment upon his sanity any further, the familiar sound of rotor blades interrupted them, and Reno cringed. Great... the son of a bitch had reinforcements coming. His gaze dropped to the floor, and he hurried to retrieve his abandoned EMR, as well as the kidnapper's gun, wondering just how far his luck would hold.

As it turned out... he needn't have worried. Once the new arrival came into view, Reno spotted the Shinra logo clearly emblazoned on the side of the aircraft and groaned in relief.

"Thank Ifrit..." he sighed, glancing back at Rufus, "I didn't much like my odds if I had to take on more of these assholes with only _you_ as backup..."

Rufus glared at him, though the redhead got the impression that his heart really wasn't in it and that the vice president was just as relieved to see Tseng and Rude exiting the other helicopter as _he_ was.

* * *

It didn't take long to spot what he was looking for. The Shinra Building was the tallest structure in the city and commanded one hell of a view of the surrounding area. Tseng very quickly zeroed in on the large helicopter that was making a beeline for the edge of the Plate over Sector 1.

"There they are," he said, pointing them out to the rookie beside him. And then he froze as he spotted something _else_ and a horrified realization came over him. Reno... was climbing outside of the helicopter? What in the Nine Hells... ?

Rude was on the radio, already speaking to Tres, updating the rest of the team on the situation. Tseng started towards the Turks' helicopter, climbing aboard, hardly giving the rookie time to catch up to him before he had the rotors spinning. He was half tempted to turn control of the craft over to Rude so he could continue to keep an eye on their target through the binoculars... Instead, though, he tossed them to the younger Turk.

"Watch them," he ordered. He clamped down on the rising panic as they ascended into the air. _Both_ of his charges were in danger, that much was obvious. The redhead wouldn't be risking his life, clamoring around on the skids of an in-flight helicopter, just for the hell of it. Clearly there was more going on than merely Rufus being a bit behind schedule.

When the executive helicopter suddenly dropped several hundred feet in a matter of a few seconds, Tseng was half convinced his heart momentarily stopped in response. Even Rude gasped and leaned forward in his seat, eyes wide as they watched it plummet. The relief when it abruptly leveled out and hovered in place almost made him dizzy. By the time he recovered, the other helicopter was already descending... far more controlled this time... and the Turk lieutenant headed straight for it.

It set down in the middle of a park. The one right behind his own apartment, in fact, he belatedly realized. He did the same, coming to rest on the ground just as Reno was climbing out of the cockpit, Rufus close on his heels. Tseng shut down the engines, and fumbled with his harness, hands shaking slightly. At last he managed to free himself, and moments later was scrambling from the aircraft, striding purposefully towards the very relieved looking pair.

Reno was the first one he managed to get ahold of, and he seized him by the collar of his shirt, practically lifting him onto his toes.

"What in _Leviathan's name_ were you doing up there?" he demanded, his tone more disbelieving than angry.

"Tryin' not to die?" the redhead replied, surprised by the unusual greeting and blinking somewhat owlishly, his left eye ringed with a rapidly darkening bruise – most likely a souvenir from whatever altercation had taken place mid-flight. Tseng shook his head, and released him, but only for a a split second before pulling both Reno _and_ Rufus into a tight embrace. And he would have been quite content to stay in that position for quite some time, had they not been out in the open and completely exposed to further attack. Instead, he reluctantly let them go, and herded them towards the Turks' copter.

"Rude... get them back to headquarters without delay. I'll follow in the executive helicopter."

Rude nodded, and he and Reno bundled the vice president into aircraft. Tseng didn't make a move towards the other helicopter until he was certain they were safely in their air, and then he turned and climbed aboard the stolen vehicle. In the cockpit, he found the pilot, still unconscious and handcuffed in place.

His eyes narrowed angrily as he realized that the man wasn't even Wutaiian. In fact, he knew him quite well. He was one of the four pilots Tseng had personally vetted and recommended for the express purpose of transporting the Shinra family and company executives. Somehow... the Wutaiian forces had gotten to him. Used him in an attempt, he could only assume, to kidnap Rufus. Whether it was with money or with threats hardly mattered. The fact that someone _that_ trusted could be turned against the company made nearly _everyone_ suspect.

Tseng settled into the copilot's seat and leaned forward, his face resting against his palms as he tried to stop shaking. Dear Leviathan, someone had nearly taken Rufus today. And Reno right along with him. Losing even one of them would have been unbearable. The thought of losing _both_...

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't banish that thought. It wasn't until he realized that he'd been sitting there long enough for the pilot to start to come around that he finally started the engines and began the return trip to Shinra headquarters.

* * *

"You're insane," Rude said, shaking his head in what Reno could only assume was disbelief after he finished regaling the other rookies with the tale of his dramatic rescue of the vice president.

"He's making it up," Rodney snorted, contemptuously, "No one's _that_ crazy."

But the bald Turk shook his head again. "I saw it. He really _did_ climb out on the skids to get to the cockpit. Scared the _hell_ out of me, just watching." He turned to his friend. "You're insane."

"Well, _I_ think it was very brave," Cissnei interjected, "Who knows what might have happened to the vice president if you hadn't been there."

"Tch... it was mostly just desperation," Reno replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "That 'n I kinda figured that if I _didn't_ get outta that mess, they'd probably just kill me anyway. If I'm gonna go, why not do it fallin' out of a helicopter? 'Least it'd be a more interesting way to kick the bucket than takin' a bullet to the head."

"You're _insane_ ," Rude repeated again, and the redhead grinned.

"Yeah, trust me, pal, ya don't gotta keep tellin' me... I _know_. If I never have ta do somethin' like _that_ again, it'll be too soon."

"Is Rufus alright?" Cissnei queried.

"Pretty much. Think he was kinda beyond freaked out by everything that happened, but at least he wasn't hurt."

"Can't say the same for you," Rude chuckled, nodding to the half-melted ice pack his friend had abandoned on the table. Reno merely shrugged.

"Eh... A black eye never killed anyone. Far as I know, anyway," he said, grinning.

" _One_ thing's for certain..." said Rodney, "After this, I'm not going to be the _only_ Turk Rufus Shinra doesn't want on his security detail."

"Tch... the fuck's _that_ s'posed to mean?" the redhead replied, narrowing his eyes at the other rookie, annoyed.

"Just that you let him get into a helicopter with an agent of Wutai... At the absolute _best_ , he'd have been held for ransom if the plan had succeeded. He'll never trust you again after this..."

Cissnei rolled her eyes and turned to her compatriot. "Reno risked his _life_ for Rufus, and you act like he should have just known that the pilot was working for Wutai. You know... the _Turks_ vetted all of the executive pilots. We signed off on every last one of them. If none of the more senior Turks saw them as a potential threat, how in Titan's name was Reno supposed to be able to?"

"He wasn't," Rodney said defensively, "But what are the odds of Rufus seeing it like that? Our _beloved_ vice president is the most self-absorbed pain in the ass I've ever met."

"Hmph... seems like you two should be the best of friends, then," Cissnei giggled, "I wonder why he doesn't like you..."

"Oh, _very_ funny, Cissy," Rodney deadpanned, "I'll have you know I didn't do anything wrong, and he _still_ banned me from his office."

Reno couldn't help the loud snicker that escaped his lips. Rodney glared at him.

"And just what are _you_ laughing about?"

"Oh... nothin'," the redhead replied, a grin firmly plastered on his face, "Just that I actually _asked_ the brat why he hates your guts. Wanna know what he said?"

Rodney merely scoffed and turned his attention elsewhere, ignoring the goading question. Cissnei and Rude, however, were suddenly all attention.

"Well, even if _he_ doesn't, _I_ do," Cissnei laughed.

"So do I," said Rude.

"Rufus said Rod was such a massive suck-up he just couldn't stand havin' him around," Reno smirked. Rodney glowered at the other rookie, and abruptly stood up and stormed out of the lounge without a word. The redhead's smirk faded. "... Uh... 'kay, that mighta come out a little more dickish than I meant it to..."

Cissnei smiled slightly and laughed. "Oh, he'll get over it. Frankly, it's probably about time _someone_ told him that. I've always just been too nice to come right out and say it to him. Sometimes Rodney just... tries too hard. It makes him seem really fake and insincere, even though he's not."

"Tch... why are you always defendin' him, anyway? You keep sayin' oh, he's not so bad... Sure as hell coulda fooled me," Reno griped.

The rookie Turk giggled again. "He's really _not_ so bad. _Really_. I know, because I got to see his nicer side a _lot_ when we were in the recruitment program together," she replied. Her expression turned more serious. "Rodney has a lot to live up to, though. His family... well... let's just say he's got some big shoes to fill. It's a lot of pressure when you grow up being told that the people you love most expect great things from you. Or else they might love _you_ a little less."

Reno glanced over at Rude, who seemed to be having the same thought as he was – that maybe they'd been a little too hard on their fellow rookie. Cissnei grinned and shook her head.

"That doesn't excuse him for being a royal pain in the butt sometimes, though."

* * *

"Did you find out anything useful?" Veld asked. Tseng didn't answer immediately. He was too busy staring straight ahead at the grisly sight in front of him. "Maybe I should rephrase that," his mentor amended, "Did you actually interrogate him... or did you just kill him?"

The Wutaiian Turk lifted his gaze from the body and looked down at his bloodstained hands.

"He confirmed Fuhito's involvement."

"Which we suspected from the start," the Turk leader noted, dispassionately.

"He also confirmed that he was being blackmailed."

"Which hardly matters, given what he attempted. The President would have ordered him executed no matter what his reason for daring to go after his son."

Tseng didn't answer. The rage he'd felt while questioning the pilot had yet to abate. It was still simmering just below the surface. Not even finally snapping the man's neck had calmed it.

Luca... Rufus... Reno... his family. None of them were safe. Today had only confirmed that for him. This man had tried to take more of his family from him, and had died for it. Tseng had drug it out far longer than strictly necessary, extracting his pound of flesh for Luca's death. He hadn't cared that the man likely had nothing to do with that attack. He was helping the enemy. That made him suitably guilty.

That, and he'd wanted him to endure physical pain equivalent to the emotional pain his success would have caused Tseng. It had been... gruesome... even by _his_ standards. And he was finding it to be very hard to hold any regret at all for what he'd done to his prisoner.

"This is far more personal than I'd expect from you, Tseng..."

"I will _not_ lose another Turk. And I will _not_ lose Rufus, either," he stated with a calm he didn't truly feel.

"And woe be unto anyone who might try to prove you wrong," his mentor said, grimly. "This isn't like you. At all."

"Forgive me for wanting to prevent more death, _sir_ ," Tseng replied, coldly.

"From where I'm standing, you seem to have done just the opposite. Unless I'm very much mistaken, your interrogation subject is quite thoroughly deceased, and looks to have been for quite some time now."

"He had it coming. In case you've forgotten, we're at war, sir. People tend to die in wars."

"Yes, they do. On _both_ sides of the conflict. I'd prefer you not eventually end up among the casualties yourself. Seeking vengeance often makes a person act foolishly," said Veld. He paused, glancing over at the dead man in the chair in the center of the room. "Clean this up, and then meet me in my office. We have a few things to discuss. And don't let your rookie see you like this."

~end chapter 82~


	83. Suspended

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 83: Suspended**

 **by Desha**

By the time Tseng had made his way back upstairs, most of the team had gone home for the evening. Not surprisingly, however, the light in Veld's office was still on. He found his mentor waiting for him.

"It took you long enough..." the older Turk commented.

"It was quite a _large_ mess, sir," Tseng replied.

"I noticed. And that's one of the things I wanted to speak with you about." Veld rose and stepped out from behind his desk, walking over towards his lieutenant and guiding him over to the more comfortable sitting area in his office. The pair took a seat on the plush couch. "What's going on with you, Tseng? I've never known you to be especially blood-thirsty, but what I saw downstairs earlier looked like the work of a wild nibelwolf on a rampage."

Tseng looked away.

"I'm... not sure," he said at last. "Just the thought of what he tried to do... What he almost _did_ do..."

"You were angry," Veld nodded, "I can understand _that_. But Tseng..."

"It was more than anger, sir. It was... rage. It was despair. It was everything I felt after –"

Tseng abruptly cut himself off, unable to continue. Veld studied his protege, a look of comprehension forming on his features.

"After Mayu's death," he finished for him.

"And then some," the Wutaiian Turk confirmed with a nod. "He might as well have killed them. That's how much I wanted him to suffer. It didn't matter that his plan ultimately failed. I don't even know if I could have stopped myself. I had no inclination to even try."

"I see," said Veld. He was silent for a moment. "You know what I have to do, of course..."

Tseng exhaled slowly, eyes still on the ground, unable to meet his mentor's gaze. "I know."

"Report to Medical first thing in the morning. You're suspended from all field duty, pending a psych evaluation."

"... Yes, sir." He swallowed harshly and glanced up. "What about Reno?"

"What about him?"

"Should the evaluation determine that I'm unfit for duty... He's still _my_ rookie, sir. Tres can more than handle Rude – he laid claim to him within a week of him being promoted – and Cissnei and Rodney are still new enough that me having to step back and let someone else oversee them wouldn't be overly detrimental to either of them... but Reno is _mine_. Someone will have to take over. I would prefer Remy, but I suspect she'll have her hands full with other matters."

It was the last thing he wanted. But he could hardly put the redhead's training on hold. He could still manage the day to day sparring and practices, but actual field work, of which his protege was doing more and more recently, would need to be supervised and assigned by someone who hadn't just been unceremoniously yanked from the field.

Veld hummed softly. "That was actually the _other_ issue I wanted to discuss. _Before_ I found you sitting in a pool of blood in the basement, that is. I've been thinking that it might perhaps be time to consider... promotion?"

"S-sir?" Tseng stammered, slightly shocked.

"I'll admit... he's still a little rough in _some_ respects. But even _I_ can't deny that he's proven himself exceptionally capable in the field, both on his own and with a team. And not _just_ today. It's up to you, as his mentor, of course... but I think it may be time."

"No. Absolutely not," the younger man said, shaking his head. Veld merely raised an eyebrow in challenge. "He's _not_ ready. Not yet."

Reno still had so much to learn. He needed guidance. Needed to gain experience. He was still a rookie and he was going to remain as such until Tseng said otherwise.

" _He's_ not ready?" Veld queried after a moment of tense silence, "Or _you're_ not?"

" _He_ is not ready," Tseng replied, emphatically. He _wasn't_. He truly wasn't. Reno was barely only just barely an adult, and still notably immature in so many ways. Besides which, Tseng had already made the mistake of abandoning him once out of sheer selfishness... and that felt entirely too much like what promotion would mean. For Leviathan's sake, it hadn't been _that_ long ago that the redhead had reacted to learning that he would be moving out on his own by storming off blindly into a forest in the middle of the night. How in the Nine Hells was Tseng supposed to tell him that his rookie days were over now, too?

No. There would be no more talk of promotion for awhile yet.

Veld eyed him for a moment, his expression very clearly conveying that he believed otherwise. Finally he sighed.

"Alright," his mentor said, "Have it your way. He's _your_ rookie after all."

Tseng felt some of the tension in his chest ease at those words. He'd been all but certain the Turk leader would override him, given his newly-suspended status.

"Go home. Get some rest," said Veld, "We'll discuss logistics in the morning... _after_ your evaluation."

"Yes, sir," Tseng replied getting to his feet. He made his way to the door, fingers closing on the handle. Before he could let himself out, the older Turk called his name.

"Tseng..."

"Sir?" he answered, turning back to look at him.

"He's _your_ rookie, but remember... he's also part of this team. You have to let go eventually. You'll either make that choice for yourself, or he'll end up making it for you. No Turk stays a rookie forever, no matter how much their mentor might want to protect them."

* * *

Reno yawned as he made his way into the office the following morning. It felt _far_ too early. Probably because it _was_ early. Veld, during his debriefing yesterday, had asked him to arrive a little ahead of schedule this morning for some reason.

Plus, the caffeine hadn't really kicked in yet.

His first stop was his own office, to stow his crap in his desk and check his email... but he stopped short at the sight that greeted him. Resting on top of his desk, in a manner that seemed purposefully blatant, was a surprisingly elegant-looking bottle filled with a rich amber liquid.

He paused, looking around, as if expecting to see someone watching him from the shadows. Seeing no one, however, he stepped forward into the office and picked it up, reading the label. As he did so, he let out a low, impressed whistle. He _definitely_ knew about _this_ stuff... and even after having been living on a Turk's salary for over a year and a half, had never tasted it.

He'd heard stories about it even down in the slums, though, working at the bar. It was made in a _tiiiiiiiiny_ little town in the north of Mideel and was famous all over the planet. Maybe not as famous as the Banora White apple juice that was the area's main export... but a close second. It was what was known as an applejack whiskey, distilled from a base of hard cider. They made it in limited quantities, and aged it in barrels made from the wood of dumbapple trees.

And it would have cost him several paychecks. Plus, he'd heard there was a waiting list.

He set the bottle carefully back on his desk, only then noticing the card that had been sitting underneath it. It was plain, white, folded cardstock, the size of a business card. There was nothing written on the outside, and when he opened it, the only clue as to where it had come from was a exceptionally brief note that read: _'In appreciation. -R'_

Reno snorted softly in amusement and shook his head at Rufus' weird habit of saying thank you without actually _saying_ thank you. And then grinned as he realized that he now had, in his possession, one of the most sought-after spirits in the world. That... was one _hell_ of an expression of gratitude, when he thought about it. He quickly tucked both the bottle and the card into a drawer in his desk for safe-keeping, briefly pondering the best way of drinking it.

Shit like _that_ you did straight. You didn't mix _good_ whiskey or water it down with fucking ice cubes. Hell... tempting as it was, he was a little hesitant to drink it at all. It definitely seemed like something that ought to be saved for a special occasion. Maybe his next birthday? Or Christmas? Or... hell, maybe he'd bust it out when Rude got promoted out of rookie status. There was plenty to share, and his friend _did_ like a good whiskey.

He'd have to ponder his options later, though. He had a meeting with Veld in a few minutes, and something told him that being tardy wasn't a good idea. The redhead shut the drawer and headed back out into the hallway, making his way down to the Turk leader's office.

Turk headquarters was quiet, but apparently far from deserted. He passed Remy's office and found the senior Turk pouring over some paperwork, an expression of frustration on her face. Reno opted not to disturb her, and instead continued on his way around the next corner, stopping in front of Veld's office. He knocked and was immediately answered with a call to come in.

"Ah... good. You're here," said Veld, as the rookie let himself inside, closing the door behind him. "Sit down. There's something I need to discuss with you."

Reno wordlessly eased himself into one of the chairs in front of Veld's desk, wondering what was so important it couldn't have waited for him to officially come on duty. He didn't _think_ he was in trouble for anything... which, really, just seemed to make the whole experience that much more unusual.

Veld leaned forward slightly, steepling his fingers together in front of him, and Reno suddenly realized where Tseng must have picked up that habit himself. He swallowed somewhat roughly. When _Tseng_ did it, good news never seemed to follow.

"When I asked you yesterday to meet with me privately, it was to discuss additional security for Rufus while he's in Kalm this afternoon... seeing as you're his personal escort for the trip. But it seems I now have something _else_ to add to the agenda. I've relieved Tseng of command, pending a psychiatric evaluation," the elder Turk stated. Reno blinked in surprise and opened his mouth to respond, only to find himself completely unable to say anything. Veld seemed to ignore the reaction. "This is not for public discussion. The rest of the team will be informed as necessary, depending on the results of the eval. However... I thought it prudent to keep you a bit more in the loop since, as his personal protege, it has a direct impact on you."

"... S-so... is someone else... ya know... gonna be trainin' me?" he queried. Not that he didn't train nearly every day with various other members of the team... but it was always under Tseng's if not _direct_ supervision then at least with his blessing, and the idea of that suddenly changing didn't sit well with him.

"No," Veld replied, "Being removed from the field won't impact Tseng's ability to oversee sparring sessions, range training, and the like. But... it _does_ mean that the authority he's always had over you is now limited. I want to make sure you understand that. You're not to obey any order he might give beyond the environment of the training hall. I... am aware that might be difficult for you, given how close the two of you are. But for the time being, Tseng has no say in field operations."

"Sir... What's goin' on?" Reno asked, feeling chilled by the Turk leader's blunt and uncompromising tone. Veld sighed faintly and shook his head.

"It became very apparent to me last night that he's... not well. I suspect you've noticed, yourself, that his behavior has been a bit off since Luca was taken from us. And I think you know him well enough to understand why."

The redhead swallowed sharply. "Is he... is he leavin' again?" he hesitantly asked. That, selfish as it felt, was something he feared above all else right now. Because if Tseng left Shinra again, Reno was pretty sure it wouldn't be for an 'extended leave'. If he'd finally decided that losing people because of the company wasn't worth it, he'd go... and he wouldn't come back.

"No," Veld replied, "Nothing like that. So far as he's indicated to _me_ , he has no intention of leaving us, either temporarily or permanently. But... he and I _both_ recognize that his judgment is not what it should be right now. And in a job where poor judgment can get a lot of people killed, that's not a liability we can afford."

"Yes, sir..." the redhead replied, shoulders sagging. The team came first, and if Tseng wasn't making the best decisions for the team, he shouldn't be making decisions at all. He understood. He didn't _like_ it, but he understood.

"Tseng _will_ work through this. He just needs time," Veld added in a gentler voice. "Unfortunately, circumstances have not allowed him much of that. Try not worry _too_ much. I'm not about to let anything happen to him."

Reno managed a faint smile. "Yes, sir."

That, at least, was reassuring. It wasn't something that he often thought much about, but Veld had been _Tseng's_ mentor back when he was a rookie. And as attached as Tseng was to his own rookie, Veld cared about Tseng just as much. Like the man had said... he wasn't about to let something happen to him.

And neither, for that matter, was Reno.

* * *

Rufus hesitated not far from the elevator doors, eyeing the large aircraft with suspicion. He _certainly_ wasn't afraid of getting on board... just... perhaps a bit more cautious than he normally would have been.

And rightly so, in his opinion. For Ramuh's sake, he'd momentarily been taken prisoner in it just yesterday.

The young executive openly glared at the helicopter and tried to make his feet move toward it. They felt as though they were stuck to the roof.

"Heh... Don't worry, sir," a voice behind him said, and Rufus could hear the obnoxious laughter hiding behind the words, "Remy's flyin' us there. Veld's not takin' any chances when it comes to the pilot today."

Rufus spun to face the irritating redhead, with a glower.

"I'm _hardly_ worried," he sneered. The Turk shrugged.

"If you say so..." He glanced down at his watch. "So... we goin' sometime _today_ or..."

"We will 'go' when I _say_ we go!" Rufus growled before turning on his heel and storming off in the direction of his transport. He could practically sense the size of the smirk on the stupid slum rat's face without even looking back at him... though the bastard had schooled his features rather admirably by the time he climbed in after him.

Gods, how he couldn't stand the little prick sometimes. And yet... he'd specifically chosen to have Reno accompany him today. All but demanded it, in fact. Annoying as he was, Rufus couldn't honestly say that Tseng's protege wasn't adequate at his job. It was because of him that Rufus was able to _make_ this trip today at all. His actions yesterday had been... unorthodox... but effective. And admittedly courageous. It had left an impression. Enough of one that he'd felt the need to reward it earlier today with a small token of his appreciation.

Rufus settled into his seat and glanced out the window, noting that two other Turks were boarding the second helicopter. The Mideelian one, and her lunatic brother or cousin or... whatever he was. Saya, he was fairly sure her name was. She hadn't been assigned to him often enough for him to really bother remembering it for certain.

"Sato and Saya are gonna be shadowin' us as backup," said Reno, apparently having noted where the executive's attention had been focused. He opened a case that had been sitting on one of the seats before they'd arrived. "I'm also s'posed to give you these and tell ya that you're to keep 'em on you at all times."

The redhead produced a small, automatic pistol from the case and a – rather cheap and tacky-looking, in Rufus' opinion – gold wristwatch. Rufus snorted in contempt and accepted the gun.

"Am I to guard _myself_ today, then?" he muttered, tucking it into a pocket in his jacket. Reno held the watch out to him, expectantly. "I am _not_ wearing that gaudy excuse for a timepiece. I _do_ have an image to uphold, you know."

The Turk rolled his eyes. "Just fuckin' put it on, sir... It's a tracking device," he replied. He smirked slightly and added, "Just in case ya somehow manage to wander off."

Rufus scowled and snatched it out of his hand. He knew when he was being baited, and he wasn't about to give the slum rat the satisfaction of getting a rise out of him. He looked the damn thing over in distaste before replacing his own watch with the tracking device. As much as it irked him... he wasn't foolish enough think that it was just a matter of Veld being paranoid. And, though he'd never admit it, the idea that the Turks could find him wherever he might be was... reassuring.

"Hmph... fine. Happy now?" he returned.

"Thrilled," the redhead deadpanned.

"Good. Now if Tseng would just hurry up and join us, we can get this whole nightmare _over_ with."

The younger Turk suddenly shifted somewhat uncomfortably in his seat.

"Uh... yeah. About that." He pressed the button on the intercom that connected the passenger section to the cockpit. "Hey, Remy... we're good back here."

"Roger that," the woman's voice replied over the speaker. The engines started up, and the helicopter began to lift into the air.

"Just what do you think you're doing?!" Rufus demanded, angrily. He had _specified_ that Tseng be assigned to this security detail as well.

"... Sorry, but Veld ordered me not to tell ya 'til we were in the air so you wouldn't go stormin' into our offices instead of flyin' to Kalm."

Rufus looked out the window again, seeing the rooftop dropping away beneath them, and then turned his glare back on the redhead.

"Which I guess _technically_ we are now, so..." the Turk continued, "Uh... Tseng's kinda been... sidelined."

Rufus narrowed his eyes at the slum rat. "What are you talking about?"

Reno sighed and shook his head. "Look... Before you start gettin' all demandy,Veld didn't exactly go into the details with me, okay? All I know is that somethin' happened after we got back yesterday 'n now Tseng's outta the field. He was... s'posed ta report for some kinda eval this mornin'. I didn't hear how that went, but seein' as he's not _here_ , I'm guessin' not so great."

Rufus was silent, unsure of how to respond. This... was not a turn of events he'd anticipated. He leaned back in his seat, losing himself in his own thoughts. The idea of Tseng being so suddenly removed, if not from active duty, at least from field operations was... disconcerting. Tseng was second in command, a title that held any number of responsibilities. This couldn't have been a decision Veld had made lightly... which begged the question, just what was going on with Tseng?

The Shinra heir had noted his unusually distracted behavior over the past several days, but had written it off as a mere overreaction to the most recent loss in their ranks. He'd assumed that eventually things would settle down and return to normal. Apparently, he'd miscalculated.

He glanced up at the redhead. "What are we going to do?" he asked, but the Turk shook his head.

"Right now, sir, we're goin' to a meeting in Kalm."

Rufus had to forcibly bite back the growl of irritation that threatened to slip past his usual poise. Reno rolled his eyes.

"One fuckin' crisis at a time, huh? We can't do anything for him right _this second_... sofor now, we're gonna focus on doin' our respective jobs. That means _you_ take care of gettin' whatever the hell it is you want outta this meeting... and _I_ watch your ass 'n make sure it gets back to Midgar in one piece. We'll have plenty of time to worry about Tseng when we get back."

As much as he hated to bow to the redhead's logic... Rufus knew he was right. The Corel reactor was a major priority for the Company. His father demanded nothing less than complete success. He _had_ to made this work. Which meant he couldn't half-ass it and hope for the best, with the goal of returning home early, either.

Rufus sank down into his seat, forcing himself to put thoughts of his friend aside for the moment. At last, he turned back to the Turk.

"Very well... One crisis at a time," he said. After all, as much as he might be concerned for Tseng, failure was not an option. And that would mean ensuring that everything fell in his favor today. Sometimes one had to put aside personal issues and simply _make_ that happen.

* * *

Tseng scowled irritably as he strode out of the wood-paneled office and into the cozy waiting room outside. He hated coming here. This little corridor was cordoned off from the rest of the ninth floor to give the illusion of unadulterated privacy. It was painted in soothing blues and grays, and lit with the soft white light of floor lamps and hidden, recessed uplighting, rather than the harsh overhead fluorescents found in other areas of the building. Even the carpet was plusher here than other offices.

But it was that Leviathan-be-damned _fountain_ that really annoyed him. He supposed it was intended to be relaxing, and perhaps, if it were only the quiet sound of the cascading water, it might have been. But whatever artist has designed the thing... was, quite frankly, an idiot. Built into the wall, it looked more like an oversized urinal than the art-deco waterfall it was meant to evoke.

He'd never liked it. It was ugly, and garish, and didn't fit the natural flow of the room at all. And every single time came in here, he inevitably found himself staring at the damned thing while he... 'decompressed'... as the staff put it. It was their way of attempting to put potentially mentally unstable employees at ease before ushering them into their counseling session. Tseng was rather surprised it hadn't inadvertently had the opposite effect on anyone yet.

He spared it one final glare before making his way into the hall.

To say that his evaluation had not gone well was something of an understatement. Not that he'd expected to be cleared for duty. He knew damned well that Veld had been right to pull him. A part of him was even grateful he _had_. His control was slipping. It had been slipping for some time now. He'd lost it completely last night, only truly regaining his hold on it again when Veld had come looking for him.

It hadn't surprised him... not even slightly... when his mentor had sent him for evaluation. He'd let fear and anger and grief and guilt take hold of him again, and Veld had seen it for what it was. For what Tseng had been unable to _admit_ it was until last night _._ A threat to the team. And though he'd done his best to hide it, it was almost a relief now, knowing that Veld knew.

A relief, yes... But there was no denying the shame he felt, as well. Tseng's greatest strength had always been his ability to handle anything. Be it a firefight, a hostage situation, an unruly interrogation suspect, or a petulant heir, he never let anything get to him. He was calm under pressure. Assured. Controlled. _That_ was what he brought to the team.

And suddenly that control seemed hopelessly broken. That defining strength gone. His gaze traveled downward to the slip of paper clutched in his hand.

Pills. They wanted him medicated. He was too weak to fix himself on his own, in their opinion. With a disgusted growl, he shoved it into his pocket and headed for the elevator, ignoring anyone he happened to pass in the hall on the way. At last he reached his destination and pressed the button to summon the car, standing in silence has he waited for its arrival.

"Ah... There yeh are," a voice behind him said. "I've been waitin' for yeh."

He turned and found Dr. Ward rounding the corner, making her way towards him.

"Let's us two nip over ta my office fer a wee bit 'o tea, shall we?" Ward offered.

~end chapter 83~


	84. Meetings

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 84: Meetings**

 **by Desha**

"I can only assume Veld informed you of the present... situation," Tseng sighed. He was seated in Ward's tiny office in the back of the medical suite while the doctor busied herself with the little electric kettle in the corner.

"Aye, he _mighta_ mentioned something about that..." She poured two cups of tea and carried them over to her desk, setting one in front of the Turk. "Drink that," she said, motioning to the beverage.

Tseng lifted the cup, taking a tentative sip, and repressed the the urge to grimace at the pungently floral aroma. He was _not_ a fan of Mideel's idea of 'tea'. It was far too overpowering, and lacking the subtlety of flavor of his preferred Wutaiian leaves. Veld's wife, on more than one occasion, had teasingly accused him of being something of a tea snob... and though it had been meant as a joke, Tseng was forced to admit it wasn't really that far from the truth. He'd long been of the opinion that no one outside of his homeland knew what tea was actually _supposed_ to taste like.

Still... Mideelian _tea_ was far better than the Mideelian take on coffee, in his opinion.

"Now then," Ward continued, once she was satisfied he would follow her instructions, "Since I've not been sent yer results just yet, maybe yeh'd care ta enlighten me about what they had ta say."

Tseng snorted softly. "Precisely what I'm sure Veld expected."

"Yer sidelined, then," the doctor replied with a nod. It wasn't a question. Merely confirmation of fact. "And what are the conditions of yer return ta duty?"

The Turk exhaled heavily and reached for the now somewhat crumpled slip of paper in his pocket. He offered it to the aging doctor.

"Regular appointments twice a week to monitor my state of mind, and... _this_. Reevaluation in four weeks," he said, with no attempt to hide his obvious distaste. Ward took the proffered paper and read it over for a moment. Tseng shook his head indignantly and set his tea down. "Tell me, Justinia... what _good_ will artificial happiness do me?"

"None, I'd wager... nor's that what this medication is. If yer looking fer artificial happiness, yeh'd have better luck in the Sector Two drug dens."

"Regardless, I don't plan to take it."

Ward's eyebrow rose in challenge. "Oh? And just what makes yeh qualified ta decide that?" she demanded. Tseng dropped his gaze, and reached for his tea again, staring into the dark liquid. Far _too_ dark. Proper tea should be almost golden in hue, save for a few specific varieties.

"... If I can't cure myself of this... mindset... _on my own_ , and rely on antidepressants to be able to do my job, how can I ever face my team again? How will they ever be able to trust any decision I make? How will _I_ be able to trust my _own_ decisions?"

Ward shook her head. "Don't be daft," she replied, and Tseng's eyes shot up again, fixing her with a glare. She pointedly ignored it. "Yeh won't be on this indefinitely. I suppose yeh'd prefer ta hobble around on a broken leg, too, rather than relying on crutches fer a few weeks, then?"

"Of course not," Tseng replied with a roll of his eyes, "But that's hardly the same thing."

"Yer plain wrong on that. They're no different at all. They're both a kind of _tool_... one meant ta help yeh heal yerself."

"Justina..."

"No. I'm not one of yer Turks, and around here _I_ give the orders. So, yer going ta sit there, drink yer tea, and listen ta me. Fer once," she said, sternly, "Yer stubborn as a Titan-forsaken sea worm, Tseng. So stubborn yeh could _probably_ pull yerself outta this on sheer will alone, eventually... but yeh don't _have_ ta do it the hard way. And more ta the point, yeh don't have the time ta try. Yeh've got people who need yeh _now_. If yer not willing ta swallow yer pride for yer own sake – and don't yeh even think of denying that's _exactly_ what this is _really_ about – then do it for that wee rookie of yers."

Tseng narrowed his eyes at her. "That's a rather underhanded tactic, don't you think, Justina? Using someone you know I care about to manipulate me?"

Dr. Ward merely smiled back at him. "Yeh can call it underhanded if yeh like... I prefer ta think of it as knowing my patient. If it makes yeh feel any better, yer treatment is confidential. No one on my staff'll be discussing specifics with anyone... even if a certain redhead _were_ ta venture down ta ask."

"... Fine. I'll take the Leviathan-be-damned pills," he muttered in response. Sometimes he wondered if perhaps the good doctor spent just a little _too_ much time treating members of the Turks. She was beginning to think a bit like one herself.

But... at least the others wouldn't have to know. At least _Reno_ wouldn't have to know. Somehow, as unappealing as the idea of medication was to him, the idea of his closest friends... his family... seeing that level of weakness in him was downright abhorrent.

" _And_ yeh'll watch yer language," she chastised him, smirking slightly, "Bad enough I have ta be on _Reno's_ case about that constantly."

"So long as I seem to be picking up Reno's habits, perhaps I should start demanding candy in exchange for my cooperation, as well..." he snorted, annoyed at being out-flanked by the medical staff. Dr. Ward chuckled and stood up, rounding her desk and letting her hand come to rest gently on the Turk lieutenant's shoulder.

"Tseng, if yeh wanted a sucker, all yeh had ta do is ask..." she teased, before her expression turned serious again, "It's my job ta make yeh better. Yeh've always trusted me ta do that before... Don't stop now."

Tseng let his gaze drop back to his tea for a moment and sighed. "I _do_ trust you. That doesn't make this any less humiliating."

Dr. Ward gave the back of his neck a soft squeeze and clucked her tongue. "I don't see what's so 'humiliating' about doing everything in yer power ta repair the damage done by a terrible tragedy... more than _one_ ,really. Yer _only_ human, Tseng."

* * *

Reno peered through the plexiglass window of the executive helicopter as the plains swept past them far below. They'd be in Kalm in a matter of minutes, and he couldn't help but worry. Everything seemed, well... calm. It was too much like yesterday. Neither he nor Rufus had expected what had happened, and he couldn't help but think that it might happen again.

At least this time, he wasn't on his own.

He'd been lucky yesterday. Any number of things could have gone wrong and didn't, and they'd landed safely. And if they _hadn't_... it would have been on him. That, in retrospect, was even more terrifying than hanging from a helicopter skid a thousand feet up. Reno had thought he understood what it was to be responsible for someone else's life. After all... he'd been protecting Lira long before the Turks had found him.

He'd realized yesterday – sometime between getting punched in the face by a would-be kidnapper and being hugged by a very relieved Tseng – that he didn't understand shit. He'd been terrified yesterday. Not so much of dying himself... but of fucking up royally and getting Rufus killed in the process. It was a lot for one scrawny teenager to carry on his shoulders... and here he was, doing it all over again.

Yeah... he was _definitely_ glad he wasn't on his own this time.

He did take a little pride in knowing, though, that the three additional Turks weren't accompanying him due to any failure on _his_ part. They were there strictly because the threat warranted it. And _he_ was there because he'd proven himself responsible enough and capable enough to be trusted with such an assignment.

The redhead glanced over at Rufus, who had seemed lost in his own thoughts since shortly after they'd left the city. At terrifying as yesterday had been for Reno, it _had_ to be worse for the brat. He was the target, after all. Was _still_ a target. For Reno, that was something he'd signed up for. But for Rufus? Not even close.

It was kind of bullshit, too. Rufus wasn't in charge of Shinra Company. He wasn't the one who'd demanded that Wutai let them build a reactor that wasn't wanted. That was all on his father. Rufus was just caught in the crossfire, for the crime of being related to the president. Even as big a dick as he was sometimes, that seemed pretty goddamn unfair in Reno's mind.

" _Sir? We'll be arriving in Kalm in about two more minutes,"_ Remy's voice stated over the intercom. Rufus seemed to shake himself from his daze, and pressed the button to respond.

"Understood," he replied, before returning his gaze to the the window. Soon they were descending in an open area a little north of the town. Sato and Saya hit the ground first, climbing out of the second helicopter. By the time the executive copter landed, they had already moved off some distance to secure the area and the vice president's path into town.

Reno hopped out almost as soon as they touched down. The rotors were still spinning when Rufus followed him, sticking unusually close to the rookie Turk. Remy emerged from the cockpit a moment later, and started towards town, the vice president in tow, with Reno bringing up the rear.

The meeting was being held at a small inn on the town's main street. Saya and Sato leapfrogged their way towards it, making sure every inch of the trip was secure before allowing Rufus and his bodyguards to proceed. Saya slipped into the building well ahead of them. By the time the others reached the doors, she had emerged again and was waving them in.

"All clear inside," she said, and Reno let himself relax slightly. Now that they were safely indoors, there were a lot fewer avenues of attack. Much less nerve-wracking than being out in the open on the street. Saya lead the party upstairs to a large room on the second floor and Rufus settled in at a freshly scrubbed wooden table near the window. Remy frowned and briskly crossed the room, yanking the curtains tightly shut.

"The representatives from Corel will be here in half an hour," she said, "Let's see to it that _everything_ is secure before they arrive. Sato, I'm going to want you downstairs watching the back entrance. Saya, the front. Reno... you'll be at the top of the stairs, while I stay in the room during the meeting."

"Before you've engrossed yourselves _too_ much in the minutia of preventing my untimely demise, I've placed a small order for refreshments with a nearby cafe," Rufus interjected, calmly examining his fingernails. "Send the slum rat and the lunatic to pick it up, would you?"

Reno rolled his eyes. He recognized false bravado when he heard it... Rufus was nowhere _near_ as unruffled as he was pretending to be. Sato, meanwhile, just snorted in amusement.

"Well? Yeh heard the vice president, Slum Rat," he chuckled, looping an arm over the redhead's shoulders. "Yeh 'n me have an errand ta run."

Reno smirked and glanced over at Saya. "He doesn't even have _wonder_ if people are referrin' to him when they say 'the lunatic' anymore, does he?"

"And yet he still wonders why _I'm_ embarrassed ta be seen with 'im in public..." Saya responded with a groan. Sato flashed her a grin and wordlessly escorted the rookie Turk back out to the street. They made their way down to a little cafe tucked back between two larger buildings. It was still much too early for lunch... but a bit late for breakfast... and yet the eatery was noticeably busy. A menu board just outside the entrance offered an explanation as to why. Brunch selections were listed neatly in chalky handwriting. Reno snickered slightly.

"Ya know... whoever came up with the whole brunch thing was a fuckin' genius."

"Yeah? 'N just why's that?" Sato asked as they joined the line for the counter.

"Well, think about it..." the redhead replied, with a grin, "Instead of just gettin' the breakfast 'n lunch crowds, you have a whole extra meal devoted to the people who were too fuckin' lazy for the breakfast rush and in too big a hurry for the lunch rush. Plus people like me who're more than happy to eat six meals a day."

Sato laughed and shook his head.

"Aye, I s'pose yeh _do_ have a point there," he snickered. In short order, they reached the front of the line and were presented with several boxes of food. The senior Turk piled as much as he could into the redhead's arms before taking the remainder himself and shuffling back out the door.

"Heh... Think we oughta taste test this before we let Rufus eat any of it?" the rookie joked. "Ya know... just in case someone thought to poison the shit outta it?"

"Hmph... yeh joke, but I'll wager Remy'll 'least consider doin' just that soon as we get back."

"I volunteer as a guinea pig," Reno grinned, "Don't know what the brat ordered, but it smells _amazing_..."

"Heh... Fat chance. If Remy's gonna risk poisonin' someone, it'll be me, rookie," Sato laughed.

* * *

Rude kept his eyes focused firmly on the end of the alleyway. It was, after all, the only way in or out, and if someone was planning to hassle them, that's where they'd be coming from. He wished Tres would hurry up already. The Sector 2 slums weren't exactly the friendliest of places in Midgar... even during the day.

Though to be fair, the pair of them were presently in one of the better parts of the sector... relatively speaking. The major drug dens were well to the east, and they were outside of the more violent gangs' territories. Not that _that_ was incentive for him to let his guard down. There were plenty of assholes looking for trouble even in the 'decent' parts of Sector 2.

He'd found that out on his _first_ visit, over a year ago, when he'd tracked Reno to the little cemetery where his mother was buried. Seriously... what kind of creeps tried to jump a guy visiting a grave? The redhead had later told him that he and the apparent leader of the group had a history, but still...

Tres hadn't exactly been thrilled to find out where he'd gone that evening, either. In fact, the senior Turk had lectured him for what felt like ages the next time he saw him, and told him _never_ to go back down to Sector 2 alone ever again. Not as a rookie, _or_ as a full Turk when he was eventually promoted.

Of course, he hadn't _really_ been alone. Reno had been there, too, after all. Well... after he'd _found_ him, at least. The redhead, of course, had felt perfectly comfortable strolling into what was probably Midgar's most dangerous sector... but then, he'd _lived_ there his entire life up until Tseng had taken him away from all that. It was just the same old Sector 2 for _him_.

Speaking of Tseng... Rude had learned early that morning – well before Veld had informed the rookies that the Turk lieutenant would not be present for training today – that something had happened. He still wasn't sure _what_... but he'd managed to track him down to Medical before Tres had pulled him away from his efforts to assist with their current assignment. Whether he was hurt or sick, the rookie wasn't sure... and Reno had been busy prepping for his escort mission. Rude hadn't wanted to ask him about it just then... _or_ inadvertently give him something to worry about if he didn't already know what was going on.

He hadn't yet spoken to Tres about it, either. His mentor would almost certainly know _something_ by now... but they had an important mission to finish first. Personal pursuits would need to wait.

Which was why he was presently standing guard in the shadows of an alley, trying not to think about it.

The rumor mill had been churning more vigorously than usual lately, and Tres was convinced that something was up. After the last attack on the city, the senior Turk was bound and determined to find out what and head it off. The last Wutaiian attack had cost Luca his life... and Tres was still taking that _very_ personally, Rude knew. He'd tried to assure the man that no one on the team blamed him for Luca's death... to which Tres had only replied that he damn well _knew_ that, but that it didn't make his friend any less dead.

He'd never really thought about intelligence in quite that frame of mind until recently. Oh, he'd recognized how important it was a long time ago. Operations lived or died on the quality of the intelligence he and Tres provided. But as it turned out... so did the Turks themselves in some cases. He couldn't honestly say that the full weight of that responsibility had hit him until recently, and it put his mentor's dedication to his craft in a whole new light for him. They weren't just protecting Shinra's interests. They were protecting their fellow Turks.

The sound of voices from the far end of the alley interrupted his musings and Rude sank farther into the shadows, ensuring that he was out of sight. His eyes narrowed as three young men passed by, oblivious to his presence. He recognized at least _one_ of them.

He was tall and built like a brawler, most of both arms covered in tattoos. The same asshole who'd gone after Reno in the cemetery.

Rude instinctively took a step forward, only to be rather roughly yanked backwards by the collar of his shirt before he could do anything else.

"The fuck you think you're doin'?" Tres hissed at him, holding him in place until the three of them were out of earshot. Rude blinked in surprise. He'd been so focused on the trio, he hadn't noticed his mentor emerge from the door behind him.

"... I know that guy," Rude replied. Tres snorted softly.

"Tch... _Jericho_? How the _fuck_ are you involved with _that_ psychopath?"

"Ran into him awhile back. He's the one that attacked Reno."

His mentor gave him a sharp slap in the back of the head. "And what? You thought you'd walk on over and say hello? What'd I tell ya 'bout keepin' yourself outta trouble down here? We need people to be willing to _talk_ to us. They ain't gonna be so willing if you go around makin' enemies outta assholes like Jericho."

"..." Rude dropped his gaze, chastised. He really didn't know _what_ he'd intended to do.

"Pick your battles, kid. That piece of shit sure as _hell_ deserves a good ass-kickin', from what I hear... but ain't nothin' useful gonna come of it for _us_ right now. Let it go. He'll get his eventually. They always do." Tres shook his head and grabbed Rude firmly by the arm, escorting him back the way they'd come. "Now, let's get outta here. I got what we came for."

* * *

"Sir... I _really_ wish you'd informed me of the food beforehand," Remy said as Saya saw to ensuring that all of the other windows were locked, and the curtains drawn. Rufus snorted softly in annoyance and set about turning on more lights before they were enveloped in darkness.

" _Must_ you be so paranoid?" he asked. Granted, he was feeling a bit overly-cautious himself, but really... he was _far_ more valuable alive than dead. Did the woman really believe Wutaii would attempt to poison him rather than kidnap him as they'd attempted yesterday?

"Yes, sir, I must," the Turk replied, sourly, "That's my job."

He scowled and resumed his seat at the table. He disliked Remy. Certainly, she was the consummate professional and exceptionally good at her job – Tseng had been singing her praises for years now – but whenever he found himself under her watchful eye, he felt like a child under the care of a nanny. She could be irritatingly condescending at times, took everything _far_ too literally, and didn't even have the decency to take offense when he directly insulted her. Or if she did, she never let on. If she was going to intentionally be a wasted effort, she might at _least_ attempt to be as entertaining as the slum rat could be and make the occasional snarky rebuttal.

Before he could reply to that effect, however, the aforementioned slum rat and the Mideelian idiot returned from their errand, food in hand. Rufus smirked.

"Then, if you're so _very_ concerned, perhaps you should sample it yourself."

He was quite certain that the effort it took her _not_ to roll her eyes at him must have been truly monumental. She had the same exasperated look on her face Tseng often did right before he told him he was tired of his games. The difference being that _Remy_ was unlikely to call him on it they way Tseng – and even that red-haired little pain in the backside – would have.

"Happy ta volunteer as taste tester, sir!" Sato suddenly piped up, setting his load down on the table. Before anyone could respond, he'd torn the foil cover off of one of the boxes and helped himself to a sandwich quarter. Rufus rolled his eyes as it vanished into his mouth. "Tastes good ta me..." the Turk added with a grin.

"Sato..." Remy said, warningly through gritted teeth. The Mideelian Turk flashed her a wide grin, and she shook her head while Reno, and even Saya, snickered quietly off to one side. But before she could chastise him further, the grin slowly faded from his face and his eyes widened. Sato raised a hand to his chest, and with a faint choking sound keeled over on the floor. His body twitched violently for a moment before going still, eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling.

"Sato!" Reno and Saya chorused in alarm, and Rufus took a step away from the sight, a cold chill coming over him. His breathing quickened as he looked over at food on the table, not quite believing such a thing was possible.

By then, Saya was crouched beside her cousin, searching desperately for any sign of life. Her fingers pressed against the artery in his throat feeling for a pulse. And then, without warning, her entire expression morphed into one of fury.

" _Goddamnit_ , yeh psychotic son of a sea worm!" she roared, and slapped him across the face.

"Oy!" Sato yelled, sitting up on the floor, glaring at her, "That hurt!"

"Good! 'Cause that wasn't funny!" she replied, scowling as she got to her feet and stormed to the other side of the room, muttering unflattering epitaphs under her breath. Sato snorted and turned to say something to Remy... only to very quickly snap his mouth shut at the sight of her glare.

"Get. Downstairs," the Turk ground out, angrily, "Now."

"Ah, fer Odin's sake... I was only tryin' ta lighten the mood a wee bit," Sato groused as he picked himself up and disappeared through the door. His footsteps quickly faded down the stairs.

"I swear ta _Titan_ , that idiot's goin' ta take his bloody jokes too far one of these days..." Saya grumbled, "I'd best get inta position, too. I dinnae think we want ta leave him ta his own devices fer too long after that..."

Rufus forced himself to take a calming breath as he resumed his seat at the table, hurriedly schooling his features into a look of general disdain... though he was fairly certain he caught the slum rat's gaze on him before he managed it. To his credit, Reno said nothing, and thus the vice president was thankfully _not_ confronted with his momentary expression of concern for the obnoxious Mideelian.

"Well... now that _that_ excitement is over," Remy began, "The representatives from Corel will be here shortly. Reno... get out to _your_ post, as well."

Reno nodded and scurried off like a good little subordinate, apparently not willing to test his superior's patience any more than it already had been. Rufus was _almost_ annoyed by the redhead's departure. Truth be told, he would have rather had the slum rat sit in on the meeting than Remy... though he couldn't quite put his finger on why it made any difference whatsoever. Perhaps just a little residual gratitude for his actions yesterday...

* * *

"Is it what we thought?" Rude asked as he and Tres boarded the train back up to the Plate. The senior Turk gripped the rail alongside the door way and swung himself around the corner, landing neatly in one of the seats. Rude joined him a moment later.

"It's lookin' that way, kid," his mentor replied, double-checking that they were alone in the car before deciding to elaborate. "Contact in Two says his cousin's smugglin' shit in through the Number 2 lower gate. There's a delivery comin' into the slums tonight. My informant says weapons... but if Fuhito's involved, 'n I'd bet good money he _is_ , then that means Istev's probably involved, and considerin' these assholes have been blowin' shit up left 'n right, it's gotta be explosives, too. Tch... figures Veld sent Sato off to help babysit the President's spawn today. I fuckin' _hate_ disarmin' that shit."

"Shouldn't we be heading for the gate, then?" Rude asked. The train started on its long spiral upwards, and Tres shook his head.

"The two of _us_ against fuck only knows how many of Fuhito's mercs? No thanks. 'Sides... nothin's goin' down 'til tonight. We're gonna report in, get us some backup, and make damn sure we're ready for 'em this time."

Rude nodded in understanding and leaned back against his seat. Tres was right. Sitting around waiting for them to show up was stupid. They'd end up outnumbered and outgunned on their own. His mentor scowled out the window, a pensive expression on his face.

"Something wrong?" Rude asked, and Tres snorted.

"Just thinkin'. These assholes like playin' games with us. Can't help but think it's no coincidence that half the fuckin' team's in Kalm right now. And with Tseng suspended..."

"Tseng's _suspended_?" the rookie interrupted, caught off-guard, and Tres smirked slightly.

"Come on, kid... You shoulda had that one nailed down by _now_. I _know_ you were lookin' into it before we left."

"..."

Tres chuckled quietly, before switching to a more stern tone of voice. "Rude, you need to be more aggressive lookin' for info. I saw that you were logged into the camera system before we left. Ya knew he was down on Nine. Why didn't you pull up the Medical Suite's appointment calendar?"

"... I... didn't want to invade his privacy."

His mentor rolled his eyes. "Invadin' privacy is what we _do_ , kid," he replied. "Look... I know how ya feel. No use sugar coatin' it. It's a violation and it's a generally shitty thing to do... 'specially when it's someone you know. That's somethin' you need to get past, though. You can't make sound decisions if you don't know all the facts, plain 'n simple. And neither can the team. They depend on us for that."

"..." Rude had never been fond of Tres' logic on that matter. His mentor saw it as his duty to know everything he could possibly know, even if that meant digging into the skeletons in his teammates' closets. Rude was a bit more of the opinion that there were _some_ things that he just didn't _need_ to know. It was irrelevant data that was largely a waste of time to collect. Tres, on the other hand, always said there was no such thing as irrelevant data. Everything was relevant to _something_ , sooner or later. Frankly, the rookie really wasn't quite sure which of them was right.

"... So why's he suspended?" Rude finally asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Besides which, he knew the question was expected of him. If it hadn't been, Tres never would have brought up the subject to begin with. His mentor liked to test him occasionally... particularly when the subject at hand involved intel the senior Turk had decided his protege should be aware of. And Tres was always slightly annoyed with him if he hadn't already found it out for himself.

"Psych eval says he's not fit for duty," Tres replied. "Didn't read through _everything_. Even _I_ got my limits on respectin' other people's privacy. But I got the gist of what was goin' on. He's havin' a hard time dealin' with what happened to Luca... on top of what happened to his kid sister. And then we got Rufus' punk ass almost gettin' kidnapped, not to mention watchin' Reno's little sky ballet yesterday. Hell, _I'd_ probably be headin' for a nervous breakdown, too, if _you_ pulled some shit like that..." He pointedly looked over at the rookie Turk. "So _don't_ go pulling shit like that. I ever see you hangin' off the side of a helicopter, you can count on me smackin' some sense into you. Assumin' you survive it." He grinned slightly. "Hell, I think I'd probably still smack ya even if you _didn't_ survive it."

Rude snorted softly in laughter. "Sir, if you ever see me hanging off the side of a helicopter, just assume I've lost my mind. I _hate_ heights." He quickly sobered, however. "So... what does all this mean for Tseng?"

Tres shrugged. "Don't have the official word on that, yet. But like I said, he's suspended... or, at least, he is if Veld's followin' protocol. Means he can't give orders, can't be involved in field operations, certain high level security clearances are temporarily rescinded... Pretty much parks him at his desk 'til he's cleared."

"..."

In Rude's mind, Tseng had always been the epitome of what a Turk should aspire to since before the rookie had even been promoted. It was hard to reconcile that ideal with this new information. He wondered if Reno knew...

Given that Tres wasn't _supposed_ to know yet – and thus, neither was _he_ – it was unlikely. He frowned as he considered whether or not he should tell him, or let Veld do it. On one hand, Reno was his best friend. He didn't _like_ keeping secrets from him, and besides which, Tseng was... _more_ the just a mentor to the redhead. He had the right to know... didn't he?

On the other, it brought him right back to his initial reason for not pushing farther in his own investigation this morning. And it certainly wasn't his place to just start putting his fellow Turks' issues on blast just because he happened to know about them.

"Look," Tres said when the silence had dragged on too long for his liking, "You can't be shy when it comes to diggin' up dirt on people, rookie. The shit they don't _want_ people to know is exactly the shit you need to be lookin' for. No matter who's involved. You wanna be a good intelligence agent, you need to put personal feelings aside sometimes."

"... But what am I supposed to _do_ with intel like that?" Rude asked, growing frustrated.

"Ya file it away until it's useful. And maybe it's _never_ useful. Maybe you sit on it 'til the day you die. The point is you _know_. Sometimes just knowing ends up makin' all the difference in the world."

"... I guess," the rookie said, not really convinced. Tres smirked.

"Just take my word for it, for now, kid. One of these days, you'll see I'm right. Mean time, let's focus on fuckin' up these Wutaiin dickweeds' plans, huh?"

~end chapter 84~


	85. Less than Kalm

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 85: Less Than Kalm**

 **by Desha**

Reno leaned back against the wall, annoyed by the lack of much of anything to do. Guard duty was fucking _boring_. And it never seemed to get any _less_ boring. He sighed quietly and shifted his weight to his other leg. It didn't exactly help, either, that his mind wasn't entirely on his job right now.

Once the delegates from Corel had arrived – and he quietly snickered at the term 'delegates'... They'd looked like they just walked out of the coal mines their little village had been built around. It was like someone referring to _him_ as a 'gentleman'... – he'd been left more or less to his own devices. Sato and Saya were both downstairs, out of his immediate view... though he was pretty sure he _did_ occasionally hear Saya's voice, probably still berating her cousin for the prank he'd pulled.

But for the most part, it was quiet just standing there on the landing outside of the makeshift meeting room, which gave him entirely too much time to think. He hadn't heard one way or another how Tseng's evaluation had gone... but like he'd told Rufus in the helicopter, since he wasn't with them, it probably hadn't gone _well_. And that worried him. How was being shoved behind a desk for the foreseeable future going to _help_? His handful of experiences with being sidelined – be it for medical or disciplinary reasons – had all pretty much sucked. It drove him nuts not being able to do his job... and _he_ didn't even have what one might consider a 'professional nature' like Tseng did. For Reno, the very idea of being forced to do nothing all day became almost painful after awhile. But for someone like Tseng? The man seemed to virtually _define_ himself by his job. What the hell was getting pulled from the field for fuck knows how long going to do to _him_?

The redhead sighed and folded his arms over his chest. Veld had to realize that, too. He _had_ to. He knew Tseng too well for it not to have occurred to him. But what was he going to _do_ about it? Pile more paperwork on him to keep him busy? Have him take over all the rookies' training sessions personally? Could he be assigned as Rufus' personal guard for the duration of his suspension?

He admittedly somewhat doubted the viability of that last idea. It would almost have to be unofficial, given that Tseng wasn't allowed in the field, and it probably wouldn't fly with the other executives given the current hostilities. But the thought of his mentor being left alone all day while the rest of them carried on with their normal duties bothered him. He knew from personal experience that dwelling too long on your own thoughts didn't always have the best of outcomes. _He_ was lucky enough to have Rude around to break him out of such mindsets when he got stuck in them – usually by throwing him bodily and fully clothed into the company pool and calling him an idiot. Reno didn't think the same tactic would work so well on Tseng, even if by some miracle he managed to _do_ it.

And what if he _never_ snapped out of it? Reno'd known plenty of people in the slums who turned to drinking or the drug dens when their demons finally became too much to bear. Or worse. He was _intimately_ acquainted with the 'or worse'. He also knew that _some_ things you just never got over... no matter how hard you tried not to think about them, or talk about them, or generally pretend they never happened.

Maybe... maybe the Doc would have some ideas. The thought of intentionally walking into the medical suite when it wasn't an emergency made him cringe, but... it was for Tseng. And Ward _did_ know about shit like this. That was her fucking job, after all.

He couldn't just do nothing.

* * *

"They're expectin' the delivery at the Number 2 lower gate around midnight. I'm proposin' that we set up shop well before then, take 'em out, and seize whatever they're buyin'."

"And the smugglers?" Veld asked. Tres shook his head.

"Up to you, boss... but, eh... if it were my choice, I'd let 'em go."

The Turk leader raised an eyebrow. "What's to stop them from continuing to supply the Wutaiians?"

"Nothin'," Tres replied, "But they _also_ supply the the people in the Slums. We cut 'em off _completely_ , a lot of people are gonna be hurtin' down there. The black market's what keeps a lot of the poorer folk fed."

"I understand that, but..."

"And if they can't get goods from the black market, they're gonna turn to the gangs. That shit's _already_ a problem for us in some of the Sectors. You really wanna risk makin' it worse?" 

"... You have point," Veld acknowledged.

"'Sides... if we take the Wutaiian buyers out, the smugglers ain't gonna be real keen on workin' with any more of their ilk again anyway. It's a risk, but I think the alternative's gonna be a bigger one."

The Turk leader nodded. "Alright. I'll take that under consideration. Who do you want with you tonight?"

"Anyone we can spare," Tres replied. "Don't have accurate numbers, and even if I did, they'll probably have people watchin' their backs from the shadows. Means we should do the same. I say we throw everyone we got available at 'em 'n end this shit. Take some of 'em alive for interrogation to find out where their leaders are hidin', kill the rest with extreme prejudice, and then _finally_ clear the fuckers outta the city for good."

Veld stood up from behind his desk and turned to gaze out the window. "Tell everyone still in the office we're meeting in ten and have Kai send a message to the team in Kalm that they'll be briefed upon their return. I'll be joining you, tonight, as well," he said after a moment. "Let's put an end to this."

* * *

" _Hope you're ready for a late night,"_ the message read. Reno snorted softly and typed back a response.

" _Thought I wasn't your type."_

His phone was silent for several second before a quiet ping announced a new text message from Kai.

" _Sorry, baby Turkling... you're not. Briefing as soon as you get back."_

There was no instruction to let the others know about whatever was going on, so he assumed that she'd already sent similar messages to the rest of Rufus' escort team. He tapped in a quick acknowledgment and tucked the PHS back into his pocket.

Apparently she wasn't in the mood to share details. Or, perhaps more likely, communicating that information over phones was too much of a security risk. Either way, it looked like he was going to have to wait to find out what was going on.

His stomach growled angrily at him and he glanced at his watch, and groaned as he tried to ignore it. How fucking long were they going to be at it? He'd been standing out here for over three hours. The sound of footsteps on the stairs quickly drew his attention away from his hunger, however. A moment later, Saya rounded the bend in the stairway, a concerned look on her face.

"What's up?" the rookie immediately asked.

"We've got company," Saya replied, "Spotted 'em across the way, perched up top one of the roofs. Sato's creepin' up on 'em now, but we cannae tell how many there are fer sure. Need yeh ta swap places with Remy fer a bit. I dinnae want ta alarm the vice president quite yet. Or the representatives from Corel."

Reno nodded and knocked softly four times on the door. He knew Remy was just on the other side. It opened a crack a moment later and the senior Turk peered out.

"Saya says we got company," he said, keeping his voice down. Remy stepped out onto the landing.

"Keep Rufus in that room until you have the all clear from one of us," she said. Reno nodded and slipped into the meeting room, shutting the door behind him. The only person who seemed to notice – or at least care about – the personnel change was Rufus. He eyed the rookie Turk curiously for a moment before turning his attention back to the conversation he was having with a heavily muscled man in coveralls.

"As I've already assured you... this little squabble with Wutai _will_ be dealt with in, I'm sure, a timely fashion. Shinra Company has no intention of dragging out a meaningless war any longer than necessary. Once our troops take the capitol, that will be the end of it. There is simply no need to fear being targeted because of the reactor."

"You can't even stop 'em from blowin' the hell outta your own city... what makes you think you can stop 'em from comin' after us?" the man replied, frustrated. Rufus sighed and leaned forward.

"I have been attempting to keep this conversation civil, but if you insist... by the time we are done with Wutai, they won't have the _ability_ to harass _anyone_ ," he said, darkly, and there was little room for interpretation in that statement. Rufus had essentially just told them that no one fucked with Shinra Company and came out of it in one piece. The man turned to the other three people at the table, and after a brief, murmured conversation, he looked back at Rufus.

"A'ight. You got yourself a deal," he said, holding out a hand to the young executive. Rufus calmly shook it.

"Excellent. I'll be in touch with the finalized contract within the week," he said, getting to his feet. Reno settled back against the door and watched for the next few minutes as the little group made some minor small talk, drank to a successfully negotiated deal, and finally began to shuffle off towards the door. As soon as they'd had left the room and the door was shut firmly and locked behind them, Rufus rounded on the Turk.

"What's happened now?"

The redhead had to hand it to the brat. He was far from unobservant. Remy's unexpected exit had clearly alerted him to the fact that something wasn't going according to plan.

"Got some guys on a rooftop watchin' the place. The others are takin' care of it."

If the news had any effect on the vice president, he did an exceptional job of hiding it... though Reno _did_ catch him momentarily fingering the outside of the pocket he'd tucked his gun into. Rufus turned to the table and poured himself another glass of wine.

"And just what am _I_ to do?"

"Sit back, relax, and wait 'til we get the all clear from Remy or one of the others. Shouldn't take 'em too long."

Rufus snorted in contempt and drained the glass. "Relax?" he sneered, somewhat incredulously, and then muttered under his breath so quietly that Reno was fairly certain he wasn't actually meant to hear it, "I'm going to need something far stronger than wine to accomplish _that_ feat..."

A knock on the door prevented Reno from commenting. He reached into his jacket and pulled his gun from its holster before easing it open just enough to peer out... and relaxed when he saw Sato waiting for him on the other side. He quickly let the Turk in.

"We're gonna take yeh out the back way, sir," Sato stated, "Dealt with two of 'em, but Remy's worried their might be more hidin'. And, eh... I'm gonna need yeh two ta swap clothes fer a wee bit."

"I beg your pardon?" Rufus replied, somewhat scandalized.

"We want ta make yeh less of a target. Yeh'll be goin' with Remy 'n Saya ta the Turk's copter. Me 'n Reno'll head fer the executive copter."

"Oh, sure... make 'em think _I'm_ the one they're after. Thanks a lot, Sato," the redhead grumbled as he slid out of his jacket. Rufus hesitated a moment, but grudgingly began to disrobe as well. He tossed his shirt at the redhead.

"Do _try_ not to get maimed. That's Wutaiian silk, and I'd like it back in the same condition I've given it to you," he snapped. Reno snorted a quiet laugh.

"Yeah, try not to piss in my uniform, either, sir... I'd hate to have to go all the way back to my apartment in the middle of the day just for clean pants," he shot back, earning a glare from the Shinra heir. Sato looked at the rookie Turk as if he wasn't sure if he ought to be shocked or impressed. Though when Rufus' only further response was an irritated scoff as he finished dressing, the redhead was pretty sure he'd decided on impressed.

"Here. Put this on, too," Sato snickered, tossing the rookie a somewhat battered white fedora. Reno raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not enough of a target yet? Gotta make me stand out a little _more_?"

"It's ta cover up that hair of yers, genius… Yeh two've got similar enough builds from a distance, but if there's one thing the vice president _ain't_ , it's a redhead. Like ta get more'n two steps out the door before they notice somethin's sketchy."

"Tch… yeah, yeah, alright," the younger man muttered, obligingly tucking the crimson strands beneath the hat, "I better be gettin' hazard pay for this shit..."

Sato laughed, and clapped the rookie on the back. " _I'd_ sure as hell put in fer it. Just keep yer head down, and stick close ta me. We'll be on our way home in no time."

The senior Turk escorted the pair into the hallway, where Remy and Saya were waiting. Remy looked him over appraisingly before finally nodding her approval. She turned her attention on the executive.

"Alright, sir," she said, "We're going to walk out the back door and down the alley behind the building very calmly and head straight for the helicopters. The three of us will take the lead with Reno immediately behind us and Sato bringing up the rear. We'll escort them to the executive copter, and then you, Saya, and I will continue on to the Turks' copter, just as we would under any other circumstances. I need you to stay close to us, no matter what."

"Yes, alright," Rufus said impatiently, "Let's just get this over with."

Reno could hear the nervousness behind his words. He hid it well, but the Shinra heir was plainly uneasy about this plan. Reno wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of being a decoy, either... but that's what he got paid for.

The group headed downstairs, and Remy lead them out through the door in the back of the inn. The first few minutes passed without incident. They easily slipped down the back alley, and followed it as far as they could in the direction of the helicopters. Remy signaled for them to stop before they were forced to break cover as Saya raised a pair of binoculars.

"All clear ahead," she said, after a moment of studying the aircraft in the distance. "If they're waitin' fer us, they're doin' it in town somewhere."

"Move quickly and deliberately," Remy replied as she and Saya prodded Rufus forward between them. The group stepped out into the open, and had the situation not been so serious, Reno might have chuckled at Rufus' fixated gaze that was directed straight ahead of him, locked firmly on his destination. The redhead, on the other hand, was subtly checking his surroundings, and wanted desperately to take a quick glance behind him. The only thing that kept him from doing so was knowing that Sato was watching his back for him.

They'd covered nearly half the distance when the attack finally came.

Reno hadn't even seen where they'd come from. They'd emerged seemingly from nowhere, and before he knew it, they were making an effort to surround the group. There was a loud stamping sound from somewhere behind him, and the next thing Reno knew he was tumbling head over heals as something heavy struck him from behind. He didn't have much time to ponder what had just happened, however, as Remy was shouting, he assumed at Saya, to get the vice president in the air. Several gun shots rang out, and the redhead had to curl in on himself to avoid being trampled as the massive taloned feet of a chocobo barely missed him.

The bird kicked up quite a bit of dust, momentarily blinding him, and he quickly lost track of Sato as well as the other half of the group. More gunshots and shouting filled the air, and by then, he wasn't sure who was shooting at who. In the distance, he heard the engine of one of the helicopters spinning up, followed by angry shouts of Wutaiian and the pounding footfalls of their avian mounts as they, apparently, realized the ruse and took off in the direction of the actual Shinra heir.

It was much too late, however. Reno spotted the aircraft lifting into the sky, away from their attackers.

His relief was short-lived, unfortunately. Once the Wutaiian attack party realized that Rufus was out of their reach, they turned their attention back on the decoy. By then, Reno had recovered enough to draw his gun, but the view of six armed men on chocobo-back riding straight towards him wasn't exactly a welcome sight. He managed only two shots before they were on him, knocking one man from his bird, before he, too, was sent flying by a violent kick to the chest, courtesy of one of the chocobos. Reno landed on his back, gasping, the air forced from his lungs, and struggled to right himself. He rolled to avoid another mounted attacker, but they were all around him. He was as good as trapped.

Just as he was wondering if this was going to be it for him, and ear-splitting screech, followed by a blast that shook the ground, sent the chocobos into a panicked frenzy.

"Run fer it!" Sato's voice shouted at him, and in the midst of the chaos, Reno spotted him, waving frantically at the rookie from outside the executive copter with one hand, while the other hauled back and launched something towards the stampede. The same screech rent the air a second time, and Reno hurriedly scrambled to his feet, stumbling a little before finally making a beeline towards the other Turk. When whatever the hell it was Sato had thrown finally exploded, he just kept running.

Sato seized the rookie by the arm, and all but threw him into the helicopter. For a moment, Reno simply lay there on the floor, gasping for breath, his chest still aching from being kicked, as the engines started and he felt the familiar sensation of take off.

"Yeh still alive back there, rookie?!" Sato shouted. Reno coughed faintly and rolled over, clambering to his knees first before hauling himself upright and staggering into the cockpit. "Yeh hurt bad?"

Reno shook his head. "Nah..." he coughed, "Think I mostly just got the wind knocked outta me. The others get out okay?"

"Aye, they made it just fine," the senior Turk replied. The sound of gunfire from below met their ears, and the aircraft suddenly spun dizzyingly, sending the rookie into the side of the craft. Alarms blared in the cockpit as Sato swore loudly and tried to correct, but the helicopter was largely unresponsive. "We're hit! Get yer arse strapped in... This isn't gonna be a pleasant ride!"

The redhead scurried into the copilot's seat and somehow managed to drag his harness across his body just seconds before the copter suddenly dropped several dozen feet and pitched forward. Reno felt his stomach drop along with it, and gripped the armrests so tightly his knuckles soon turned white.

 _'This is how I'm gonna fuckin' die,'_ he thought to himself, and closed his eyes. The helicopter dipped again, but this time, there was a bone-jarring impact. Reno's body jerked forward, his harness digging into his skin painfully. Was he screaming? He was pretty sure he was screaming...

Reno's world seemed to be trying to invert itself, tossing him to one side in his seat, the only thing keeping him in place being the thick nylon straps of the safety harness. His ears filled with the screech of electronic alarms, the squeal of metal on rock, and a rending sound that he could only assume was coming from the rotors being mangled and torn as they drove themselves into the ground. It seemed to go on without end, and just when he was absolutely sure this was never going to stop... it did.

Reno hesitantly cracked his eyes open, and found himself dangling from his harness in the now-sideways cockpit. The scent of smoke and burning electronics hit him a moment later, and he looked around, surveying the damage. The console in front of him was smoking heavily and the windshield was a spiderweb of cracks, so much so he couldn't even see through it clearly. Sato groaned next to him... or, rather, below him.

"Yeh dead yet, rookie?" he coughed.

"Ask me again when we get outta here," the redhead replied, a slight tremor in his voice. Sato managed a faint laugh and pulled the release on his harness, extricating himself. He stood and pulled Reno's as well, easing him down from the seat.

"Let's get the hell outta this thing 'fore somethin' blows up, eh?"

"Don't gotta tell _me_ twice," said Reno. The exterior cockpit was jammed shut, so they crawled through to the back section of the executive craft. Sato glanced up at the side door, currently positioned about three feet above them.

"I'll boost yeh up, 'n yeh can get that open 'n climb out."

Reno nodded, and the senior Turk lifted him high enough that he could reach the latch. He twisted it, and shoved upwards with a loud grunt. The damn thing was a hell of a lot heavier when you had to lift it instead of swinging it outward. At last, it reached its tipping point and fell open, slamming into the side of the copter with a loud bang. Reno gripped the edges of the doorframe and hoisted himself up. He was greeted by the smell of fuel. Sato wasn't far behind, easily jumping for the opening and following suit. The pair carefully slid down the twisted wreckage, feet hitting the ground moments later. Sato stumbled and dropped to one knee, swearing.

The rookie Turk looked back at their former transport and shook his head. How the _fuck_ they managed to walk away from _that_ was beyond him.

"So... not dead?" Sato asked, grinning.

"Heh... I think I probably _should_ be..."

The Mideelian Turk laughed and clapped him on the back. "Come on. The bastard's leakin' fuel. Let's put some distance 'tween us 'n this hunk 'o junk... just in case it _does_ decide ta blow. Then we'll call fer a ride home."

Reno hurried to follow Sato as he made his way towards a large outcropping of rocks, and was a little surprised when he realized just how far they'd managed to come before crashing. Midgar was still quite some distance away... but Kalm was little more than a spec on the softly rolling plains. They settled themselves in what little shade the rocks provided. The senior Turk pulled his PHS from his back pocket, and heaved a sigh as the front half of the clamshell separated from the rest of the device and dropped to the ground.

"Serves me right fer keepin' it there..." he muttered, and Reno snickered softly. "Guess _yer_ gonna be makin' the call ta Veld." He suddenly smirked. "Hey... what would it cost me ta get yeh ta tell 'im _yeh_ were flyin' the copter when it crashed."

"Way more than you got," the redhead snorted, and Sato laughed. Reno reached into his jacket for his phone... only to realize that it wasn't where it should have been. He patted his pockets, and then groaned as he realized his mistake. "... My phone's still in _my_ jacket. Which is on _Rufus_."

"Well, don't _that_ just figure..." Sato said, shaking his head. "Guess we're shit outta luck, then. Looks like we're _walkin'_ home."

"Uh... what about the Wutaiians?"

"Doubt they'll waste their time comin' after us... fer all _they_ know, we're dead anyway." Sato frowned thoughtfully for a second. "Then again, we're not exactly gonna come out on top if it comes down ta a fight, right now, and Odin only knows when someone'll decide ta come get us... 'specially if somethin's goin' down in Midgar."

In all the confusion of the attack, Reno had nearly forgotten the brief message from Kai earlier. She'd said to be ready for a late night. Obviously, an operation was in the works. And if it was something that took priority, they might well be on their own for awhile.

"Hmph... well nothin' else fer it, I s'pose," Sato continued, "Best find somewhere ta hole up fer a bit. We'll start workin' our way back ta Midgar once we know no one's tailin' us from Kalm. Hopefully, we won't have ta walk the _whole_ way."

Before Reno could agree with the plan, a loud _boom_ echoed across the plains, and the redhead instinctively ducked. Shrapnel rained against the other side of the rock outcrop for several seconds, before things finally went silent. The rookie cautiously peered around the rock, eyes wide. The helicopter – or what was left of it, anyway – was now on fire, pieces of it scattered over a fairly wide radius.

"... 'n _that's_ why yeh dinnae stay inside a crashed helicopter," Sato snickered.

"Yeah... I'll remember that," Reno replied.

* * *

A rather anxious-looking Tseng met them on the rooftop, along with Veld, who seemed considerably _less_ anxious, but still noticeably concerned. They'd hardly touched down before the pair descended on them.

"Where is the executive helicopter?" Tseng asked, as Remy and Saya stepped out of the aircraft. He had to look twice at the figure that emerged behind them, before he realized that the third Turk wasn't a Turk at all, and was quietly relieved to see the vice president safe. He glanced at Remy expectantly.

"They _were_ right behind us, but the Wutaiian attack delayed their takeoff," she replied, "Our priority was the vice president. We didn't wait for Reno and Sato to catch up. They _can't_ be that far behind, though."

"Tseng, take Rufus inside," said Veld, and then turned his gaze on the other two Turks, "Saya, get on the radio and get an ETA on the other helicopter... Remy, my office for debriefing."

"Yes, sir," the pair chorused. Tseng gently guided his charge back towards the elevator, boarding it with Remy and his mentor. When it stopped on the sixty-sixth floor, he and Rufus disembarked, leaving the others to continue down to Turk headquarters.

"What happened?" the Turk lieutenant asked, once they'd bypassed Rufus' new secretary and entered his office. The boy seemed slightly shell-shocked, and it concerned him greatly... though at least he didn't look to be _physically_ hurt. Rufus settled into the leather chair behind his desk and swallowed sharply.

"You know, I'm beginning to regret gifting my only bottle of Banora whiskey to the slum rat this morning... I believe I could use some of it myself right about now," he replied, and then looked up at the Turk, "Twice in two days. That's _two_ attempts to kidnap me in less than forty-eight hours, Tseng..."

Tseng was more than a little surprised by the news that Rufus had gifted his protege _anything_ , let alone something that expensive... but opted to file the information away for later and focus instead on slightly more recent events.

"You would be an exceptionally valuable person to have control of. Your father would likely do just about anything to see you returned to him safely," he replied, and Rufus snorted in contempt. Tseng shook his head. "He _would_ and know it... No matter how hard it is for him to say so, you mean everything to him."

"I think you are confusing his feelings towards _me_ with my father's attachment to his company and his legacy, Tseng," the younger man muttered, "I'm little more than an assurance that Shinra Company will live on after he's gone."

Tseng rounded the desk and gently squeezed Rufus' shoulders. "I think you underestimate him... but we'll leave that discussion for another time. What happened in Kalm?"

"Several of them ambushed us after the meeting. That lunatic Mideelian had me switch clothes with the slum rat... which, in retrospect, was an absurdly effective ruse. They all but ignored _me_ and went after your precious protege instead. By the time they realized their mistake, I was safely in the air."

And hopefully, Tseng thought to himself, Reno hadn't been far behind. It was taking everything in him right now not to assume the worst. Really, he was only able to remain calm for Rufus' sake. He very much wanted his rookie back safely within the confines of the Shinra Building.

Rufus looked up at the Turk from his seated position.

"This can't continue," he stated, "Eventually, one of their ill-conceived efforts is going to get lucky, and _I'll_ be the one to pay for it. How much longer until Shinra takes the Wutaiian capitol?"

"The last I heard, the resistance surrounding the city was unexpectedly fierce. And the city itself won't go down easily by any means. They're well-supplied, well-defended, and they have the mountains at their back. Even under the best of circumstances they could feasibly hold out for weeks before our troops finally break through. Perhaps even months, if they're entrenched deeply enough. Godo seems to have consolidated his forces there."

Rufus scowled and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "This is utter foolishness. Doesn't Father realize how much money we're wasting on this disaster of a war? And for what?! Another mako reactor? There are _dozens_ of other sites we could build one!" He turned and glowered at the Turk. "If he _really_ gave a damn about my 'safety', he'd end this."

"I don't _entirely_ disagree with that assessment," Tseng replied, as diplomatically as possible, "Perhaps today's events will convince him of exactly that."

Rufus turned back to his desk and went silent. It was several minutes before he finally spoke again, and when it did, his voice was quiet and introspective.

"Am I a coward, Tseng?"

The question surprised him... and at the same time, it didn't. Though Rufus had seldom lacked in confidence, suddenly becoming the target of an entire nation would – and _should_ – terrify anyone.

"No. You're _afraid_. There's a difference between fear and cowardice. A coward wouldn't have gone to Kalm today to begin with."

"I just want this to end. I want everything to go back to the way it was before," Rufus breathed, refusing to meet his gaze.

"As do I," the Turk lieutenant replied. But, for Tseng, at least, that was impossible. _Some_ things would _never_ be the same.

* * *

Remy leaned back in the chair, and ran through the events of the morning one more time in her head... just to check that she hadn't left anything out. Satisfied, she nodded.

"I believe that's everything, sir."

"We should probably rout them from the town... I don't like the idea of a Wutaiian base of operations being set up in Kalm. It's bad enough we haven't flushed them from the city yet. But it will have to wait. Tres believes we have an opportunity tonight to eliminate many of the Wutaiian agents still hiding in Midgar," Veld said with a nod.

"I take it that's what Kai's message was about earlier?"

"Yes. One of Tres' contacts gave up the time and location of a Wutaiian weapons shipment. It will be arriving tonight... and we'll be waiting for it."

"Something like that will be well-guarded," Remy mused.

"All the better. The more personnel they pour into escorting that shipment back to wherever they've been operating out of, the more of them we can take out. That's why _everyone_ will be going tonight."

"Everyone, sir?" the Turk asked. The first half of her debriefing had been... disheartening. Veld had been somewhat tight-lipped on the details, but the gist of it was that Tseng was suspended until further notice. She could guess what the issue was, though. She'd known her friend was still struggling with the pain and the guilt of what had happened to his sister... and to Luca... but she was ashamed to admit she hadn't realized it was _that_ bad.

"Tseng will be staying behind," Veld amended.

"Sir, maybe it's not my place to pry, but... was suspension really necessary? Is he really having _that_ hard a time with everything that's happened?"

Veld nodded somewhat sadly. "Yes... he is." He frowned for a moment before continuing. "How much has he told you about his return to Wutai for the funeral?"

"Not much, sir," Remy replied, blinking in surprise, "I... didn't think there'd be much to tell. Or at least not much he'd want to _share_ about spending almost a month mourning with his family."

The Turk leader sighed. "I'm only telling you this because you're going to be acting as my second in command for awhile. It's not intended as general knowledge."

"I... understand, sir."

"Tseng was not with his family while he was gone," Veld continued, "To be honest, I'm not entirely certain _where_ he was. But... he was not welcome at home once they learned of his involvement in the attack that killed his sister. They disowned him, and so far as I'm aware, are not speaking to him."

Remy's heart caught in her throat at those words.

"Oh, dear Leviathan," she breathed, in disbelief. Veld nodded grimly.

"His loss was far greater than most people realize. But the situation with Wutai deteriorated so rapidly... and I was just grateful he was back. I'm beginning to see now that I shouldn't have allowed him to return to duty so soon, no matter how badly we needed him. I don't intent to make the same mistake twice. He won't _enjoy_ being sidelined... but he needs to be. And I think _he_ realizes that, as well."

Remy took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She hadn't expected to suddenly be shoved back into the role she'd only recently vacated... but at least this time she felt a bit better prepared for it.

"Well, then..." she said at last, "I suppose, as acting second in command, I should be asking about the plan for tonight. I... seem to have some preparations to make..."

Veld nodded and opened his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. He didn't even have time to tell whoever it was to come in. The door opened immediately, without invitation, revealing Saya.

"Sir..." she said, breathlessly, "I cannae raise the other copter. There's no response on the radio, and I cannae spot 'em from the roof. I dunno where Reno 'n Sato are..."

~end chapter 85~


	86. Better and Better

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 86: Better and Better**

 **by Desha**

Reno groaned and flopped down on top of a large, flat boulder. They hadn't gone far... but between the bruises from being kicked in the chest by a bird twice his size and the _additional_ bruises from the straps of the safety harness digging into him during the crash, he ached all over.

"Keep it movin', rookie... Yeh can rest once we've found some cover," Sato said, prodding him with his foot. The redhead grunted and forced himself back up.

It didn't exactly help that it was a beautiful summer day... not a cloud in the sky, with temperatures easily in the upper 80s. He was hot, he was sweaty, he was sore, he was tired... and he hadn't eaten since early that morning. Sato didn't look to be faring much better. The senior Turk had developed a slight limp during their trek towards the foothills of the mountain range, the closest available cover on the vast plains of the eastern continent. Reno suspected he'd hurt himself a bit more than he'd let on jumping down from the wreckage earlier.

On the bright side, they hadn't been rushed by the people who'd attacked them in Kalm, and Reno was cautiously optimistic that they'd either broken off pursuit when they'd realized the vice president was out of their reach, or had found the remains of the helicopter and taken them for dead. He glanced back in the direction they'd come from. Black smoke was still curling into the air from the downed aircraft. If it was still burning and they _had_ gone there to finish them off, they probably couldn't yet get close enough to see that there were no bodies on board. That would keep them safe for awhile at least. Assuming they were being followed at all.

"Hey, Sato..." Reno queried, as he followed the Mideelian through a narrow crevice between some fallen boulders and down into the deliciously cool shade it offered. The senior Turk glanced back at him over his shoulder.

"Aye?"

"Just in case I didn't get around to sayin' it before... Thanks for savin' my ass back in Kalm. Thought for sure I was gonna get trampled into goo when those fuckin' feathered bastards surrounded me."

The Mideelian Turk grinned. "Yeh really wanna thank me, do me a favor. Dunnae tell Tseng the whole decoy thing was _my_ idea. I like havin' my skin attached ta my body."

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Thought you said _Remy_ wanted me 'n Rufus to switch places."

"Aye... she did. After I suggested it," he replied with soft chuckle.

"Heh... Should I leave out the part about you chuckin' genades at me, too?"

"Ah, those weren't grenades... I call 'em poppers. My own design. They just make a wee bit o' noise 'n shake things up a bit," Sato replied, still grinning, "But, ah... aye, maybe best yeh dinnae bring that up, either."

Reno merely snorted a soft laugh as Sato eased himself down onto the ground and leaned back against the rocks.

"How long ya think it'll take us to walk home, anyway?"

The senior Turk shrugged.

"Never done it on foot before," he replied. "Chocobo'll take yeh an hour, hour and a half, ta get over ta Kalm, though, 'n that's flat out runnin'. Figure... I dunno, _'least_ twice that on foot, probably longer, 'n we're a wee bit under halfway, I think. So... couple hours maybe? If we're quick about it... Not countin' gettin' back topside 'o course."

The redhead slid to the ground beside him and shook his head.

"What are the chances of gettin' a taxi out here instead?" he joked, and Sato snorted in laughter.

"Slim ta none, I'd reckon..." he chuckled. "We'll take a wee rest here, 'n give the sun a bit o' time ta go down so we're not walkin' in the heat o' the day. Wouldn't really mind it myself... yeh northerners've got _nothin'_ on Mideelian summers... but _yer_ likely ta keel over on a hike like that without water."

"Tch... ya just _had_ to say somethin' about water, didn't ya..." Reno groused. He'd been doing a fairly good job of ignoring how thirsty he was getting up until that point... but now he had no choice but to think about it. His tongue suddenly felt like sandpaper.

Sato grinned. "Pop one 'o the buttons offa that fancy shirt o' yers 'n hold it in yer mouth. It'll help a wee bit. Old Mideelian trick fer when yeh cannae find somethin' ta drink."

"Heh... Rufus is gonna kill me for this," Reno snickered, as he did as he was told. Aside from the initial taste of dust, he soon found that having something in there – even just a button – was enough to force his mouth to water. It didn't exactly alleviate his thirst, but at least it didn't feel like he was drying out completely anymore. He leaned back against the stone wall behind him and sighed in relief. After a moment, he glanced over at Sato again. "So... since we're stuck here doin' jack shit for awhile... I keep meanin' to ask ya 'n never seem to get around to it. What's Mideel _like_ , anyway? Is it nice there?"

"Aye, rookie, Mideel's a real thing o' beauty," he replied, grinning. "No better place on the planet, yeh ask me. Me 'n Saya grew up on the south coast, but the northern highlands're nice, too... 'n 'o course yeh've got the farms off ta the east. Best apples in creation." His grin widened noticeably. "Best _whiskey_ in creation, too, fer that matter, no two ways about it."

"So... if it's so great, why'd ya ever leave?"

"She's a beautiful isle, 'n she'll always be home... but sometimes a man needs a wee bit 'o adventure in his life. Well... adventure, 'n ta get away from his bitch of an ex-wife," he chuckled, "Just the first'un, mind yeh. I'm still friendly enough with the second missus. Had what I s'ppose yeh could call an 'amicable separation' with _her_. Ugh... the _third_ 'un, though... Even bigger bitch than my first... 'n what's worse, _she_ lives in Midgar. Do yerself a favor, kid. Don't _ever_ get married."

Reno snorted softly. "Tch... Don't worry. I'm not plannin' on it."

"Smart boy," the Mideelian laughed. "Smarter'n me, anyway. Took me _three times_ ta figure out marriage is nothin' more'n a trap. And Odin help yeh if yeh end up trapped with someone yeh cannae stand... Ugh. _Never_ again."

The pair of Turks lapsed into a companionable silence for a little while. Reno _still_ found the idea of Sato ever being married to anyone more than a little bizarre. The fact that he'd done it three times was even weirder. Sato was the _last_ person the redhead would have ever pictured as a family man.

Of course, given that he was _also_ three times divorced... maybe "family man" wasn't the most apt description to begin with.

It wasn't long before Reno's thoughts drifted away from Sato's failed marriages and back to Tseng, however. The others had to have realized that something had gone wrong. Hell, they probablyhad that figured out a long time ago, when he and Sato hadn't shown up promptly behind the other helicopter. His mentor had to be worried about him by now, too, and he wished he hadn't stupidly left his PHS in the jacket he'd handed over to Rufus. He wanted more than anything to let Tseng know that he was alright. He was certainly no doctor, but it seemed to him that the more stress the Turk lieutenant was under, the longer it was going to take for his mental state to improve. He couldn't stand the idea that _he_ was making it worse for Tseng, even if the events of this morning had been largely out of his control.

Reno looked down at his watch and realized it was already mid-afternoon. That almost didn't seem possible. The morning had dragged on so long that everything that had happened since they left Kalm had seemed to fly by in a heartbeat. And yet, had they been back in the office, he'd be headed home in less than two hours.

Well... under normal circumstances, he would have been. Obviously _something_ was happening tonight that he was supposed to be helping with. He wondered... if it really only took them a couple of hours to make it back to Midgar, and then maybe another hour or so to get through one of the lower gates and head for train station in Wall Market, ride it topside, and get back to the office... would they be in time to lend a hand? Or would it all be over by then?

A part of him almost hoped they missed it, whatever it was. He was beat. All he wanted right now was a decent meal and a nice long soak in some hot water to take away the stiffness that was setting in across about half his body. But he knew that if that ended up being the case, he was going to be feeling guilty. Whatever was going on, it was all hands on deck. He was supposed to _be_ there... and he didn't want to let the others down by _not_ being there.

The redhead yawned and closed his eyes. For now, at least, they were stuck _here_. Might as well try and conserve some energy... especially if they were going to be walking all the way back to Midgar in a little while.

* * *

"Where are you going?"

Tseng froze mid-stride mere seconds after exiting his office. He'd only returned to their floor to gather a few things he'd need, and had hoped to leave as stealthily as he'd arrived. The Wutaiian Turk sighed and turned to face his mentor.

"To look for them," he replied, more than a hint of challenge in his voice, and before Veld could respond, he continued, "I'm suspended, if you'll recall. I won't be taking part in tonight's mission. I see no reason, therefore, why I can't, on my own, personal time, take a chocobo out into the middle of nowhere... with or _without_ your permission."

Veld shook his head. "I was _going_ to wish you good luck."

"... Ah," he replied, more than slightly embarrassed by his unwarranted outburst.

"When you find them, let me know. I may not be able to respond right away, but a message would be greatly appreciated, all the same."

"Yes, sir."

Veld gave him a curt nod, and turned towards the path to the briefing room. Tseng, meanwhile, resumed his walk to the elevators.

"... Sir?" another voice behind him asked, and the Turk lieutenant had to pause a second time. He spun to face the source of the query, and spotted Rude peering out from a nearby supply room, a fresh case of ammunition in his grasp. "Could you let _me_ know when you find them, too?"

* * *

Rude set the supplies he'd been sent for down near the door and joined the others at the conference table, taking a seat next to Cissnei. Tseng's assurance that he'd alert him when he found the pair of missing Turks had made him feel a bit better... but he was still worried about his friends.

"Any news?" Cissnei asked. Rodney glanced over at him as well, but said nothing.

"Tseng's gone to look for them."

There wasn't much reason to keep Tseng's absence a secret. Veld had already informed them all, shortly after Remy and Saya had returned, about the Turk lieutenant's suspension.

"Well... _that's_ good, at least," she stated, "I can't believe we couldn't spare anyone as soon as we realized they weren't back yet..."

Rodney shook his head. "This is more important. We have a chance to boot those Wutaiian bastards out of our city once and for all. Of _course_ that takes precedence."

Rude scowled at the other rookie. He was technically right... but he didn't have to be such an asshole about it. Two Turks and a helicopter were missing after an attack on the vice president. _Anything_ could have happened to them. He suddenly realized that Cissnei was glaring at Rodney, as well... who seemed to sense that he'd crossed something of a line and raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm just saying... it's a choice between two people and an entire city. As much as we might want to drop everything and go find them, we just don't have that luxury right now."

"He's right, yeh know," Saya chimed him from behind the trio. "Odin knows I want ta see Reno safe 'n sound as much as anyone... and I'd like ta know that idiot cousin o' mine's still in one piece, too... but the job _has_ ta come first. We've been runnin' ourselves ragged preparin' fer tanight on such short notice... We cannae go traipsin' off fer the sake o' two people who're more'n capable of lookin' after their own selves fer a wee bit."

Rodney, at least, had the decency not to look smug about being told he was right.

"... I know," Rude sighed at last, "I'm just worried."

"Dinnae be. Sato's gotten his fool arse inta all sorts o' trouble over the years. He may be a lunatic, an idiot, 'n maybe a wee bit o' a drunkard, but he always seems ta make out alright in the end... 'n he won't let anythin' happen ta Reno, either."

"Everyone... If I could have your attention?" Veld called out from the front of the room. Saya gave the rookies a final nod and hurried off to take her seat. Rude turned his focus to the head of the table, as did everyone else in the briefing room. Once he was satisfied he had a captive audience, Veld began outlining the mission.

"As I'm sure everyone is aware by now, we've learned that the Wutaiians that still remain in the city have a shipment of weapons coming in late tonight. We're going to make sure they don't take delivery of said shipment... and, while we're at it, see if we can't exterminate our little pest problem in the process," he explained, "We'll be working in three teams. Tres will act as field commander for the main team of himself, Saya, and Rodney. They'll make initial contact with our targets. I'll be in command of the secondary team, consisting of myself, Shay and Cissnei. Our job will be to flank the Wutaiians and prevent them from escaping back into the slums. Remy will take Kai and Rude and act as our backup in the shadows. The Wutaiians will likely have hidden reinforcements... we'll be using the same tactic."

Tres stood up from his seat beside the Turk leader.

"The rest of you are gonna be takin' your cues from my team. Remy... I'd like your group to stay out of sight as long as possible. If you don't _need_ to immediately start shit, don't. We don't know for sure how many we might be facin', and the longer we have the element of surprise on our side, the better."

"Are we taking prisoners?" Kai asked.

"We'll grab a few for interrogation, in the hopes that one of them will give up their hideout," Veld replied, "Terminate the rest... especially anyone who tries to run and warn the remainder of their group."

"Why not _let_ some of them run, sir?" Rodney piped up. "We could tail them right back to wherever they've been hiding."

Tres shook his head. "We _could_... 'n if we weren't likely to have our hands full with the others, we'd probably do just that. But tailin' someone through the slums would not only take Turks away from the main mission... which is makin' _damn_ sure they don't get their hands on those weapons... it'd could also get some of us killed for no goddamn reason. This is the Sector 2 slums we're talkin' about. Ain't a nice place to begin with, and on top of that, I wouldn't put it past these assholes to lead a Turk straight into an ambush of some kind. We're better off stickin' together on this one. Someone runs, you take 'em down."

"It also bears mentioning," Veld added, "That the shipment _may_ contain explosives."

"Oh, _great_ ," Kai grumbled, "It just figures Sato'd be M.I.A. for this one. He's the only one of us nuts enough to _enjoy_ dealing with that crap."

"Aye, he'll be right pissed he missed it, if somethin' blows up tanight," Saya chuckled.

"Speaking of our missing teammates..." said Veld, "I know we're all worried about them, but let's try and remain focused on the task at hand. It might help to know that, as Tseng is presently barred from field operations, he's opted to take off work a bit early and spend his evening taking a nice relaxing ride across the plains. I'm sure he'll locate them in a timely fashion."

A quiet murmuring broke out among the seated Turks, but Veld quickly quieted them.

"You have your assignments. Let's finish our prep work, get some food, and start getting into position. It's going to be a long night."

* * *

Tseng's chocobo shied slightly at the sight of a rather large herd of levikron racing by in the distance. Though similar in appearance to chocobos, the slightly larger levikron were nothing like them in temperament. In fact, they could be downright nasty if you got too close to them, having a tendency to bite and kick and gang up on anything that wandered too close to their territory. Chocobos tended to instinctively avoid them, and Tseng had heard tell that levikron sometimes attacked nesting chocobos in the wild to drive them off and then destroyed their eggs.

He patted his mount's neck and turned her slightly off to the north, away from the levikrons' travel path.

They were still some distance from Kalm. He was following in reverse the flight path the helicopter most likely would have taken after leaving the little village, hoping that, if they'd been forced to land for some reason they hadn't strayed _too_ far. But that was really only because he didn't have any other starting points. For all _he_ knew, they could have ended up at the chocobo farm to the south, or gone all the way to Fort Condor, or set down up in the mountains. If they were being pursued by their attackers, they'd likely be hiding.

Though that didn't entirely explain why there'd been no contact. Certainly, the radio could have been damaged – and Tseng had learned shortly after returning Rufus to his office that the vice president was currently in possession of his rookie's PHS – but Sato had a Leviathan-be-damned phone as well. One that he wasn't answering. Still... he kept telling himself that there was a perfectly logical explanation for that as well. Perhaps it, too, had been damaged in the attack... or even dropped. Or perhaps the pair had simple sequestered themselves somewhere that had a lack of cellular reception. The nearby mountains, after all, were rather notorious for that, being so heavily inundated with mythril deposits. Just because they hadn't checked in didn't mean the worst had happened.

Though the longer he rode, the more frequently he was forced to remind himself of that.

It was already growing dark, the sun beginning to set. It was late summer and the nights were slowly getting longer again. It wouldn't be _much_ longer before the temperature began dipping uncomfortably at night and cool winds out of the north picked up in the evening.

He wasn't looking forward to searching in the dark. The plains could be treacherous when one's visibility was limited. One bad stumble as his chocobo raced towards Kalm, and he'd be flying head over feet onto the unforgiving ground... which wouldn't do Reno and Sato any good whatsoever. He'd still search through the night if he had to... but he was going to have to take things much slower once the sun went down.

For what had to be the thousandth time in the last almost two years, he wondered if he'd really done Reno any favors by recruiting him. He'd inducted the teenager into a life of danger, and in the beginning it had been largely for selfish reasons. Yes, Reno was happy and healthy. He was well-fed and had a safe place to live. He was loved... not _just_ by Tseng, but by most everyone on the team.

And in return for all that, he was asked to kill... to risk _being_ killed... to give up a sliver of his very humanity for the sake of the company. It was a high price for _anyone_ to pay, let alone a small, affection-starved sixteen year old boy who desperately wanted to leave his old life behind. Reno hadn't, perhaps, been a _complete_ innocent when Tseng had found him... but there was still _some_ left in him. Sometimes Tseng wondered how he would ever be able to atone for the crime of stripping it away from him one mission at a time.

He supposed he could no more atone for _that_ than he could for murdering his own sister.

Tseng shook himself from his dark thoughts when he spotted movement in the distance. It took him a moment to figure out what he was seeing at first... but went he did, he was certain his heart stopped for a moment. Smoke. Quite a lot of it, if he could see it from here. There weren't many reasons for a fire large enough to produce that much smoke out here on the plains. In fact the only one that immediately came to mind was a downed helicopter.

* * *

Reno yawned, blinking uncomfortably as a bright light hit him square in the face. It took him a moment to realized that it was the sun. The damn thing had moved far enough that their once-shady hideaway was now almost in full sunlight. He groaned softly and rubbed his eyes, wondering how long he'd been out as he glanced at his watch. It was just after five. Almost two hours. He glanced to his left, expecting to have to wake up Sato as well, only to find himself alone.

"... The fuck?" he murmured, getting to his feet, and wincing at the now-pronounced soreness of his muscles. "Sato?"

"Oh, good... yer awake," Sato's voice called back from somewhere above him. The redhead slipped through a narrow opening between the rocks, and glanced up, finding him perched on top of one of the boulders. "After yeh drifted off, I figured I'd just let yeh have at it. After everything we've been through taday, best thing fer it was ta rest 'til it was time ta head out anyway. Been keepin' an eye on things. It doesnae look like we were followed. Think we're good ta head fer home."

He eased himself down to ground level, flinching in pain as his right leg took his weight.

"Uh... you sure you're good to walk that far?" Reno asked, skeptically.

"Aye... just aggravated an old injury earlier's all. Bloody knee got fucked up years ago. Starts achin' again whene'er I'm not payin' attention 'n land on it wrong. Won't be doin' much runnin' fer a bit, but I think I can manage a steady shamble." He snorted a soft laugh. "Yeh dunnae look like _yer_ feelin' exactly a hundred percent yerself."

Reno stretched, groaning as his bruised and battered body protested the movement.

" _You_ try gettin' kicked by a fuckin' chocobo 'n see how _you_ feel after you been sittin' propped up against a rock for two hours..."

Sato chuckled and gave him a nod. "Aye, I'll grant yeh that'un. Saw some levikrons runnin' a wee bit ago. Doubt we'll be crossin' their path since they were headin' _away_ from the city, but yeh never know with those bastards. Best keep an eye out and do our best ta avoid 'em. _Evil_ fuckers..."

"What's a levikron?" Reno asked.

"Bit like a big, ugly chocobo... but yeh wouldnae want ta try ridin' one. They're as mean-tempered as they look and none too fond of _people_. Native ta these parts, but not as common as they used ta be. Folks from Kalm started huntin' 'em when they wouldnae stop attackin' the convoys ta the mines," he replied, and then grinned, "Hear they're good eatin', though."

"Heh... couldn't be any worse than the cripshays I ate back in the slums," Reno snickered, "Might have to try one some time."

* * *

"Dear Leviathan..." Tseng breathed as the helicopter finally came into view. It had landed – and he used that term _very_ loosely – in a small dip in the plains, which had effectively hidden much of it from his view until he was practically right on top of it. The smoldering remains were still smoking, but that wasn't what concerned him most.

It was plainly obvious that this hadn't been a normal landing... or even an emergency landing. The copter had _crashed_ , plain and simple. Two of main rotors had buried themselves deep in the soft soil. The others had flown off, flung to the gods only knew where. The copter itself was a mangled, twisted wreck scattered over a fairly significant area... though that may have been more from the ensuing explosion than the crash itself.

He felt ill as he eased himself down from the back of the chocobo. If they'd still been inside...

The Wutaiian Turk shook his head and cautiously picked his way past warped bits of metal towards the aircraft. He had to see for himself and he couldn't very well do so from fifty yards away. As he neared what was left of the cockpit, he braced himself for the worst, and unbidden, the memory of Mayu's bloodied and broken body flashed before his eyes. He'd had to identify her after the attack on the train station. It would have been enough for the coroner just to confirm it from a photo of her face... but he'd forced himself to see her in person, and look upon the devastation his decisions had wrought. They'd cleaned her up before allowing him to see her, but it had still been nigh unbearable. He didn't want to see Reno like that, too...

But there was no one else here to do it.

Shaking slightly, he rounded the helicopter until he had a clear view of the cockpit's windshield... or at least where said windshield _should_ have been. Most of it was gone... blown apart from the explosion, with what remained clinging half melted to its frame from the heat of the ensuing fire. He dropped to his knees with a loud sob of relief. It was empty... no sign of a body, or even blood. They'd made it out alive.

* * *

After he'd finished handing out the requisitioned ammunition to his fellow Turks, Rude made his way back towards his office... where he found Tres waiting for him. The senior Turk had made himself at home at Reno's desk, and spun around to face him as he entered.

"Ready for this?" he asked, and Rude nodded.

"I'm ready," he replied.

"Just keep your mind on the job, alright? I know it's not the easiest thing to do when your best friend comes up missin', but it's probably gonna get dicey out there tonight. Don't go gettin' yourself killed on me."

"... I won't."

Tres nodded and hoisted himself out of the chair. "You done makin' the rounds?"

"Yeah. Just finished."

"'Kay... Then go get somethin' to eat," said Tres, "Your group's goin' down early to make sure you got time to find good positions."

Rude nodded again and turned to go... repressing the urge to snicker quietly to himself as he did so. Tres could be a surly son of a bitch, but when it came to the rookie, his protective streak bordered on _almost_ fatherly… Sometimes. Rude paused in the doorway.

"Hey... Tres?"

"Yeah?"

"What if Tseng _doesn't_ find them?"

Tres groaned and rolled his eyes, and the momentary father-figure was gone again, disappearing behind a mask of jaded snark and sarcasm. Rude didn't mind. He'd grown used to it.

"Tch... The redhead's rubbin' off on ya. You're startin' to think worst case too much."

"I'm serious," Rude pressed, "What if he comes back empty-handed?"

"First off... Tseng ain't _gonna_ come back empty-handed. He's got nothin' better to do 'n nowhere else to be at the moment. He'll search 'til he either finds 'em or 'til he can't physically take another step 'n we gotta send someone out to find _his_ sorry ass. That son of a bitch doesn't know when to give up sometimes," the senior Turk replied, grinning slightly, and Rude couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"And second..." he continued, "Reno ain't exactly helpless, 'n neither's Sato. Don't go writin' 'em off 'til there's a reason to. Sato's been 'dead' more times than I can count, 'n Reno survived sixteen years in Sector 2, mostly on his own. Fuckin' cockroaches have a better shot at buyin' it than _those_ two."

"... I'm telling them _both_ that you compared them to cockroaches when they get back," Rude snickered, and Tres shot him a knowing smirk.

"Go right ahead... I've _damn_ sure called Sato worse than _that_ , 'n as many times as Reno's been labeled a slum rat by our illustrious vice president, 'cockroach' is probably almost a compliment."

* * *

Reno'd had to alter his normal pace to let Sato keep up. Despite his protests to the contrary, after about a half a mile of walking, it was pretty clear that he was in quite a bit of pain. His limp had become more pronounced, and several times, the redhead had had to outright stop for a short while to let him catch up.

But, he supposed, it _could_ be worse. To the south, in the rapidly declining light of evening, he could see storm clouds rolling in from off to the west. Thankfully, it looked like _that_ mess was going to _stay_ south and miss them. Having to walk all the way back to Midgar was bad enough... having to do it do it in the rain really would have sucked. Even with the lucky break in the weather, though, he was half tempted to say the hell with it and find them a place to chill for the night. It would get Sato off his injured knee, and maybe by morning the team would finally send someone out to pick them up.

He had just turned to Sato to voice that opinion when a loud bird-like screech caught him off guard.

"Oh, _shite_..." Sato muttered, and drew his gun. Reno followed his gaze, and spotted something... or rather _several_ somethings... headed straight for them at a dead run.

"Don't tell me... Levikrons?" he queried, reaching for his EMR.

"Aye... _angry_ levikrons. We musta got a wee bit too close ta their stompin' grounds."

The herd was _huge_. There had to be fifty or sixty of the creatures, and Sato was right. They didn't look happy to see the two Turks. Sato seemed to be settling in for a fight... but there was no way in _hell_ the two of them stood a chance against _that_. Reno scanned their surroundings, looking for cover. A high point... a low point... _anything._ Finally he spotted something that looked promising.

"Sato! Over there!" he yelled, as the screeching grew louder. The other Turk turned his attention in the direction the rookie was pointing.

"Worth a shot!" he replied, and took off as fast as he could manage. Reno was right behind him. The redhead paused briefly to take a few shots at the approaching levikron, hoping it would deter them, but quickly gave it up as pointless when all it seemed to do was piss them off even more. "Hurry it up, rookie! Move yer arse!"

At Sato's behest, Reno turned and fled towards the deep fissure in the ground some distance away. Sato disappeared into its depths as the redhead came barreling towards him. It was a tight fit... but the two men had just enough room to squeeze inside. And given that it really was _just_ enough, there was no way the levikron were going to be able to follow them.

That certainly didn't stop them from trying, though. In fact, not being able to get at them seemed to further enrage the animals. They gathered above the pair, clawing and scratching at the ground, as if trying to dig them two of them out, and Reno covered his head as a shower of small stones and dirt rained down on him.

"Well... this's been a nice break from the monotony 'n all, but I think I'm ready ta get back ta the office now," Sato muttered.

"Don't you have anything that'll scare these assholes off?" Reno asked. "What about one of those popper things you used back in Kalm?"

"Sorry... Used the last of 'em gettin' yeh outta _that_ mess. All I got left on me's somethin' a we bit more destructive than a noise maker. Liable ta bring our little hidey hole down on us, settin' it off. Best just wait 'em out."

"Oh, _great_..." the rookie groaned, and wondered just how long it would take for the levikrons to get bored of their attempts to excavate the pair of Turks. One of the creatures managed to wedge it's head into the hole, and snapped angrily at the redhead, it's sharp, hooked beak mere inches away from his head. "Uh... can ya get down there any farther? These things are gettin' a little too close for comfort..."

He suddenly yelped as the huge bird managed to snatch a few strands of his hair, yanking them painfully out of his scalp. Sato grunted loudly as he attempted to shimmy his way deeper into the fissure.

"Hang on... Think it opens up back here," he replied. "Just gotta suck it in a wee bit 'n I think I can – Ahhh!"

At Sato's unexpected shout, Reno twisted around, turning his attention back on his fellow Turk... only to find that said fellow Turk had vanished.

"Sato?!" he yelled, concerned.

"Not ta worry... I'm alright. Squeeze yerself on in 'ere, but mind that first step!"

The redhead hurried to duck away from the levikron that was still trying to peck him to death and slithered his way through the narrow opening. As Sato had warned him, the first step once he reached the other side was a doozy, the ground dropping down a good three feet without warning. He carefully eased himself down into the chamber... which he belatedly realized was bathed in a faint, pale green light.

"Well, now..." Sato said softly, looking around. The rookie followed his gaze, jaw dropping slightly as he ignored the angry shrieks from outside.

"Whoa..." Reno breathed. Ahead of them was... something absolutely beautiful. It was like a natural spring had just frozen in place. Faceted, transparent prisms reflected the soft light that emanated from within up onto the walls of the cave. As he drew closer, he realized that what he had at first mistaken for ice was actually crystal. He looked up at Sato. "What _is_ it?"

"Natural mako fountain," Sato replied, "Those crystals? That's raw, unprocessed materia right there. Yeh find 'em every once in awhile where there's a mako source that runs near ta the surface... or when there's a mako reactor or eight somewhere close by, pullin' it up from deep down below. Pretty thing, innit? Had a big'un near where me 'n Saya grew up. Bit 'o a local tourist attraction."

Reno reached out for the shimmering crystals... and then remembered the last time he'd fucked around with materia and hesitated. He glanced back at the senior Turk.

"Can I touch it?"

Sato chuckled. "Aye, they dinnae bite. Nothin' ta worry about."

Reno's fingers grazed the surface of the one of the long, gem-like spikes that encircled the core of the fountain. It was warn to the touch.

"So... that's where materia, ya know... comes from?" he asked, curiously.

"Some of it, aye. As yeh might imagine, natural materia's pretty rare, though. _Most_ of what yeh see people usin' actually comes from the reactors, as I understand it. Ends up formin' inside the reactor cores when the mako gets run through the machinery. Then we go in 'n harvest it, process it, 'n either sell it or hand it out ta SOLDIER 'n the military types that use it."

Reno was still more than a little curious about the fountain... but before he could ask anything else, a loud rumble came from the opening the two Turks had entered through, and a few seconds later, a cloud of dust burst inward, leaving the pair choking and coughing for several minutes. When it finally settled, the redhead heard Sato swear.

"Those _bloody bastards_!" he growled as he peered into the fissure. Or, rather, what _used_ to be a fissure. "They bloody well collapsed it!"

The rookie's eyes widened as realization set in. "W-wait... we're _trapped_ down here?"

That... didn't exactly bode well. They had no means of communication. They'd _already_ come quite some distance from where the helicopter had crashed. And on top of that, there was no reason for anyone to even _think_ to look for them underground. Reno swallowed sharply. No one would ever find them.

Sato glanced back at him. "Well... we sure as hell cannae get _out_ the same way we came _in_..." He squinted into the darkness beyond the mako fountain. "But I wouldnae start ta panic just yet. Looks like this chamber keeps goin'. Think we're just gonna have ta see where it leads us."

"... Today just keeps gettin' better and better," the redhead deadpanned.

~end chapter 86~


	87. Through the Darkness

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 87: Through the Darkness**

 **by Desha**

"Rude? Are you reading me?" a voice asked quietly over the headset the rookie was wearing over one ear.

"Loud and clear. No sign of them yet at my position," he replied, shifting slightly to gain a better view of the street below. He was their man on the high ground, having taken up a perch on one of the top floors of a partially collapsed building. A rifle, equipped with a sniper scope and laser sights, was set up nearby.

He smirked slightly as he spotted movement down below and recognized the familiar figure darting back into the shadows.

"... I can see Kai, though."

"I'll let her know," Remy's voice replied, "Report in if you spot our targets. Otherwise, I want to keep radio chatter to a minimum."

"Understood."

He leaned back again, ensuring that he was well-hidden. They still had _hours_ before the weapons buy was supposed to go down, but Tres had wanted them ready and waiting... which Rude couldn't exactly fault him for. It was much easier to sneak a sniper or three in _before_ you needed them than it was getting one in place after the shit hit the fans.

The only downside was that, for now at least, he was alone with his thoughts... and most of those thoughts were concerning his missing teammates. Reno in particular. He didn't _want_ to think that something may have happened to the redhead... but the longer he went without word from Tseng, the harder it was to keep telling himself that everything would be fine. At least when Aaron had been struck down they'd known right away. Even when Luca had died, the news hadn't taken long to reach every member of the team. Both deaths had hit Rude hard, but he'd _known_. This aggravating limbo of not having the faintest idea one way or the other was killing him.

It was getting dark... though to be fair, most parts of the slums were _always_ in a sort of twilight, owing to the massive city above them. They were near the outskirts of Midgar, though, and beyond the Sector 2 Gate, Rude could see the northern plains. Night was rapidly descending.

He wondered if Tseng would keep going in the dark or if he'd be forced to camp out on plains for the night? After talking to Tres, he doubted he'd head for home without the two missing Turks. He wondered if _Reno_ was stuck camping out? The redhead hadn't been terribly impressed with the idea of roughing it after he'd returned from Kai's survival training. If he was stuck sleeping out in the wilderness again, he was probably pissed about it. And probably even _more_ pissed if they hadn't found something to eat.

Then again... it was entirely possible that they'd been captured. And if the Wutaiians had them, Hades only knew what they could be doing to them. The Turks certainly weren't above torture. Would these Wutaiian mercenaries be any different? The thought of his friends being brutalized for whatever information the enemy might be trying to extract from them was enough to make him feel slightly queasy. And as much as it pained him to even _think_ it, death might actually be preferable to _that_.

He sighed softly and cautiously peered out the window again. Maybe Tres was right. Maybe he really _was_ picking up on Reno's habit of assuming the worst more than he should. Rude shook his head, and refocused himself on the task at hand. Tres had warned him to keep his mind on the job, and the rookie was beginning to realize that his mentor'd had good reason to be concerned about him.

* * *

Rufus glanced over at the clock. It was nearing seven... well past the hour he'd have normally left for the day. But though he never would have said so to anyone – quite possibly not even Tseng – he'd unexpectedly found that he didn't _want_ to leave. The Shinra Building was safe. It was secure. It was guarded by not only internal security, but also by SOLDIER and the Turks.

Home was... not.

Not that he'd ever had cause to feel unsafe at the family manor, but... after today's events, he couldn't deny that he was still a bit on edge. No. More than just a _bit_ on edge. He hadn't left his private office since Tseng had disappeared to locate his missing subordinates. He'd even had his dinner brought up to him.

That the slum rat was missing was of no great concern to _him_ , of course. He was just another employee. But he _was_ , for whatever reason, important to the Turk lieutenant. Besides which... even if Rufus didn't particularly _like_ the obnoxious redhead... he was still _grateful_ to him for saving his life. On more than one occasion, as it happened. Irritating though he may be, he was a competent enough Turk, and that made him valuable to both the company and to Rufus personally. Having to unexpectedly replace him would be... unfortunate.

Each time Rufus looked over at the clock and saw that the hour was growing later and later, he would tell himself that it was time to head home. And each time, he would find a new excuse to stay just a little longer and send his father a message that he was still working on the minutia of the Corel contract. The truth was, he hadn't even touched the damned thing yet. Every time he tried, he found his thoughts wandering back to the meeting earlier in the day and the subsequent attempt at taking him from his protectors... and to where he might be right now had they failed at their jobs.

At last, the vice president sighed in resignation. He wasn't going anywhere... and if he was going to end up spending the night at work, he may as well be comfortable.

He stood and stepped out into the reception area. His secretary had long since deserted her post, as had pretty much everyone else on the floor. Of course, _that_ was no surprise. Heideggar never stayed a moment longer than required, and Scarlet was typically more likely to be found in one of her various research labs than the executive floor. And Palmer was... Palmer. The head of the Space Department seemed to live largely in his _own_ little world, in Rufus' experience.

The Shinra heir made his way to the executive elevator, and scanned his ID card through the slot as he stepped aboard. He pressed the button for sixty-nine and soon found himself on the reception floor for his father's office. It, too, was empty and dark, but he strode over to the stairs anyway and continued on, slipping into the president's office. He didn't bother to announce himself. His father had already left for the evening, as well, and by now was home and spending his time with his latest mistress.

Which meant that the poshly decorated and luxurious 'relaxation suite' was empty and available for his use as temporary quarters. He smirked as he walked over to the desk and pressed the small button on its underside. He had to admit... being president had its perks. A narrow slot opened in the wall, and Rufus moved toward it. It yielded easily to a gentle push, and the concealed doorway swung inward.

Everyone knew about hidden room, accessible only from the president's office. Or at least they _thought_ they did. The rumor had spread quickly enough, though what lay inside was a matter of pure speculation. Some people claimed it was a hedonistic playground where the elder Shinra entertained particularly difficult clients by paying for prostitutes and allowing his guests to do as they pleased with them. Others believed it to be some sort of panic room, fully stocked and outfitted for an extended stay should the apocalypse ever occur – never mind the fact that the seventieth floor of the tallest building in a city sitting on an elevated platter was probably the _last_ place one would want to be during a planet-decimating crisis...

The truth was... it was essentially just an apartment. A lavishly decorated apartment with all the amenities a member of the upper crust of society could want, yes... but an apartment, none the less. Running the most powerful company on the planet could be both exhausting _and_ time-consuming. Occasionally, his father was simply too tired to be bothered with traveling across town to sleep in his own bed. And sometimes, he simply needed a quick break from the daily grind. That was the only 'secret' of the hidden room in his office. It was a retreat from a stressful job. And Rufus planned to make good use of it tonight.

After all... he deserved it, didn't he? His day had been trying to say the least.

He briefly sent an updated text to his father, informing him of his plans... lest the Turks be sent out to scour the city searching for him... and shut the door behind him, eyeing the hot tub that had turned itself on automatically when he entered.

* * *

"Fuck, man... how far's this shit go?" Reno asked, his voice echoing off the walls of the cave. They'd been walking for almost a hour now, in the scant light of Sato's cigarette lighter and a chunk of materia the rookie had somewhat regretfully broken off of the mako fountain. He still felt a little bad about damaging it... but wandering around in the pitch dark really wasn't an option.

For awhile, the glow of the fountain itself had followed them as they crept slowly down the tunnel, but by now they'd left it far behind.

"Shh..." Sato shushed him, and paused. Reno, too, stopped dead in his tracks, not sure what had put the other Turk on alert. For a moment, he hardly dared to breath. Suddenly, Sato grinned, the eerie lighting making the expression look more than a little foreboding. "Yeh hear that?"

The redhead blinked in surprise, straining to listen for any unusual sound. It took him a moment to pick it out, it was so faint.

"Sounds like... water?" he ventured. And it did... a soft trickling sound that he could barely make out somewhere in the darkness.

"Aye... 'n in a cave, where there's water runnin', there's a gotta be a place it's comin' _in_ from. Get a move on, rookie... I'm bloody tired o' this place."

Reno let the other Turk take the lead again and they carefully made their way along the the narrow passageway. The farther they went the more noticeably damp the walls became and the louder the sound got. After what seemed like ages, they popped out in a much larger chamber... and very nearly walked straight into an underground river.

"Now _that's_ more like it," Sato crowed.

"Oh, thank _fuck_ ," Reno breathed, "I'm dyin' here..."

He dropped to his knees and stuck his head in, pulling in long gulps of ice cold water, only to be jerked upright a moment later.

"Yeh shouldnae drink that..." Sato cautioned him, "Might be perfectly fine... might have all sorts 'o nasty shite swimmin' in it. Depends on where it's comin' from."

"I'll take my chances," the redhead muttered.

"Heh... suit yerself. But if yeh end up pukin' yer guts out later, dunnae say yeh weren't warned."

Reno scoffed and drank until his stomach started to ache from the sheer amount of liquid now inside it. That done, he leaned back and breathed a soft sigh of relief before glancing up at Sato again.

"How do you know about all this shit anyway?" he asked. The senior Turk shrugged.

"Loved me a good cave back when I was a wee one," he replied, "Yeh find 'em all over Mideel 'n my grandad 'n me I liked ta go 'n explore 'em. Ma didnae like it one bit, 'o 'course... Kept tellin' us we'd get lost one o' these days 'n never back get out again. Never put her foot down 'n stopped it, though. Think she understood how much Grandad enjoyed it... Heh. I miss that crotchety that old bastard."

The redhead clambered to his feet again. "Ya know... it's weird. Almost everyone seems to have these _huge_ families they grew up with. And then there's me."

"Not everyone. Kai's an orphan, too, yeh know. So's Cissnei, I hear tell," he replied, and ruffled the teenager's now sopping wet hair. "'Sides... yeh ain't _done_ growin' up anyway. Yer a Turk, 'n Turks're family." He snickered slightly, "Hell, if yeh want, I'll drag yeh home with me next visit 'n introduce yeh as a long lost nephew or some such. One thing the O'Connor clan does well is procreate. We got so many kin runnin' 'round the planet, not likely anyone'd know the difference if someone snuck in ta the family reunion claimin' ta be another'un."

Reno snorted a quiet laugh and shook his head. "Maybe we oughta get outta here first before you start callin' me your long lost anything..."

"I's just thinkin' the same thing," Sato grinned, "... 'n I think I got 'n idea how ta do just that."

* * *

Eight-thirty and the sun had quite thoroughly set. Tonight was a gibbous moon, which gave him at least some light to see by, but he'd had to dismount and start walking his chocobo quite some time ago for fear of stumbling over the uneven ground in the dark. Tseng sighed as he realized that further search was likely going to prove fruitless tonight. He'd gone as far north as the coast, even though that was likely far beyond the range two men on foot could have made it in a few hours, and seen no sign of his missing Turks. He'd then started back south, planning to check the foothills of the mountains, but had run out of daylight. It would have to wait until morning now. Thankfully, he'd made decent progress, though, and the distance he still had to travel was relatively short.

He tethered his chocobo to an old dried out tree and broke off several branches to build a fire. At least he'd come prepared for this eventuality. As much of a hurry as he'd been in, he hadn't let himself _entirely_ forget his training. The Turk lieutenant had retrieved a number of useful items from storage before leaving the city... the first and foremost being a sphere of fire materia, which he used to set the little pile of wood ablaze.

He spread out a bedroll nearby and settled down onto it, gazing into the dancing flames. Wherever Reno _was_ , he prayed he was safe. A part of him felt as though he'd failed the young man. It was _his_ job to protect his rookies, to make sure they returned home no matter what the mission. Even having been forceably removed from the field to prevent this sort of thing from happening, it seemed that those he was responsible for suffered because of his inability to do his job.

The Wutaiian Turk sighed again and reached into his bag, drawing out a ration packet. He'd always hated the damned things, but he'd been in a hurry and they _were_ easy to pack. Trying not to think to hard about what he was about to eat, he tore it open... and then reached for his bag again. He hesitantly rummaged around until he found the little bottle of pills Ward had talked him into taking. The instructions stipulated they be taken with food... though he honestly wasn't sure whether or not those accursed ration packets qualified as such.

Initially, he'd only agreed to fill the prescription to placate the good doctor. He'd planned on conveniently 'forgetting' to take them once there was a record of him having obtained them. But... now he was beginning to reconsider.

If his father knew about this, the criticism would have been immediate. Hiro Itsudake was a hard man who didn't look kindly upon weakness in _any_ of his sons... but Tseng in particular. He would have said that he had raised Tseng better than to need such a thing. He'd raised him to _push_ through adversity, not succumb to it, and that giving in to anguish was nothing more than weakness of character.

In spite of the many things they disagreed on, Tseng had always tried to live by the way his father had raised him. Those occasions when he looked on his son's accomplishments with pride were some of Tseng's most treasured memories.

When he'd left Wutai the last time... he was a traitor and a failure as a son.

Tseng scowled and clenched his fist around the bottle, before angrily twisting it open and dumping one of the pills into his hand. He tossed it back and swallowed before he could change his mind. After all... why should _he_ care now what his father thought of such things? He was nothing to the man anymore. Tseng was done trying to please someone who would never be pleased... who had disowned his own son and labeled him a stranger to his own blood.

Besides which... he had others relying on him. _Reno_ was relying on him. If the Leviathan-be-damned pills might actually help, he'd take them.

* * *

"Easy there, now..." Sato cautioned him, as the redhead's shoe slipped off of the slick rock. He managed to hang on, stabilizing himself and finding a better foothold.

"Tch... shoulda at _least_ kept my own damn shoes. These fuckin' things _suck_ ," he replied, sparing the expensive black leather loafers a brief scowl. They definitely weren't made for climbing. Hell, judging by the blister that had formed on the back of his right heel over the course of their travels, they weren't even made for _walking_. It didn't help that they were about a half size too tight, as well. He missed his nice, comfy boots.

Sato chuckled softly at the complaint. "We're almost there," he replied. He'd been moving just as slowly as the redhead... just not due to his footwear. Reno could hear the pain in his voice, and imagined that this probably wasn't doing his knee any favors.

The objective of their climb was a ledge that stuck out over the flowing water at the bottom of the chamber, and from which the little river seemed to originate, in a twenty foot or so cascade. It hadn't looked like too bad a climb from below, but once they'd gotten started, Reno had quickly learned that looks were deceiving. The rocks were wet and worn smooth by the constant stream of water rushing over them... and the ones that weren't were coated in slimy moss. The climb was slow going, to say the least.

Eventually, though, Sato managed to pull himself up over the lip of the platform, and reached a hand down to the rookie.

"Up yeh get," he proclaimed when Reno latched onto him, and hauled him upwards, depositing the redhead on the ledge beside him.

"Annnnd... it's another cave," Reno sighed at the sight that greeted him. And a small one, at that. The opening from which the water emerged was barely two feet tall... though at least it was wide enough that they wouldn't feel like the walls were closing in on them. It stretched easily ten feet across. Reno shivered slightly as a cool breeze chilled his soaking wet frame.

"Aye, another cave. But I'll wager my next paycheck, it's just what we're looking fer," Sato said, grinning. "Yeh feel that air rushin' in? Yeh dunnae get wind in a cave 'less it's comin' in from outside. That's our ticket outta here."

"Hey, Sato?" the redhead replied, with a soft self-deprecating laugh as he crawled into the opening, "The next time I suggest hidin' from a herd of levikron in a fuckin' hole in the ground, remind me of this. I think gettin' pecked to death might've been a lot less hassle."

"Just keep yer arse movin'," Sato snickered in response, "If we're quick about it, we might even make it home b'fer next week."

The passageway grew smaller the farther they went, and the whole way, they were forced to crawl through two or three inches of moving water. And while the rocks beneath him were fairly smooth, they were hard as... well... _rocks_. It wasn't long before Reno's knees were aching and, he suspected, bruised. Still... if this got him the hell out of here, it'd be worth it.

He didn't really like it down here. It wasn't so much the darkness or the tight spaces or the endless echoing... It was the fact that he couldn't be a hundred percent sure there'd be a way out at the end of this tunnel. He was putting all of his trust in Sato on that one. The ceiling dropped down several more inches, and Reno paused and held up the glowing material crystal for a better look.

"Shit... Sato, it's gettin' _really_ narrow up here," he called back, over his shoulder.

"Can yeh fit?" the senior Turk asked.

"Think so... but it's gonna be a tight squeeze, even for _me_."

Sato swore and eased his way forward a bit. "Go on ahead a wee bit, 'n take a peek. Hate ta say it, but if it gets any worse, we might be turnin' back."

The redhead nodded and wriggled his way through the opening. He had to do so almost flat on his belly, and more than once received a face full of cold water for his trouble, but after several seconds of squirming, he suddenly came out in a much larger space on the other side.

"It opens up again back here!" he called back to the other Turk, "Like... _really_ opens up!" And, more to the point, he could actually _see_ the space. There was _light_ coming in from somewhere. He glanced upwards, following the water along towards its source and spotted the opening. "Holy shit! Sato! There's a way out!"

He heard several loud grunts, followed by more swearing, and a moment later, the Mideelian Turk's head poked through the narrow opening.

"Ungh... Stupid bloody rocks. Think I'm gonna need a hand here..."

Reno turned and slid down to where the other man was apparently stuck, and grabbed onto one arm, hauling back hard.

"Aye, that's it... Wee bit more..." Sato said, straining to drag himself through. A moment later, he finally popped free. Reno staggered backwards and landed on his ass in the middle of the stream with a splash. The senior Turk laughed triumphantly and scrambled to his feet. "Well, what are yeh doin' just sittin' there, lad? Freedom's right in front of yeh!"

The redhead grinned and dragged himself out of the water, scurrying after the Turk as he made his way up to the opening. As they got closer, though, Reno's smile slowly crumbled.

"... Fuck. Sato, there's no way we're gettin' through a hole that small..."

Bright moonlight shown through a opening perhaps five inches wide and as tall as the rookie. Even half starved after not eating all day, that wasn't enough space for even for the redhead's slender build to fit through. And _Sato_ had barely made it through the _last_ hole like that. Sato, though, was still grinning widely.

"Nat ta worry," he chuckled, "I've got just the ticket..."

He slipped a hand into his jacket and pulled out a small white brick, and tossed it to Reno before switching sides and eventually coming up with a bundle of what looked like wire.

"... You're outta your fuckin' mind," Reno stated, as soon as he realized what he was holding.

"Aye, never claimed otherwise, now have I?" Sato teased. The rookie shook his head.

"Okay, seriously... Did you bring this specifically for this mission or do you just _walk around_ with C-4 in your pocket?"

"Ah, now... I cannae tell yeh _all_ my secrets," he replied, laughing softly, before turning serious. "This is goin' ta be _loud_. And it's liable ta shake down a few things from above us. Yeh get back there against that wall, cover yer ears, 'n stay out from under anything that looks loose. Last thing I need is ta have ta explain ta Tseng how yeh got squished by a mountain."

"Yeah, thanks for _that_ visual..." Reno replied, and quickly moved to obey his instructions. Sato, meanwhile, was molding the plastic explosive into a shape he could wedge into their soon-to-be escape route. That done, he inserted the detonator and backed away, leaving a trail of thin wire behind him. When he reached the redhead's position, he carefully fitted it to a tiny box about the size of his palm.

"Ready, then?" he queried. Reno stuck his fingers in his ears and nodded. Sato cackled gleefully. "Fire in the hole!"

The _boom_ that followed was so painfully loud, Reno was half convinced, he'd blown out his eardrums even with the precautions he'd taken.

* * *

Tseng was jerked awake by an explosion that seemed to rock the very foundations of the planet. His chocobo warked in panic, pulling desperately at her tether in an attempt to run away. The Turk shoved aside his sleeping bag and leapt to his feet, hurrying to try and calm the animal before he was left without transportation.

What in the _Nine Hells_ had _that_ been?

His first thought was the operation back in Midgar. Tres _had_ mentioned his suspicion that the weapons shipment might well contain explosives. He quickly dismissed the idea, however. It had been _much_ too close to have come from Midgar. He'd quite literally _felt_ the tremors from that blast. Whatever had exploded, it was nearby.

He glanced down at his watch in the light of his campfire. It was nearing eleven... if the purchase had been scheduled for midnight, the smugglers may not have reached the city yet. Was it possible that their load had exploded en route?

He frowned. If that were the case, he _should_ go and verify it. If the sellers weren't going to be showing up, it could have implications for the operation in progress and the team needed to know about it.

He couldn't be _entirely_ certain, but the blast had seemed to come from a bit farther to the south, somewhere in the foothills. He hurriedly doused his fire, and climbed aboard his still somewhat skittish chocobo, setting out at a slower than he would have preferred pace in the moonlight.

* * *

Reno found himself pressed tightly against the rock wall of the cave, his ears ringing slightly, with Sato shielding him from any debris that may have been sent their way. The sound of the explosion was still reverberating faintly off the interior of the cave system as he peered around the other Turk. As the dust began to clear from the air, moonlight once against streaked in... this time through a _much_ larger opening. Sato, too, turned to take a look as the redhead grinned.

"Heh... Gotta admit, Sato. You might be completely crazy, but ya do good work."

The other Turk laughed, and ruffled the teenager's hair. "Let's get the _hell_ outta here, eh?"

Reno couldn't have agreed more. He followed Sato up the small embankment, and out into the open air of the plains. The redhead took a deep breath, smiling faintly, overwhelmingly glad to be free once more. Even thinking of the long walk back to Midgar wasn't enough to take away from this moment.

The sharp squawk and shadowy figure that was approaching from out of the darkness, however... _that_ was enough to snap him back to reality.

"Oh, shit... another levikron?!" he hissed. Sato, however, let out a loud guffaw.

"Yeh need yer eyes examined, laddie... That's just a wee harmless chocobo."

Reno snorted in contempt. "Nothin' 'harmless' about a fuckin' chocobo..."

"Sato?! Reno?!" a familiar voice called from out of the night, and the rookie suddenly realized that the chocobo had a rider.

"Tseng!" the redhead called back, and scrambled down the rocky hillside towards his mentor.

"Ha! Seems we've got us a ride home after all!" he heard Sato say as he, too, began the descent. Tseng slid down from the bird's saddle and closed the distance between them on foot. As he reached Reno he grabbed him, looking him over as best as he could in the moonlight.

"Are you hurt? Where in Leviathan's name have you two been?"

" _Long_ story," Sato chuckled, "And I'm too damned beat ta tell it before I get some dinner in me. I assume yeh brought food... ?"

"Back at my camp," Tseng replied, "It's not far."

It wasn't long before Reno found himself being escorted across the plains, his mentor's arm firmly wrapped around him – and his jacket draped over his wet clothes to keep out the chill of the stiff wind that was blowing – to the Turk lieutenant's tiny campsite. Sato had, with some assistance, managed to climb astride the chocobo, his knee having finally given out on him after the prolonged abuse it had suffered. Soon, they were settled around the reignited campfire and Reno had been handed a small silver packet.

"I'm afraid you'll find that military field rations are not especially appetizing... but it's all I have with me," he said, apologetically.

"Right now, I'm so hungry, I'd eat dirt," the redhead declared.

"Heh... Dirt might be preferable ta _these_ things," Sato snickered, tearing his open. Reno rolled his eyes and followed suit.

"As much as I wish I could say he was exaggerating..." Tseng chuckled, "He's not."

The rookie rifled through the packet and found three smaller envelopes. He opened the largest one, first, revealing some sort of mushy, vaguely pasta-like mass that smelled strongly of canned tomatoes. He downed it in a matter of seconds and turned his attention to the next item in the packet.

"He dinnae even _flinch_!" Sato said, shaking his head.

"Hungry..." the redhead mumbled around a mouthful of freshly opened mixed vegetables in a thick sweet and sour sauce. The third packet contained a chocolate chip cookie which, likewise, vanished in the blink of an eye. His meal finished, he yawned widely.

Tseng's hand lightly rubbed his protege's back. "On second thought... We'll save the debriefing for morning. You both look exhausted."

* * *

It was nearly time for the meet up. Both the smugglers and the Wutaiian agents would be arriving soon. It was actually more than likely that at least _some_ of them were already here, staking the rendezvous point out, and making sure no one was watching.

But of course, someone _was_ watching. Several someones, in fact.

Still... Rude hadn't caught site of them yet. He was certain they were there, though. He scanned the immediate area through the scope on his rifle one more time before leaning back into the shadows again with a slightly frustrated sigh.

Suddenly, his PHS vibrated in his pocket. He reached for it, and flipped it open noting the arrival of a new text message. His heart shot straight into his throat when he saw that it was from Tseng. He swallowed sharply, almost not daring to open it. What if it was bad news? Finally, though, he forced himself to press the button to view the message... and had he not been in the middle of a clandestine field op, he would have shouted his relief to anyone who could hear him.

 _'Reno and Sato are safe with me. No serious injuries.'_

He had to read it six times before he was finally convinced he'd understood correctly. His elation had to quickly be set aside however, as movement on the ground caught his eye. Rude shoved the phone back into his pocket and moved again to the rifle, before pressing the talk button on his headset.

"I've got one incoming..."

~end chapter 87~


	88. A Raid and a Return

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 88: A Raid and a Return**

 **by Desha**

Tseng gazed out over the dancing flames of the campfire and into the inky blackness of the plains. One hand unconsciously stroked the still-damp hair of the redhead curled up in the sleeping bag beside him. The sheer relief he'd felt upon finding the two of them earlier had nearly knocked him from his mount, and he was certain he was still shaking slightly even now. And now that he had his rookie safely back under his watchful eye, he was finding it difficult to even consider sleeping, lest he disappear again.

Not that he'd have much luck at any such venture, anyway, given the way Sato was snoring like a damned buzzsaw a few feet away. Reno must truly have been exhausted. Normally the slightest sound or nudge was enough to wake him... but at the moment, he was quite dead to the world, even _with_ the racket the other Turk was making in his sleep and the constant petting of his hair.

The rookie stirred slightly, but didn't wake... instead murmuring something unintelligible about 'goddamn chocobos' and settling back into his tightly curled position. Tseng shook his head in vague amusement before turning his attention on the night once more.

It hadn't escaped his notice just how bruised and battered the rookie was when he'd stripped out of his wet clothes and scrambled into the dry warmth of the sleeping bag. He was half tempted to wake Sato up and demand he tell him what had transpired while they were missing... but the other Turk was clearly just as worn out as the redhead, and just as battered. Their first stop once they made it back to the city would be the medical suite. He wanted them _both_ looked over by the doctor before returning to duty.

He frowned slightly at that thought. Reno would almost certainly protest... and Sato wasn't exactly fond of spending time in Medical, either. Normally, it wouldn't be an issue, but, per his suspension, he _technically_ couldn't order them to go. And if he couldn't convince them to go willingly, he'd have to take the time to find Veld and hope he wasn't too busy dealing with the current field operation to demand they report to the doctor.

The Turk lieutenant sighed softly. He couldn't seem to catch a break. He most certainly wasn't fit for duty, and he damned well knew it... but at the same time, having his former authority stripped away from him meant that he may not be able to properly care for his rookie. Reno wasn't a child anymore. He was eighteen and legally an adult. Tseng couldn't simply threaten to send him to his room or ground him for the weekend for not doing as he was told. He could only advise him on the best course of action... and teenagers were rather notorious for not following the advise of their elders.

 _He_ certainly had been at that age, at any rate... It was largely the fear of repercussions that had kept Tseng in line as a rebellious teenager. Though to be fair, it was that same rebellious streak that had led him to the Turks to begin with. His father had outright forbade it when he'd told him his plans... but by then, Tseng, too, was an adult and no longer willing to allow his father to run his life for him. Though, in retrospect, he really _had_ been quite the disrespectful brat during said discussion of future plans.

But... he'd just been so tired. Tired of having his life dictated to him... of having his adulthood planned out from start to finish for him with little regard as to what _he_ wanted. By the time he'd left Wutai, his father had even been trying to arrange a marriage for him to a young woman... the daughter of a family friend he hadn't seen in nearly ten years and barely knew anymore. That had, in fact, been the last straw for Tseng. He'd left the following day for Midgar and joined the Turks recruitment program.

It was, perhaps, the one thing about Reno's upbringing that he slightly envied. The redhead may have been alone and poor and hungry... but he'd been free to make his _own_ choices virtually his whole life. The irony that the rookie probably would have preferred to have Tseng's loving – albeit strict and occasionally far too traditional – family instead, if given the choice, was not lost on him.

"Yeh plannin' on keepin' watch _all_ night?" Sato suddenly asked, blearily, startling the other Turk from his musings.

"I hadn't _planned_ on it... But I had little choice in the matter. You snore like a Leviathan-be-damned behemoth," he replied, smirking faintly, "The fact that she hasn't yet suffocated you with your own pillow supports my long held suspicion that your cousin must sleep with earplugs in every night."

"It dunnae seem ta bother the wee rookie," the other Turk said with a yawn. Tseng glanced down at the redhead.

"Only because, I suspect, he's utterly spent and has no other option _but_ to sleep."

Sato chuckled and rolled over before giving him a dismissive wave. "Aye... I'll try 'n keep it down..."

Things were silent around the campfire after that. Tseng stole a quick look at his watch. Two in the morning. The sun would be up around six and he wanted to be up and on the move at first light. They still had quite a long walk back to the city, and he would prefer to get his fellow Turks home sooner rather than later. He gave the rookie's hair one final pet before attempting to make himself comfortable on the ground by the fire.

Just as he was beginning to doze off, the snoring resumed.

* * *

Rude fired off two shots in quick succession. The first one put down the man who had a bead on Cissnei. The second forced the rather large and intimidating woman charging Tres from behind to come up short and stumble, face-planting on the ground. The senior Turk turned at the sound of the shot and quickly dealt with his would-be attacker before giving the rookie a thumbs up.

He was trying not to get _too_ complacent... but tonight's operation, thus far, had gone flawlessly. The weapons shipment was already secure and under guard. The sellers had fled the city the same way they'd entered as soon as the shooting had started and were no longer an issue. And as for the Wutaiian mercenaries... twelve of them were already dead, and three more had been taken prisoner for questioning. At this point, it was largely just a matter of cleaning up the stragglers that had been hiding in the shadows and making sure none of them slipped away to warn anyone who might have stayed behind back at their base.

Speaking of stragglers... Rude picked off a third merc as he vaulted out of his hiding place and over a crumbling wall and then spotted Remy chasing another down an alleyway. She had him on the ground before the rookie even had time to take aim. Things seemed quiet for a few moments and Rude thought it was finally over.

Apparently his whole not getting too complacent plan was a spectacular failure, however. The moment that thought entered his mind, the door behind him was kicked in. The rookie, caught off guard, tried to turn his rifle on the invaders, before realizing what a mistake that was. He should have gone for his sidearm instead. It was too late now, however, and the two men were on him, kicking the rifle out of his hands. It clattered across the floor, and slid under the remains of an old bed.

Rude managed to fling one of them over his shoulder and directly out the window behind him, the man's scream ending abruptly a few seconds later. That action, however, had left him dangerously open to attack from the other, as the second Wutaiian came at him with some sort of two pronged variation on an EMR. The weapon made contact before Rude had time to move, and suddenly, it was as if all of his senses were being completely overloaded. He had no control over his body... barely even felt the impact as he dropped to the ground like a ton of bricks. He had no idea how long he stayed like that... barely aware of anything but the painful, involuntary contractions of what seemed like every muscle in his body.

And then, as quickly as it had begun, it stopped. His attacker joined him on the floor a moment later, blood oozing from his lips, the sharp point of a blade protruding from his throat.

"Rude!" Kai's voice called out, and the rookie found himself being rolled, still twitching slightly, onto his back. "Hey... Answer me!"

"... Ow," he managed, dazed.

"Oh, good... you're not dead," the senior Turk snickered softly, "Don't scare me like that." She helped him sit up, propping the rookie up against the wall. "Sorry about that... Don't know how those two managed to get past me. Didn't spot 'em until they were already halfway up the stairs."

"We done yet?" Rude asked, shaking his head to clear it. That weapon packed at least as big a punch as Reno's electro-mag rod. And that hadn't been a _low_ setting, either.

"Looks that way. Veld's team is securing the prisoners for transport. I imagine we'll be getting the all-clear any minute now."

" _Rude... Kai... The area's secure. Fall back to the extraction point and regroup."_ Remy's voice said over the radio.

"Speak of the devil," Kai laughed, and pressed the button to transmit, "Acknowledged. We're on our way. Tell Tres we're making a side trip to Midgar General on the way back, while you're at it. He's still in one piece, but his pet rookie took a pretty nasty hit." She then turned back to Rude and slid an arm around him. "Alright... Let's get you on your feet."

Rude staggered upright, leaning heavily on the much shorter Turk as she lead him out the door and down the stairs.

* * *

Reno woke to the sound of thunder in the distance and the sensation of a rock prodding him in the back the moment he rolled over. He groaned faintly and sat up... or tried to, at least. His body was less than thrilled with the idea. He was a bit more successful on the _second_ attempt.

The redhead dragged himself from his sleeping bag, and reached for the clothes that had been drying on a branch near the campfire. He yawned as he dressed, grimacing at the deep purple bruising on his chest. _That_ was gonna feel real nice for the next few days. The rest of him hadn't fared much better, to be honest. Being so fair-skinned, any little blemish tended to stand out like a fake tit... which inevitably meant that even minor injuries tended to make him look like he must've gotten his ass beat by every other person who'd crossed his path in the last twenty-four hours. He was gonna get an earful when the Doc got a good look at him, he was sure.

He looked around the camp. Sato was still snoring away near the dead tree... but Tseng was nowhere to be seen. The chocobo, too, was gone. He didn't have time to wonder where his mentor had run off to, though, before the loud wark of the obnoxious bird drew his gaze out to the plains. Tseng was riding towards them, the reigns of a second chocobo firmly in hand.

"Tch... _one_ of those stupid feather dusters isn't enough for ya?" he asked, only half serious. Much as he hated the damned things, even _he_ had to admit, riding would be a hell of a lot faster than walking. And one chocobo wasn't going to be able to haul all three of them back to Midgar. "Where'd ya find it, anyway?"

"I spotted it out on the plains when I woke a short while ago and rode out to retrieve it. It's clearly tame... likely turned loose by whomever rented it to return home on its own."

"They'll do that?" Reno asked, curiously. Tseng chuckled softly.

"Yes. They will. They're actually _very_ intelligent animals... which, if you weren't so combatively opposed to interacting with them, you would know by now."

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Hey, _I_ can't help it if those giant fuckin' chickens all have somethin' against me."

"You _might_ try refraining from constantly referring to them in such a derogatory manner, to start with," the Turk lieutenant chastised, "But in any case, this should make our journey back to Midgar go a bit more quickly. Sato can ride one, and you can double up with me. Have you eaten yet?"

Reno shook his head. "Only been up long enough to put some clothes on 'n check how much of me's turned purple," he snickered, "I look like I fell _down_ the mountain instead of just gettin' trapped _under_ it for awhile."

Tseng silently raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. "I think we'll put our upcoming travel time to good use, and you can tell me _exactly_ what happened after you and Sato were attacked yesterday."

"Heh... can do, boss. Oh... and just in case Sato tries to tell ya otherwise... _he_ was the one who crashed the copter. Not me," the redhead said with a grin.

"I _heard_ that, yeh wee traitor..." the aforementioned Turk suddenly muttered sleepily from his position on the ground.

* * *

"Hey," a quiet voice called out as a familiar face peeked around the doorframe and into Rude's hospital room. The rookie glanced up and smiled at his visitor.

"Hey."

Cissnei slipped inside and made her way over to his bed. "How are you feeling?"

Rude shrugged. Really, he felt fine... but Tres had insisted on his admission to the hospital and so had Dr. Ward when she'd been notified that he'd been hit with enough voltage to send him to the ground in a series of uncontrollable spasms. It was more of a precaution than a necessity. The doctor had wanted him monitored overnight, just in case of any lingering effects from the shock. He was due to be released any time now.

"I saw Dr. Ward. She's getting your discharge paperwork ready," his fellow rookie continued. "And... um... Tres said to make sure you were ready to work as soon as we got in, so, I was wondering... Do you want to come have breakfast with me? There's a nice little cafe over by the train station. They're still interrogating the prisoners, so we've got some time before they'll need _us_ for anything, and it would _definitely_ be better than hospital food or the building cafeteria. We can eat and then walk across the street and catch a ride in to work."

"... Sure," Rude replied, smiling slightly. Cissnei's smile widened noticeably at his agreement.

About fifteen minutes later, the two rookies were making their way down the street toward the nearby train station. The morning rush hadn't yet started, and the largely deserted streets were still and quiet. For a little while, he and Cissnei just walked in companionable silence.

Rude had to admit... he liked Cissnei. She didn't make him uncomfortable and self-conscious like a lot of women did... and she didn't push him to talk to her every second they happened to be alone in the same room together. She was perfectly content to just... hang out... when they had some down time. It was nice.

After a few blocks, she looked over at him. "So have you heard anything more about Reno and Sato?"

The other rookie shook his head. "Not since Tseng's text last night. They're safe, though. That's all that matters."

"Yeah. I'll still feel a _lot_ better when they're safe _and_ home, though," Cissnei replied. Rude nodded in agreement.

"Me, too."

"Oh! I almost forgot... That weapons shipment? It included some of the stuff from the Junon weapons depot theft a few months ago. I overheard Veld saying something about shipping it back down there immediately, so... _sounds_ like one of us rookies might have a courier job later today."

Rude grinned slightly. "Wouldn't mind taking on _that_ assignment." He loved flying the helicopter. Maybe not as much as Reno did, as he really would have preferred something like his dad's old freight plane, to be honest, but it felt good to be back in the air now and then. It was also a nice change of pace from the usual training schedules and paperwork. He paused for a moment. "You guys been working all night?"

"In shifts, yeah... though Rodney and I have mostly just been the designated office gophers. Getting coffee, cross referencing statements, that sort of thing. Tres thinks that the op last night has probably got anyone we missed panicking. Just about everyone has had a turn in the interrogation room, trying to get the location of their headquarters out of them before their leaders take off and disappear. He's _really_ hoping that Fuhito is in the city... but I think he'd settle for Istev." She suddenly giggled a little and grinned. "And... he's been worried about _you_ all night, too. I wouldn't have expected that from a guy like Tres. He's usually all snark. It was actually kind of adorable."

The other rookie snorted softly in laughter.

"Tres is a pretty nice guy, deep down. As long as you stay on his good side."

They at last reached the little cafe. It was early, but several of the apparent regulars were already seated and enjoying breakfast. Cissnei grinned and all but dragged him bodily inside.

* * *

"So... yeah. Levikrons tried to fuckin' eat us, so we hid in a hole in the ground. And that's how we wound up stuck in a cave half the night." Reno twisted slightly in his seat to grin at his mentor. "You don't even wanna _know_ how Sato got us outta _there_."

Tseng snorted softly. "I'm quite sure I heard his method of exit from nearly a mile away. As did half of the countryside." He looked over at the other Turk, a slightly disapproving expression on his face. The Turk lieutenant couldn't be _too_ overly upset with the man, however. Were it not for his obsession with explosives, the pair might well still be trapped... and it wasn't exactly likely that Tseng would have found them on his own.

By now, they were nearing the city. Tseng had sent Veld a brief message before they'd departed, letting his mentor know approximately when to expect them. Reno, meanwhile, had spent most of the ride regaling him with the duo's tale of narrow escapes. Hearing what they'd been through seemed to fill Tseng with equal parts dread and pride. His rookie really _had_ come a long way from the sarcastic little underage bartender he'd been when they'd first met. He'd become a smart, capable, and exceptionally courageous young man... and Tseng wished somewhat futilely that he could keep him just the way he was now.

He knew he couldn't, though. Veld was _already_ bringing up the idea of promotion for the redhead. And as much as Tseng was loath to admit it, there was some truth in the accusation his mentor had made just a couple of days ago... It was entirely possible that _Tseng_ was the one who wasn't ready for it. It was a difficult thing to admit, even just to himself. Reno _did_ have a lot left to learn... but remaining a rookie was hardly a requirement for that. Still... Tseng just couldn't bring himself to seriously consider the idea of recommending him for promotion, and he wasn't quite sure why.

For now, however, he could safely put the thought out of his head. Tres hadn't yet put in for a promotion for Rude, either, and the older rookie had nearly half a year's seniority on Reno. It was perfectly reasonable to wait until _he_ was promoted before worrying about it for the redhead.

His rookie would remain his rookie for awhile longer yet.

It wasn't long before the lower gates of the city were looming before them, and Tseng breathed a quiet sigh of relief. They were home.

* * *

Reno had resisted the urge to groan when they'd arrived at the Shinra Building, as Tseng had informed them that their first stop would be the Medical Suite. He'd done so because he knew complaining wouldn't get him anywhere. Tseng would insist. It had briefly crossed his mind that, technically speaking, Veld had told him that his mentor had temporarily been stripped of authority... and that he _could_ refuse to go, if he wanted to.

Somehow, though, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He'd given Tseng enough to worry about in the last twenty-four hours. And he'd already decided that he didn't want to make things harder for him if he could avoid it. That thought in mind, he obediently complied as the Wutaiian Turk guided him off of the elevator and towards the door to Dr. Ward's domain while Sato limped along beside him.

It didn't stop the redhead from briefly voicing his displeasure as they stepped inside, however.

"Do I _have_ to see the Doc?"

"Yes. You do," Tseng replied, "You're essentially one giant bruise at this point. Now, come on. Dr. Ward doesn't bite."

"Hmph... Prove it," Reno shot back. Though to be fair, he did prefer _her_ over any of the other staff. At least he got candy from her... and he had to admit, he liked the feeling that he was more than just a name in a file to her. Even if she _did_ have an ever-growing history of sticking him with needles.

Sato chuckled quietly. " _Yeh_ can see that old harpy if yeh want ta. Me... _I'll_ be stickin' ta that pretty, young brunette that start here a month ago."

"And just who are _yeh_ calling a harpy?" a somewhat cross voice demanded, and the senior Turk yelped in surprise. He pointedly placed the redhead between himself and the doctor.

"No one! No one at all. 'Tis just the pain talkin'..." he replied, crouching slightly behind the rookie. Ward gave a snort of contempt.

"Yeh'd _best_ behave yerself, Sato O'Connor. I still keep in touch with yer granny now 'n then, yeh know. Don't _think_ I won't tell her how yer bein' disrespectful of yer elders..."

Reno couldn't help but snicker as Sato mutter a hurried "Yes, ma'am," and lowered himself into the wheelchair one of Ward's staff had brought out for him. The senior Turk was quickly wheeled off for his own examination while the doctor turned her attention on Reno and Tseng.

"Have yeh reported in yet?" she asked the Turk lieutenant, and Tseng shook his head.

"No, not yet. I thought it best to make sure these two were taken care of first."

Ward gave him an approving nod and placed a hand on Reno's shoulder. "I'll take it from here. Yeh go 'n see ta that. Seems yeh've got a team full of worried Turks that could use a first hand update."

Tseng hesitated a moment, his hand still resting on the redhead's shoulders, as if he were reluctant to leave him. At last, though, he sighed.

"I'll return shortly."

"Hey..." Reno said before he could step away, "If ya run into Rufus, tell him I want my uniform back!"

Tseng chuckled softly, and gave his shoulders a gentle squeeze. "I'm sure he'd like _his_ clothes back sooner rather than later, too."

Reno looked down at himself, eyeing the once immaculate garments that were now coated in a thick layer of dirt and grime from having been trampled, buried, and nearly blown up.

"Tch... the son of a bitch'll _probably_ take the cost of gettin' 'em dry cleaned outta my paycheck."

The Wutaiian Turk laughed openly at that comment, and turned to go, leaving the rookie under Ward's tender care.

"Hmph... I _knew_ not seein' yeh all this week was too good ta last," the doctor sighed, as Tseng disappeared through the doorway. She strolled over to one of the exam curtains, pulling it aside, "Well? What've yeh done ta yerself this time, then?"

"Tch... _I_ didn't do anything, Doc. Stupid chocobo decided to kick the crap outta me. And then Sato crashed the helicopter... 'n some levikrons tried to have us for dinner... 'n then we got stuck in a cave all night and had to blast our way out. Ya know. The usual."

Ward shook her head and gestured towards the exam room. Reno quickly joined the doctor, and Ward pulled the curtain closed.

"Well? Let's see what sorta damage we're dealing with then..."

The redhead tossed the suit jacket onto the exam table and unbuttoned his borrowed shirt, wincing slightly as his injuries protested the movement. Ward clucked her tongue disapprovingly, and the rookie didn't have to look down at his bare chest to know why. His skin from his navel to the top of his sternum was varying shades of black and blue. Not to mention the lovely marks left by the helicopter's safety harness when it had stopped him form flying head first through the windshield. And she hadn't even seen the bruises on his knees and shins from crawling around in the cave for hours yet.

"Alright, hop up here and lay back," the doctor commanded, patting the table. Reno did as ordered, letting the woman gently poke and prod him, searching for signs of internal damage. It was several minutes before she seemed satisfied.

"Hmph... I think yeh were right lucky. The damage seems ta be superficial... Yeh'll be a wee bit sore fer a few days, I'll wager, but I think yeh'll live. Though I'd still like ta take some x-rays ta rule out any rib fractures before I clear yeh."

Reno sighed. "I _knew_ I wasn't gonna get outta here easy."

"I'll be quick about it," the doctor chuckled, and helped him up, "Come with me."

He followed her into a small nearby room filled with various machinery, where Ward set him in front of some kind of plate mounted on the wall and demanded he take a deep breath and hold it, all while something that looked a bit like an oversized camera in the center of the room made a loud whirring and clicking sound. It was a little off-putting.

He did his best to ignore it, and instead found his thoughts drifting back to Tseng once more. He _had_ intended to ask for Dr. Ward's advice on what he could do to help his mentor. He supposed now was as good a time as any.

"Hey, Doc?" he asked after a moment, but the woman quickly shushed him.

"Yeh stay _still_ and don't talk. We're almost done. One more deep breath, please, and hold."

The redhead bit back an annoyed grumble and resumed his statue-like, non-breathing pose until Ward finally released him.

"Alright... That should do. These'll be ready in just a few minutes," she said, gently guiding him back to the exam room. "Now... what's so important yeh had ta interrupt yer own x-ray?"

"Um... Did... did you happen to see Tseng the other day?" the rookie hesitantly began, "Like... _see_ him, see him. As a patient?"

Ward perched herself beside him on the exam table and sighed. "I'm afraid I can't tell yeh that. Patient records are confidential."

"It's just... I'm kinda worried about him."

The doctor smiled understandingly.

"I know yeh are, my little headache. But my hands are tied," she replied, a hand lightly stroking his hair. "Yeh wouldn't want me advertising everything in _yer_ medical records ta anyone who asked, now, would yeh?"

His shoulders slumped slightly. "Guess not..." Reno murmured.

"Just take my word fer it... I understand exactly _why_ yer concerned. Yeh let _me_ worry about him. It's my _job_ to put Turks back tagether, after all."

" _Can_ you?" he asked, a note of desperation slipping into his voice, swallowing sharply as he looked over at her.

Ward smiled warmly at the rookie. "I've seen far worse in my day. Yeh leave him ta me 'n the rest of the medical staff. We'll take good care of him."

"... 'kay," the redhead said, somewhat grudgingly, "But... you'll tell me if there's anything I can do to _help_... right? Like... stayin' outta trouble 'n not goin' missin' for like... a day... 'n not stressin' him out 'n shit?"

The doctor shook her head, chuckling slightly. "Well, it certainly wouldn't _hurt_ ta not up 'n vanish during a mission again any time soon. I think _everyone_ would appreciate that, in fact." She gently cupped his chin in one hand, forcing him to look at her. "But the _best_ thing yeh can do is just be there fer him. Tseng a stubborn, prideful, pain in the backside... 'n he internalizes a lot of what he has ta deal with as a Turk. Always has. I think if he finally decides he needs a shoulder ta cry on, it'll be either yers or Veld's. There's no one on the planet that man trusts more'n yeh two."

She released him and nodded to an all-too-familiar piece of equipment that sat against one wall.

"In the mean time... and while we're waiting fer yer x-rays... let see about keeping _yeh_ healthy, too. Hop onta that scale fer me."

The redhead groaned, but complied, hoping that, for once, he hadn't lost any weight. To his surprise, Dr. Ward smiled with delight.

"Up a tenth of a pound from yer first checkup," she declared, " _Good_. It's about time yeh finally started gaining a wee bit. Yeh keep it up 'n we'll have yeh at an acceptable weight in no time."

"Tch... didn't we decide I'm just naturally a shrimp?" the rookie replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Aye, we did. But just because _yer_ normal is a bit off from everyone _else's_ normal doesn't mean yeh don't _have_ a healthy weight yeh should try ta maintain. Especially now that yer getting ta the point where yer more aggressive training should be winding down and yer being sent off ta be shot at and whatnot more often."

Reno blinked in surprised realization. That _was_ how things had been for a little while now, and somehow he hadn't really noticed the change until it had been pointed out to him. He was spending far less time in the training hall and far _more_ time taking part in actual missions. Not just tagging along for the experience, but being expected to pull his own weight in the field. Hell... he'd been given a _solo_ escort mission just days ago, taking the fucking _vice president of the company_ out to one of the reactors, and the implications of that had barely even registered. If Ward noticed his reaction, she didn't comment on it.

One of the medical suite's nurses peered around the curtain and calmly handed a folder to the doctor. Ward drew out the films from inside and clipped them onto a lighted board on the wall, illuminating the views of the rookie's chest, and studied them intently.

"More good news fer yeh... I don't see any fractures," she said at last, "Yer cleared ta return ta work... but at least _try_ and let some of that bruising heal up before yeh go out and acquire more."

The redhead smirked slightly.

"No promises, Doc."

Dr. Ward gave a soft snort of annoyance before handing him his usual treat.

"Well, then... I hope yeh'll at least come and see me if yeh're ever more concerned than usual about that mentor of yers. I can't give yeh specifics, 'o course... but a reminder that he hasn't been forgotten might help ta put yer mind at ease."

"... Thanks, Doc," Reno replied.

* * *

The elevator door had only just opened on the fifty-eighth floor. Reno hadn't even had a chance to step out yet.

"What in _Ramuh's name_ did you do to my _clothes_?!" an angry voice demanded. The redhead blinked and instinctively took a step back from the unexpected verbal assault before it finally registered that he was face to face with Rufus.

"Uhh..." he stammered, glancing down at what he was wearing and trying to come up with an answer that didn't make him sound like a smartass.

"They're utterly _ruined_. You may as well dispose of them," the executive muttered, shoving an armful of fabric at him. Reno somewhat belatedly realized that it was his uniform just as Tseng and Veld rounded the corner.

"Sir..." the Turk lieutenant said in a somewhat warning tone, and Rufus rolled his eyes.

" _Fine_. I... suppose I can overlook the damage, given the circumstances," he replied tersely. "Where's the _other_ lunatic, anyway?"

"Still down in Medical, sir," Reno answered, and then looked over at Veld, "Doc says to tell you that Sato's gonna be on crutches for a few days 'til the swelling goes down. And that if you know what's good for you, you'll make sure he actually _uses_ 'em this time. Uh... _her_ words, not mine, sir."

Veld gave a somewhat weary sigh and shook his head. "I'll talk to Saya... She'll undoubtedly have better luck with him than _I_ will. Have you been cleared for duty?"

"Yes, sir," the redhead replied.

"Good. Go get changed and then report to Kai down in interrogation."

"Yes, sir," he repeated, and hurried off towards his office. As he stepped inside, the redhead was almost immediately waylaid a second time as Cissnei leapt up from the chair behind his desk and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Rude wasn't far behind... though, thankfully _he_ settled for merely ruffling his friend's hair and grinning.

"We were so worried!" Cissnei cried, "Where in Shiva's name _were_ you guys?"

"Heh... Uh, I'd love ta tell ya, but you're _kinda_ squeezin' the life outta me..." Reno grunted.

"Oh! Sorry..." the other rookie said, releasing him.

"Geez, Cissnei... A guy'd think ya missed him or somethin'," he snickered, and the young Turk blushed faintly.

"Well, I was _worried_!" she restated, "Everyone was. It was like you and Sato just fell off the face of the planet!"

"Yeah... _Felt_ like it for awhile there, too. Tell ya what. Veld wants me down with Kai in interrogation right now but how 'bout I tell you guys the whole sordid tale over lunch?" he replied.

"Hmph... Our treat, I suppose?" Rude teased.

"Well, if you _insist_..." Reno laughed, setting his uniform on the desk, "Rufus happen ta leave my boots here by any chance? These fancy pieces of crap are killin' me."

He toed off the leather shoes and somewhat vindictively kicked them into the corner.

"Acutally, _I_ have those," a voice behind him replied. Tseng stepped into the office and offered up the well-worn hiking boots the redhead had grown rather attached to over the last few months. He smirked slightly. "Rufus... _forgot_... he was still wearing them. Clearly just an oversight due to stress."

"Clearly..." Reno snorted, vaguely amused. Not that he could blame the guy for trying to keep them. Those damn things were comfy as hell.

"Hurry and get dressed. Kai is waiting for you," Tseng added.

"I'll see you guys at lunch time," Cissnei said, slipping out of the office. Tseng followed her after a moment's hesitation, leaving the redhead alone with Rude.

"Heh... no rest for the wicked, huh, pal?" he snickered as he reached for his clothes... only to be caught up in a somewhat crushing bear hug. "... _Seriously?_ "

"I was worried, too," was Rude's only reply.

~end Chapter 88~


	89. Old Wounds

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 89: Old Wounds**

 **by Desha**

Two weeks. That was how long it took before one of their prisoners... a younger man, probably around Rufus' age... finally broke. It had come as a surprise to everyone that it took so long. Apparently, their prisoners had been trained in techniques for enduring "enhanced" interrogation. The redhead was kind of glad he hadn't been present for it when it had finally happened.

Unfortunately, that made it very likely that no one was going to be there once the Turks finally raided the hideout. That didn't stop them from checking, of course... but no one was particularly shocked to find the warehouse over in Sector 4 empty and abandoned. The mercenaries' leaders had evaded capture once again. _Fuhito_ had evaded capture once again... as had Istev. No one on the team was happy about it... and neither was the executive board.

Reno, thankfully, hadn't had any reason to be dragged along to help give _that_ report... but judging by the expression on Veld's face when he returned to headquarters later that day, it hadn't been a pleasant experience. Since then, the Turks had been in something of a holding pattern, with Tres and Rude listening for even the faintest stirrings of another attack on the city or movement of the enemy and everyone else just sort of on standby, for the most part.

But from what Rude had said to him, it sounded like even though their hopes of taking the head honchos prisoner had failed, the Turks _had_ been successful in routing the Wutaiians from Midgar. There was a rumor that, lacking manpower and with the city essentially on military lockdown after the second attempt on the vice president, they'd pulled out entirely, eager to wreak havoc elsewhere.

Where that "elsewhere" may have been, no one knew quite yet.

"Hey, Reno... pack a bag. You and I are going on a little trip."

Reno glanced up from his desk to find Shay standing in the doorway of his office.

"Where to? Junon?" he asked, curious. A few of the senior Turks had been making the trip to and from Junon in the past couple of days... mostly advance security for the President's trip there tomorrow. He wanted to see the heart of his military operations first hand, and after the incidents with Rufus, the Turks were taking no chances. Reno figured it was probably his turn to join in by now.

To his surprise, though, Shay shook his head.

"Nibelheim," he replied, "And it's a long flight. We won't make it back until sometime late tomorrow or possibly the day after, depending on how long this takes us, so... bring a toothbrush."

"What's goin' on in Nibelheim?" the rookie asked, getting to his feet.

"Nothing... yet. But it's a target, what with the experimental reactor up there. Not to mention the research lab in the basement of the manor. Shinra has it heavily guarded of course, but since it _is_ such a potentially valuable target, the executive board wants backups of the research and sample specimens transported back to Midgar, as well as some extra security devices and monitoring equipment installed at the reactor site. Hojo's people are working on getting it all together for us."

"Tch... You'd think that's somethin' they woulda taken care of a long time ago," the redhead mused. Shay snickered.

"I don't think _anyone_ thought this war was going to go on as long as it has. I'm certain President Shinra assumed SOLDIER would easily take the Wutaiian capital in a matter of days and that would be the end of it," Shay replied, "We've grossly underestimated the enemy, I'm afraid. Anyway... get ready to go. Veld wants us in the air within the hour."

"Yeah, okay..."

Shay nodded and slipped back out into the hallway, and Reno couldn't help but feel just a little excited. He'd never been to the little town tucked away in the mountains before. Heard a bit about it, sure... but there hadn't been a reason for him to actually go there until now. Finally... the chance to check off another location on his planet-wide tour. He was still serious about wanting to see everything the world outside of the slums had to offer.

Even sleepy little mountain towns.

* * *

Tres flopped onto the couch in the lounge with a loud groan and rubbed his hand over his face. He felt like he'd been up for weeks. Really, it had only been about three and a half days since he'd last slept, but he was feeling every minute of it at the moment. Rude had finally stood up and outright _demanded_ that he take a break from the reports and the interrogations. Tres had been too tired to argue with the rookie.

Not that he would have... Rude was absolutely right. He was going to burn himself out if he didn't get some coffee and some rest, and not necessarily in that order. Besides... his protege could handle things for a few hours without his direct supervision. Rude was a good kid, and a damn fine intelligence agent, even if he did still make the occasional dumb mistake – like getting his ass electrocuted by enemy combatants because he tried to take them out with a goddamn sniper rifle at close range instead of a handgun. Tres had chewed him out thoroughly for _that_ one. After he'd made damn sure he was alright, of course.

"Finally taking a break?" a voice queried, violently startling Tres from his thoughts as his heart leapt into his throat.

"Would you _fuckin'_ stop _doin'_ that?!" he growled. "For fuck's sake, I'm amazed half the goddamn team hasn't had a paranoia-induced nervous breakdown by now, the way you constantly sneak up on us."

"My apologies," Tseng replied... though Tres was fairly certain he wasn't the least bit sorry. He never _was_. "You look exhausted."

"Hmph... apparently Rude agrees with ya," he said, shaking his head, "Little son of a bitch kicked me out of my own damn office." He sighed. " _Probably_ for the best, though. I can hardly see straight. So... how are _you_ doin'? Haven't see much of ya lately."

"... As well as might be expected, I suppose, considering..." Tseng said, somewhat guardedly.

Tres nodded in understanding. It had to suck for him to be here but not really _be_ here. To be stuck watching and not have the authority or permission to actually help when he saw the strain his fellow Turks were under.

"When's your re-eval?" he asked.

"Another week," the Wutaiian replied with obvious distaste. He sighed deeply and shook his head. "Do you know what the worst part is? No matter how many times I speak to... _them_... I feel as though I'm making no progress at all. Nothing has changed. Therapy is an exercise in futility, if you ask me."

Tres snorted a soft laugh. "Always seemed pointless as all fuck to me, too." He sat up slightly. "But... it's not. 'N we both _know_ it's not. You 'n me both saw what it did for Kai after... well... after Alyssa."

Tseng didn't seem to have an answer for that, so Tres quickly changed the subject.

"Hmph... well, since I gotcha here, I _did_ have somethin' I wanted to talk to you about that's _not_ related to what's goin' through your head right now... if ya got a minute."

"Of course," the other Turk replied, looking up in curiosity, "What is it?"

"Rude," Tres stated simply.

"Is there a problem?"

The Turk laughed and shook his head. "Hell yes, there's a problem," he said, "Asshole's gettin' too goddamn good at his job ta still be a rookie... _that's_ the fuckin' problem. 'Bout time someone put him up for promotion. I know I've kind of adopted him as a protege 'n all... but rookies are still _your_ department. Thought I better run it by you first."

"You're... already considering a promotion?" Tseng asked, sounding slightly shocked. Tres raised an eyebrow.

"Heh... _Already_? Kid's been with us almost two years, ya know. Figured I better say somethin' before that redhead of yours gets promoted before _he_ does. Hell, after that save Reno pulled outta his ass with Rufus up in the copter the other day, I thought for sure someone'd already be plannin' the congratulations party by now."

Tseng somewhat awkwardly cleared his throat, but didn't comment.

"Oh, come on... Don't tell me you haven't at least _considered_ puttin' your little prodigy up."

The Turk lieutenant glanced away, clearly uncomfortable, and Tres frowned.

"Tch... What the hell, Tseng?" he asked, "Ya don't think your pet slum rat's earned it?"

The Wutaiian Turk narrowed his eyes at his comrade. "I'd prefer you not use that term to refer to him. It's thoroughly derogatory, and it's bad _enough_ Rufus has a habit of using it. I may not be able to force _him_ to stop, but I can certainly tell _you_ off for it."

Tres snorted loudly. "Only 'derogatory' if ya actually mean it as an insult. He don't mind it any more'n _I_ do if the person sayin' it's not bein' a dick about it. But _now_ you're just avoidin' the question."

"He's not ready," Tseng replied, a little to quickly for the other Turk's taste.

"Bullshit, Tseng. Bull. Shit."

The Wutaiian Turk sat up more rigidly, a displeased expression crossing his face. "You're entitled to your opinion... but he is _my_ rookie, and _I_ make that decision. Not you."

"Yeah... Yeah ya do. But that don't mean I can't call you out when I think your decision's shit. Just how much longer are you gonna keep him a rookie, huh? Another few months? Another year? You're fuckin' with his career, ya know. Bein' promoted to full status is more'n just a gettin' a new rank... or'd you forget about the nice little pay increase that comes with it? Or the bump in security clearance? The extended benefits? Or even just that extra little bit of self-respect you feel for makin' it through with your sanity intact?"

Tseng scoffed and turned his gaze on the window across the room... but Tres wasn't done.

"Ya know... Rude mentioned the kid's _still_ savin' for a car. He'd get there a lot faster with the bigger paycheck you're so casually screwin' him out of. And just in case all that's not _enough_ reason for ya to do it... how about the fact that all that kid seems ta want outta life is for you to be proud of him?"

"... I _am_ proud of him," Tseng said, quietly.

"Then why are you intentionally holdin' him back? You know he deserves it. And you _damn_ well know he'd ready for it. If he hasn't proven that to ya by _now_ ,he never will."

The Wutaiian Turk deflated slightly, dropping his gaze to his lap.

"Look... I know you got a lot of shit you're still dealin' with right now. I get that. And I'm sure you _think_ you're just protectin' him like any good mentor'd wanna do. But I've never been one to sugar-coat much of anything, and _personally_ , I think this is a pretty dick move on your part," Tres declared, finally standing up. "So... that said, _I'm_ gonna go see Veld about the paperwork I gotta fill out for Rude, now. And then I'm gonna get some goddamn sleep before I fuckin' keel over."

With that, he strode out into the hallway, leaving his friend alone to think over what he'd said.

* * *

"So... Nibelheim, eh?" Rodney said as Reno was reaching for his newly packed travel bag. The redhead turned to find him leaning casually against the doorframe of his office.

"Yeah. What of it?" he asked, somewhat suspiciously. While he and the other rookie were on _slightly_ better terms lately – a happy side effect of Reno's rather dramatic rescue of the vice president after their flight was hijacked had been the bestowing of a sort of grudging respect from his rival – he was still a bit hesitant when it came to getting _too_ friendly with Rodney.

"Nothing, really. Just interesting that they're sending a rookie. _I_ hear that big mansion is haunted."

Reno snorted loudly and slung his bag over one shoulder. "Tch... that the best you got?" he asked, an eyebrow rising in challenge, "If you're tryin' to psych me out or somethin', you're gonna have to try a lot harder than _that_. There's no such thing as a fuckin' ghost."

Rodney shrugged. "Well, if you don't want to listen to a friendly warning, suit yourself. I'm just telling you what I've heard. Supposedly, Hojo does all kinds of experiments in the basement. Wouldn't surprise _me_ if there were an angry spirit or two roaming the halls..."

A hand very suddenly appeared from behind him and slapped him hard on the back of the head. Rodney yelped in a mixture of pain and surprise as Cissnei came into view.

"Will you just cut it out already?" she said, rolling her eyes.

"What? I'm just saying... that place is haunted as all hell. I heard it from a _very_ reliable source," Rodney insisted, rubbing the back of his head with a glare. "And quit _hitting_ me, Cissy."

"Quit calling me Cissy and I'll consider it," she shot back, grinning, "You don't really _believe_ in that nonsense, do you? Ghosts? _Really_?"

The other rookie merely shrugged again. "Can't say I've ever actually _seen_ one... but that doesn't mean they're not real."

"Yeah, well... if I happen to run into any of the ghosts of Hojo's former specimens while I'm there, I'll let 'em know you'd like ta meet 'em," Reno snickered, "But interesting as this conversation is, _I_ gotta go. Shay's waitin' on me."

"Wait! Before you take off, I had a favor I wanted to ask you real quick..." Cissnei hurriedly interjected as the redhead was pushing his way past Rodney. He paused and looked back at her. "Um... and I mean, if you don't get the chance, don't worry about it or anything. It's not like it's _super_ important, but... _if_ you happen to stop in Costa del Sol to refuel and _if_ you have a little time to kill... could you maybe bring me back a bottle of rum? It's called Sapphire Shoals, and they only sell it locally at the resort. It's their house brand."

"Since when do you drink rum?" Reno queried. Cissnei didn't even drink _beer_ as far as _he_ knew... mostly because she was a little bit of a stickler for the rules, and had turned down Sato's offer of a fake ID or use of his "procurement services". The rookie blushed faintly.

"It's... er... not actually for _me_..." she admitted, "It's a gift."

"For who?" he asked, his interest now piqued. Rodney looked more than a little curious as well. Cissnei hesitated a moment before practically shoving her fellow rookies back into Reno's office and shutting the door behind her.

"You can't tell _anyone_ ," she whispered, "You have to _swear_ you won't say anything!"

Reno blinked and glanced over at Rodney... who looked just as mystified as he was sure _he_ did.

"... Okay... I swear. What's the big secret?" the redhead replied. Cissnei cast Rodney a demanding look.

"Yeah, yeah... I won't say anything, either. I promise."

Cissnei furtively checked over her shoulder, as if she were concerned that some shadowy figure might be lurking in the corner of the room before turning back to the pair.

"I... was taking some reports to Veld's office a few minutes ago. I know I shouldn't be eavesdropping, _especially_ on the _senior_ Turks, but... well... the door wasn't shut all the way, and I didn't actually _know_ he was meeting with Tres, and by the time I realized what I was hearing, it was already too late!"

"What?!" Rodney demanded, "What'd you hear?"

A wide grin spread over Cissnei's face.

"Rude's getting promoted," she replied, "Or... well... Tres was asking for the _paperwork_ for his promotion, anyway. So... I thought I'd get him something. You know... for when _he_ finds out. To celebrate."

"That's _awesome_!" Reno shouted, only to be somewhat viciously shushed by the female rookie.

"Shhh! It's not even official yet, and we're _definitely_ not supposed to know about this!" she admonished him. "So you guys _can't_. _Tell_. _Anyone_. Especially Rude. It would ruin the surprise!"

"No problem," the redhead said, nodding his head in agreement.

"He won't hear a word from _me_ ," Rodney affirmed.

"And yeah... I'll see what I can do about that rum. Can't make any promises, but I'll _definitely_ try." Reno could hardly contain himself. If anyone deserved a promotion, it was Rude. He'd been putting in just as many hours as his mentor lately, and the intelligence they procured for the team was invaluable. _Rude_ was invaluable... and Reno was glad his friend's mentor realized that.

"Thanks, Reno," Cissnei smiled. "Oh, but don't let me keep you any longer. The flight to Nibelheim's a long one. You'd better get going." She giggled softly. "And be sure to tell all of Rodney's ghosties I said hi."

"Heh... Will do," Reno laughed as their fellow Turk scoffed and rolled his eyes. He then quickly made his way past the pair and headed down the hall towards the elevator.

* * *

Tseng had retreated to his office. It wasn't as if he were needed at present, after all. Though Veld had not barred him from assisting with the the rookies' normal training, said training had largely been put on hold. They were busy with the various tasks assigned to them.

Rude was all but running the intelligence office while Tres got some much needed rest. Rodney and Cissnei were being pulled in several directions at once, catering to whatever role they were required to fill for the more senior members of the team. And Reno... Tseng sighed softly. _His_ rookie had been paired up with Shay to deal with the recovery of research data from Nibelheim. A minor assignment, really, but one that would keep him out of the city for a day or two.

Tseng hadn't been pleased when Veld had informed him as such, either. After his unexpected disappearance two weeks ago, the Turk lieutenant would have preferred to keep his protege close at hand for awhile. But that was hardly an option. Reno was a Turk and Turks couldn't just sit idle indefinitely. He had a job to do, and no matter how much his mentor might have wished otherwise at the moment, he couldn't just stay in the safety of the office all day, every day. Perhaps back when he'd first recruited the redhead, Tseng might have gotten away with that for a bit... but now?

He leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingers to his temples, in an effort to relieve some of the building tension. He was going to have to accept it sooner or later. Reno wasn't _really_ a rookie in any capacity but official rank anymore. He'd been trying to convince himself otherwise ever since Veld had brought up the idea of promoting him, trying to justify to himself his decision not to even consider the suggestion.

His conversation with Tres a short while ago had made that difficult... if not impossible.

And that was because Tres had been right. The truth was, Reno was _more_ than ready. Yes... he was still young and inexperienced. But that was no reason to prevent him from moving on to the next milestone in his career, and doing so was an entirely selfish act on Tseng's part. He couldn't even argue that he was doing it to prevent the young man from feeling suddenly abandoned by his mentor. That excuse might have flown back when Reno was still finding his footing and was unsure of the permanency of his position... but he'd gained a remarkable amount of confidence since those days. He no longer lived with the constant fear of rejection he'd brought with him from the slums.

No... the fact of the matter was that _Tseng_ didn't want to let him go... because letting him go would mean that he couldn't continue to protect him in the same way he'd done for the last year and a half. Making Reno a fully fledged Turk would mean letting him out from under his watchful gaze and sending him out into a world where he could far too easily end up hurt or maimed or worse.

He'd failed to protect his sister... and though he was slowly coming to terms with _that_ failure, it had opened up a whole other avenue of concern. What if some choice he made eventually cost him Reno as well? He hardly had a clear conscience in that regard, after all. He'd made poor decisions regarding the rookie in the past. And on top of that, there had been several Turks lost since he'd taken over as second in command... some of them as a direct result of his orders. It wasn't that far-fetched to think that Reno might one day be yet another casualty of one of his deadly mistakes.

Before Mayu... he might have been able to live with that thought. For Leviathan's sake, he _had_ been able to live with it, or he would never have brought a goddamned _sixteen year old_ on board to begin with. But not anymore. His sister's death had altered something basic... something fundamental... inside of him. In the way he valued a life.

Tseng leaned forward, elbows resting on his desk, and lowered his head into his hands. How in Leviathan's name was he supposed to continue on as second in command when the very idea of sending Reno... or _any_ of his Turks, for that matter... into a potentially deadly situation terrified him? Left him a restless insomniac at night? Badgered him in his dreams relentlessly?

Oh, yes, there had been _dreams_ , all right. Not constant, by any means... in fact _constant_ might have been preferable. At least then, he wouldn't be blindsided by it every time it happened. He wasn't normally one to even _recall_ his dreams in any significant detail. At best, he experienced a lingering emotional reaction upon waking. And to be fair, he _still_ couldn't recall specifics... just vague flashes of imagery and the deep-seeded terror he woke with, combined with the cold sweat and hammering pulse that told him that his sleep had been less than peaceful.

"... Is this a bad time?" a voice suddenly asked, and Tseng's head jerked upright. He frowned at the unexpected visitor.

"Have you simply decided to forego the usual courtesy of knocking due to my current suspension?" he asked, slightly annoyed. Kai snorted softly and rested a hand on her hip.

"I _did_ knock. Twice. And since I knew you were in here, I was, I think, understandably just a _little_ worried when you didn't answer."

Tseng internally groaned. He'd been so caught up in his musings and self-pity, he hadn't even heard it. Apparently taking his silence as an invitation, Kai strolled into his office and shut the door behind her. She took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk, and looked over at him accusingly.

"You've been avoiding me," the diminutive Turk stated.

"I have not been _avoiding_ you," Tseng sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, please," Kai scoffed, "To be fair, you've _kind of_ been avoiding _everyone_ since Veld suspended you... but you practically run out of the room every time _I_ show up. Which tells me that you and I need to talk. _Probably_ about something neither one of us really wants to dredge up again."

"... There's nothing left to say on that subject."

"Are you sure about that?" Kai pressed him. Her face softened slightly and she leaned in closer to him. "Tseng... it almost destroyed our friendship once. I don't want to go through that again, and I know you don't either. So let's just get it all out in the open."

The Wutaiian Turk was silent for several long moments, and Kai was uncharacteristically patient as she waited for him to respond. A last, he ran a hand through his hair and let out a long breath.

"I'm so very sorry, Kai... It was _my_ fault she died."

* * *

"So... ya ever been to Nibelheim before?" Reno asked. They were over the ocean, with little in the way of scenery. Shay had seemed only too happy to give the rookie the pilot's seat, opting instead to act as navigator.

"Oh, sure," the senior Turk replied. "Plenty of times. They began setting up a rather large project at the lab there about six months after I was first promoted out of recruitment... Hojo was traveling between Nibelheim and Midgar constantly, and there were lots of equipment transfers happening. I was on the escort team for one thing or another quite a bit."

"Oh, _yeah_..." the redhead nodded, "I remember you sayin' somethin' awhile back 'bout how you got lost in the mountains around there with Tres for like a week back when you were a rookie."

"Three days," Shay corrected him, "Three very _long_ days."

Reno snickered and corrected slightly for an unexpected gust of wind.

"And those three days were probably the _least_ painfulpart of that assignment," the senior Turk added, "Tres and I _really_ didn't get along well at first. Being stuck on a mountain sort of forced us to work together."

"How'd you guys end up lost, anyway?"

"... I hate to say it, but it was _my_ fault," he sighed, "It was our second to last day on assignment – or, rather, it was _supposed_ to be – and we needed to check on the reactor up in the mountains above the town. It's a pretty long hike, and the guide we'd hired had had a nasty fall the day before. But we'd already made the trip _once_ on a previous visit, and thought we'd be fine with just a map. I... accidentally left said map at the inn. We didn't realize it until we were already hopelessly turned around."

The redhead laughed. "Bet Tres was _real_ happy when ya told him _that_."

"I was quite certain he was going to throw me into the nearest gorge and leave me there, yes..." Shay chuckled.

"So what's the place like? Anything interesting to do?"

"Well... there's the tavern, I suppose. And the mountain trails, of course, have some lovely views. But it's really just a small town. Not a tourist destination. That's part of why Shinra chose it for a reactor site. It's out of the way, not especially easy to get to, and not very noteworthy even if you bothered. If you're going to spend time and money traveling to out of the way locations, Icicle Inn is _much_ more entertaining." 

"And _freezing_..." Reno said with a slight shudder. He still clearly recalled the bone-chilling cold of the little northern continent town.

"Well, when you go in the dead of winter, sure," Shay replied, snickering, "You should visit in the summer, though. It's utterly breathtaking, and some of the best skiing on the planet. Estefan goes every year at _least_ once... and usually tried to talk me into joining him as some point. I was never very good at it, though, to be honest."

"Estefan... that's your brother, right?" Reno clarified. It had been awhile since the subject had come up, and he wasn't quite sure anymore.

"My _elder_ brother, yes. First born and the family golden child," Shay replied, rolling his eyes. "Oh, don't get me wrong. I love him dearly, but he can be a bit... insufferable... even at the best of times. And it certainly doesn't help that Mum and Dad cater to his every whim. I was always a bit of a disappointment in their eyes after I turned down a position in the family business and joined the Turks."

"Not big on the idea, huh?"

"That's putting it _mildly_ ," Shay snorted, "They were perfectly supportive of me joining the recruitment program... at first. Personally, I think they truly believed it was just a phase. I'd eventually come to my senses and realize I was too good for it. But the longer I stuck with it, the less pleased they were. Mum actually _cried_ when I told her I'd been promoted to the Turks. And _not_ because she was so very proud of her little boy."

"Ouch..." Reno replied, cringing slightly.

"Mmm... I'll admit. Their reaction did give me second thoughts about accepting." He shook his head and sighed. "But in the end, I decided that it didn't matter what _they_ wanted. It was _my_ life, not theirs, and I wanted to do something that mattered. Sitting at a desk, going over sales figures all day has never appealed to me."

"Were they pissed they couldn't talk you outta it?"

"More resigned, I think. Now had it been _Estefan_ who'd chosen to offer himself up to Shinra Company, I suspect they'd have forbade it outright," he smirked slightly, "Being second born _does_ have an advantage or two. I'm somewhat more expendable than my brother. It gives me a bit more freedom."

Reno blinked. "Uh... expendable?" he queried, not quite sure what Shay was getting at.

"Oh, I'm not saying they don't care about me. Certainly, they'd be absolutely distraught if anything ever happened to me, but... well... I'm the spare, after all."

"The... spare?" the redhead repeated, furrowing his brow. People had "spare" kids?

"You know... an heir and a spare?" Shay pressed. He paused a moment, considering. "Then again... maybe you've never heard that phrase. I don't suppose it would have much meaning down in the slums..."

"Tch... yeah, you're gonna have to explain that one."

Shay leaned back in his seat and snickered. "You're probably going to think it's simply _awful_. But, in certain classes of society, it's fairly common practice to adhere to the idea that one should produce at least two sons, so that if something, Holy forbid, were to happen to the first born... the heir... there would be another to carry on the family name, inherit the family property, continue the family traditions, and so on. The spare. That would be _me_."

"... Wait. So... you're tellin' me rich people have _backup kids_ just in case the first one gets eaten by a behemoth or somethin'?" Reno asked, incredulously, and Shay began to laugh.

"Well, when you put it _that_ way, it does sound a little ridiculous... but essentially, yes." He spent the next several seconds trying to sober himself before continuing. "It's just a way of ensuring that the lineage continues. Haven't you ever noticed how protective President Shinra is of Rufus? Rufus is an only child. No spare. If something happens to him, there's no one else in line to take over the Company... It would fall into the hands of the executive board. Rufus is his legacy."

Reno shook his head and returned his gaze towards the ocean that stretched out in front of them. He could just barely make out the dark strip of land that was the western continent.

"Man... Rich people are fuckin' _weird_ ," he said, vaguely disturbed by the whole idea, and Shay grinned.

"Not weird. Just... different. If there's anything my time in the Turks has taught me, it's that different people have different priorities. Take the two of us for example. Where would you put... say... the importance of food, on a scale of one to ten."

"Tch... at a _ten_. Hell, maybe an eleven. You don't eat, ya die."

Shay nodded. "Now, see... I'd put it maybe closer to a six or a seven. But then, _I've_ never had to wonder where my next meal was coming from... or if I could afford to eat at all. You _have_. Different circumstances create different priorities. That's why Tres and I didn't get along at first. It took me _far_ longer than it should have to start to understand that."

"Yeah... okay. I get what you're sayin'," Reno replied. It was something he felt as though he knew... but had never consciously acknowledged. He grinned again and looked over at Shay. "But I still think the whole backup kid thing is really _bizarre_."

The senior Turk only shook his head and quietly snickered in response.

* * *

"I... think that's the first time you've ever admitted that to me," Kai said, a vague look of shock etched on her features. Tseng looked away.

"I think it's the first time I've ever admitted it to myself, as well." He hesitantly looked up at the woman. There had been a time when he and Kai were extremely close. Over the years, that friendship had cooled considerably... and he could trace it back to a single event. A single _mistake_. "If I could have taken her place... I would have. If I had seen _any_ other option, I'd have taken it. Sending Alyssa was the best chance at saving the rest of us... but that doesn't absolve me of her death. It was _my_ decision... my fault... no matter how I've tried to justify it in the past."

Junon. Five... almost _six_... years ago. Veld had only recently taken over as commander... and Tseng was newly minted as his second. It was the first _real_ test of his ability as a leader. The Junon underwater reactor had just been brought online two week prior, and several members of the executive board, the military, and the press were touring the facility. And, of course, the Turks were there for security. Tseng'd taken the lead and brought Alyssa with him as backup along with Kai and two others.

And when something had gone wrong... when a flaw in part of the structure had buckled under the pressure of the water and the pumps had failed and underwater causeway had begun to flood... he'd ordered the young Turk to make the long run up the tunnel to the first emergency bulkhead, and seal it off before the flooding spread to the reactor. Had he been able to do so himself, he gladly would have. But at the time, his leg had been broken in several places after the initial collapse. One of the dislodged support beams had grazed him as it was pushed inward... but it had been heavy enough and moving with enough force and speed, that even a glancing blow might have been fatal had it stuck him somewhere more vulnerable.

Meanwhile, Kai and the other two members of the security detail had been topside, waiting to escort the second group down. Tseng, five high ranking Shinra employees, the base's second in command, and at least a dozen reactor workers found themselves trapped in the reactor facility for nearly twelve hours before they could be safely extracted. Alyssa hadn't survived the order he'd given. He'd known she likely wouldn't when he'd given it, and so had she... but if she hadn't sacrificed herself, they _all_ would have died, and the reactor would almost certainly have been rendered inoperable to boot.

Twelve hours, stuck on the ocean floor and having to deal with the pain of both injury and loss. Twelve hours of trying desperately to keep those he was responsible for calm when they couldn't even contact the base to tell them that they were still alive. Twelve hours before he could break the news to Kai that her lover was dead.

They had been the longest twelve hours of his life.

But worse still had been the devastated look on Kai's face when he'd finally been able to tell her what had happened. It had been followed by pure, unadulterated fury... most of it directed squarely at him.

"I didn't understand your pain," he said, quietly. "I _thought_ I did... but I didn't know _anything_ could hurt that much and not utterly destroy a person instantly. I'm sorry that it took experiencing it for myself before I could even begin to grasp what I did to you."

"... I'm sorry, too. I wouldn't wish that kind of pain on my worst enemy... let alone one of my best friends."

Tseng managed a faint smile in spite of himself. "I'm not sure we've been what anyone might consider 'best friends' in a very long time..."

"Hmph... No. We probably haven't been," Kai replied with a somewhat sad chuckle, "And _that's_ mostly _my_ fault. I said I forgave what you did... and maybe I even _did_ forgive it to some extent... but I just couldn't let it go. Not completely. Maybe it's time I finally did."

"Kai..."

"You're _still_ my friend, Tseng. And seeing you like this... a part of me thinks maybe you deserve it. But a much bigger part of me is disgusted with myself for thinking that. Alyssa's gone, but you're not... and I don't want you to go anywhere any time soon. So I think it's time to leave the past in the past... for both our sakes."

"So... Where do we go from here?" Tseng asked, somewhat at a loss.

"For starters... why don't you tell me how you're _really_ doing?"

~end of chapter 89~


	90. Keeping Secrets is Hard

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 90: Keeping Secrets is Hard**

 **by Desha**

Reno stretched as he climbed out of the helicopter and hopped down onto the concrete landing pad that sat a short distance from the beach. The flight to Costa del Sol hadn't taken _terribly_ long, but being trapped in the pilot's seat for a couple of hours with little opportunity to move around had been starting to make him a bit stiff. He was glad they were stopping for a little while. Shay wasn't long in joining him in the humid, tropical air.

"You know... in all the years I've been coming here, I don't think I've ever arrived in bad weather," the senior Turk commented with a slight grin.

"Heh... seems like a nice place," Reno agreed, and the other man paused.

"You've never been?" he queried, surprised.

The redhead shrugged. "Not for _real_... Passed through it when Tseng 'n me had an assignment in Gongaga. And we stopped to eat on the way back from the Gold Saucer on my birthday once... That's about it, though. I... _kinda_ missed out on the one shot I had at actually _stayin'_ here awhile back 'cause... uh..."

Shay suddenly laughed. "Oh, I heard _all_ about the reason for _that_... I hope your joyride in Tseng's car was worth giving up a free vacation..."

"Yeah, not even a little," Reno deadpanned. He sighed softly and shook his head. "I _seriously_ thought Tseng was gonna kill me for that one. Or worse... send me back to the slums." He suddenly looked up at his fellow Turk and grinned. " _One_ of these days I'm gonna be here for more than a couple hours, though."

"Well... that's not going to be today, I'm afraid. But it _is_ going to take the dock crew a little while to refuel us. Feel like an early lunch?"

Reno cocked an eyebrow, and Shay snickered.

"Alright... I'll admit, that _was_ a rather silly question," the senior Turk laughed. "Come on... My family owns a small vacation home just past the main resort. We'll order in, and enjoy the view for an hour or so."

"Uh... Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but... just how fuckin' rich _is_ your family that they got their own beach house?" Reno asked, as he hurried to follow Shay down the wooden walkway that led towards the resort town proper. The Turk glanced back at him, smirking slightly.

"Not even remotely as rich as the Shinras," he replied, with a grin, "But we're certainly not hurting for funds. My family's company has had an exceptional profit margin over the past decade or so. Even better than when my grandfather ran it."

"So... I don't think I've ever asked. What _is_ your family's business, anyway?"

"Real estate, mostly," Shay replied. The pair reached the main street of the town and turned left down a small side street. "Von Haus Holdings owns and operates almost 15% of Midgar's apartment complexes... which doesn't sound like that much until you realize just how massive the Midgar housing market really is. We also have investments in land and establishments at various tourism destinations... like Costa del Sol, for example. The company owns several beachfront properties, and has some minority-share stock in the main resort. I think Dad recently said something about buying into a mythril mine somewhere near Cosmo Canyon, and Mum dabbles a bit in other things on her own, as well. She owns one of the restaurants here, and another back in Midgar. The Midgar location, as I understand it, is really only breaking even, but the one down the beach from our cabana is doing quite well."

Reno shook his head and hurried to keep up with his partner for the day as Shay took a right, out towards the beach. The made their way along a crowded boardwalk for a ways before descending a stone staircase and heading down a cobblestone path that led into the shade of a grove of palm trees. It took him a moment to realize that there was a little house back there... and a moment longer to realize that it really wasn't as "little" as he'd initially thought. The palms camouflaged its size to such an extent that, as they approached the front door, Reno was half-convinced it had expanded in the time it had taken them to reach it.

"This is your idea of a 'small vacation home'?" the redhead queried as Shay ushered him inside. The interior was tastefully decorated with a floor tiled in polished stone and island-themed artwork. Wide glass doors opened onto a veranda overlooking the ocean. As he peered around a corner, he caught site of a large, bright kitchen, and beyond that, a swimming pool sparkled in the sunlight behind the house.

"Well... by Costa del Sol standards, anyway..." Shay replied, "Trust me... there are _much_ bigger ones. The Shinra Villa is at least three times this size."

Reno snorted in quiet laughter. "I think I could fit my whole damn apartment into this _room_."

Shay glanced around, as if trying to measure the space to determine whether or not the rookie was serious, and frowned slightly when he apparently realized that though Reno had been exaggerating, it wasn't by _much_.

"That doesn't... er... _bother_ you... does it?" he asked, somewhat hesitantly. The redhead glanced up.

"Tch... Nah," Reno said, dismissively, "Don't get me wrong, sometimes I wish _I_ could afford my own personal beach palace 'n shit like that... but from what I've seen followin' Rufus' ass around lately, havin' too much money's not all it's cracked up to be. Think I'm probably better off just bein' happy with what I got. Which is way more than I _used_ to have..." He flashed the other Turk a wide grin. "Why? You think I'm gonna get all jealous or some shit?"

Shay snickered. "Er... well, it's just... that time I got stuck with Tres in the mountains for three days? We stopped off here _that_ time, too. It put him in a sour mood before we even got there. I wasn't really trying to show off, but I think that's how he took it."

"Heh... long as you're willin' to share, you can show off as much as ya want, far as I'm concerned. Just don't forget the map this time 'n I think we'll be fine," the redhead teased. Before Shay could respond, Reno suddenly remembered Cissnei's request from earlier in the day. "Oh, yeah... Before I forget, I got a favor I gotta ask ya..."

* * *

Tseng scowled at the ugly little fountain as the water trickled down into the basin at the bottom. He was beginning to think that the more time he spent here, the more aggravating that damned thing became. Or perhaps it was just that he was feeling unusually raw today and the sound of flowing water was grating on his nerves more than usual.

His conversation with Kai had been... difficult. But in the end, he was glad they'd talked. It was the first time they'd done so like _that_ in a very long time. Over the years, he'd simply come to accept that they'd never be able to see one another in the same light they once had. Now, though, he was starting to hold out a rekindled hope that perhaps some vestige of their old friendship still remained.

Kai had been one of his _closest_ friends back when they were rookies. She had come on board about a year and a half after he'd been promoted to the Turks and they'd hit it off immediately. He'd even – very briefly, before learning that she had a distinct preference for women over men – entertained a bit of a sexual attraction to the diminutive Turk. When he'd met Viridia, Kai had been the first person he'd told about her.

Alyssa's death had all but destroyed that closeness. In fact, Kai refused to even speak to him about anything other than Turks business for nearly six months afterwards. And though, eventually, tempers had cooled and apologies had been made, things between them had never been quite the same.

After all, how could they be? Alyssa had been the love of Kai's life. They'd met and begun their romance in the recruitment program nearly two years before either of them were even being considered as a rookie, and though Kai had been made a Turk first, Alyssa hadn't been far behind. The pair had complimented one another perfectly – both personally, and professionally – and the depth of their feelings for one another was blatantly apparent any time they were together. Tseng's order had taken that away from his friend in the most abrupt and cruelest way imaginable. And just to make it worse... Tseng has spent the ensuing years justifying it to her, convinced that he'd done the right thing.

And perhaps he had, in the grand scheme of things... Her death had saved more than a dozen others from the same fate, a worthy sacrifice for any Turk. But he honestly couldn't say for certain what the "right" choice would have been anymore. Were the lives of strangers worth more than hers had been? Certainly not to Kai, but to their _own_ families, absolutely. Still... that didn't change the fact that his decision had irrevocably and _deeply_ scarred someone he cared about... or that he had spent so long brushing that pain off and expecting her to simply understand and move on. He knew now just how difficult moving on from so profound a loss could be.

"Tseng? Dr. Hildebrand is ready for you," the receptionist called out to him, breaking in on his thoughts.

The Turk lieutenant sighed and cast one final glower at the irritating fountain, before standing up. He had a feeling his session was going to run a bit longer than usual today.

* * *

"So... What's so special about that rum, anyway?" Shay asked, "I've certainly heard it's one of the better varieties available in Costa del Sol, but why the sudden need to pick some up?"

Reno grinned to himself as he wrapped the bottle in a blanket from the emergency kit and tucked it into the safety of one of the helicopter's storage lockers.

"Sorry, Shay... I'm sworn to secrecy," he responded, and climbed into the cockpit alongside him.

"Well, _now_ I _have_ to know..." the other Turk stated, but the rookie only shook his head. "Come on, Reno... I _did_ help your underage self get it, didn't I? You could at least tell me what the big deal is. Who swore you to secrecy?"

"Tch... No way. Everyone on the team knows _you_ can't keep a secret to save your life," the redhead teased, "And it's definitely a secret. Can't have that shit gettin' out before it's announced."

"If it's going to be announced, then it's hardly a secret, now _is_ it?" Shay countered, as he quickly went through the aircraft's pre-flight.

"It is 'til it gets announced," Reno shot back. Shay apparently had no answer for that, and instead opted to sink into a somewhat dejected pout. The redhead rolled his eyes. "Quit lookin' at me like that, will ya?"

The senior Turk finished the checklist and started the engines.

"Flight time to Nibelhiem is going to be about three hours." Shay glanced up at him, a sad, pleading look on his face.

"That's fuckin' pathetic, Shay," the rookie snickered as he slipped his headset on.

"Come on... I promise I'll keep my mouth shut. What's the big secret?"

Reno sighed. "You gonna be like this the whole way?"

"Three hours of puppy dog eyes and sad, mournful sighing," the senior Turk confirmed, "And trust me... I've had a great deal of practice at it."

"Yeah... fuck that," the redhead laughed. "Fine... but seriously, you _can't_ fucking tell anyone else. _I'm_ not even s'posed ta know yet."

"You have my word."

Reno made a show of furtively looking around the otherwise empty aircraft. "Cissnei asked me to get it for her. She's givin' it to Rude as a congratulations on gettin' your ass promoted present."

"Rude's up for promotion?!" Shay asked excitedly.

" _Not_ officially. Yet. So keep it to yourself. Cissnei finds out I blabbed, she'll probably skin me alive..."

"Of course... of course. No one will hear a _word_ from me," the senior Turk quickly assured him.

* * *

"Hey... Got a minute?" Tres asked, after double checking to make sure that the woman was presently alone in her office. Saya glanced up from the interrogation transcript she was working on.

"Aye... Yeh need somethin'?"

Tres quickly slipped into the room, closing the door behind him. "Yeah, I do, actually. First, though... where's that Ifrit-forsaken cousin of yours? I don't need him overhearin' shit 'n repeatin' it to everyone 'n their mother."

"Sato went out ta pick up some lunch fer the both of us a wee bit ago," Saya chuckled, "Should be gone awhile yet. Said he was goin' ta that Costan place three blocks over. Hmph... Personally, I think he's already sick 'n tired of bein' cooped up, and just wants out of the office fer a bit... even if it means hobblin' 'round on crutches. What's up?"

"I... need a little help plannin' somethin'. For Rude. I'm recommendin' him for promotion, and once Veld approves it, I wanna have a little party to celebrate. Problem is, if I go disappearin' over the next few days to set up this shit, the kid's gonna start gettin' suspicious in no time flat. You think keepin' a secret from _me's_ hard, try keepin' one from Rude. Think I mighta taught him a little _too_ well."

Tres cringed slightly at the excited squeal from Saya and hurried shushed her.

"For Shiva's _sake_ ," he lamented, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry... it's just... the wee rookies're growin' up..." she chuckled, giddily. "Well, then... what is it yeh need me ta do?"

"Not lookin' for anything fancy. If all goes accordin' to plan, his promotion should be official on Friday. I'm thinkin' we keep it quiet 'til the very end of the day 'n surprise him with a trip over to the Phoenix Next. 'Course we'll have food 'n shit waitin' for us."

Saya scoffed and shook her head. "Yeh want ta take 'im ta the bar. _That's_ yer big celebration," she deadpanned. "Nevermind that we've got three rookies, guest of honor included, not of legal age ta drink yet, 'n one more that only just barely qualifies."

"Tch... as if that ever stopped either Reno _or_ Rude..."

"Right... That settles it, then. Off yeh go, 'n leave _all_ the party plannin' ta me. I'll handle it myself," Saya declared, shooing him towards the door, muttering, "Hmph... an evenin' at a bar, indeed... 'n ta celebrate a _promotion_ , no less..."

Moments later Tres found himself ejected from the office and standing on the opposite side of the door, trying to figure out how in Ifrit's name he'd gotten there so quickly. He blinked and gave a soft sigh. Whatever... if Saya wanted to take on the whole thing, he was fine with that. The less involved _he_ was, the less likely Rude was to find out about either his promotion _or_ the party ahead of time. Shaking his head, he turned... and found himself somewhat unexpectedly face to face with a familiar grin.

"Well, now... What was that I heard 'bout a wee _promotion_ bein' in the works?" Sato queried, as his grin widened mischievously. Tres groaned in dismay.

"Alright... What's it gonna cost me to get ya to keep your goddamn mouth shut?" he asked, opting to skip any pretense of denial and work on immediate damage control instead.

* * *

"Cissy... I _really_ don't have time for this," Rodney protested as the other rookie forcibly pulled him along the Sector 4 sidewalk.

"Yes you do. We've got a whole _hour_ for lunch. Now quite dragging your feet and come _on_."

"Did you ever stop to consider that maybe... just _maybe_... I have better thing to do with my personal time? Why can't we do this _after_ work, anyway?" he complained, "And besides which... you've _already_ asked Tseng's golden boy to pick up a gift in Costa del Sol!"

"But he might not be _able_ to... Reno's not there to shop. He's on assignment. And since I don't know for sure when Veld is going to announce Rude's promotion, I want to have a backup, just in case."

"So why does that require literally dragging _me_ down the street?"

"Well, duh..." Cissnei replied with a little laugh, as she finally came to a halt outside of one of the stores. Rodney rolled his eyes when he saw the sign. _That_ certainly explained her sudden need for him. "Now... I know he likes whiskey, so I want you to go in and ask them what the best one they've got is."

"... You _do_ know that some kinds of liquor can sell for a couple _thousand_ gil, don't you? Especially at these high end shops in Four?" the rookie replied, an eyebrow rising in challenge. Cissnei's face fell slightly and Rodney sighed. " _Fine_... I'll ask them for the best they have for under... say... seventy-five?"

"Perfect!" she replied, her smile quickly returning.

" _And_ I get to use it for _my_ gift to Rude if Mr. Rookie of the Year comes through with your first choice," he added.

"Deal," Cissnei readily agreed. Rodney snorted softly and pushed the door to the spirits shop open.

"Why the _hell_ do I let you talk me into so many favors, anyway?" he muttered as he disappeared inside.

* * *

The sky had grown gray and drab the closer they got to the towering mountain range of the western continent. Shay kept them much farther north than the path Reno and Tseng had taken to reach Corel and eventually Gongaga. That trail had looked tame by comparison. _These_ peaks were rugged and a little intimidating, even from so far away. More so when they were finally flying over them.

"Hey... is Nibelheim really _that_ close to Rocket Town?" Reno asked, glancing up from the map he'd been studying while Shay handled the controls. He'd wanted to try and get the lay of the land before they reached their destination, and had noticed the little marker denoting Rude's hometown not far from the one for the mountain village. It didn't look like much more than the distance between Midgar and Kalm.

"Er... as the crow flies, I suppose," Shay chuckled, "I guess it probably wouldn't look too far on the map, but keep in mind that there's a line of mountains sitting in between them. Kind of rough travel by land. I'd imagine it would take two or three days by land. At _least_. Why?"

"Eh... just curious. I still just... kinda have trouble gettin' my head around how fuckin' _huge_ the planet really is sometimes. Startin' to think it's gonna take forever to see it all..." the redhead sighed, "I mean... I've seen more in the year 'n change I've been a Turk than I did in the first sixteen damn years of my _life_ ,but it's like I've barely scratched the surface."

"Well... the only way to see it all is to plan it out," Shay declared. "Where are you going on your next vacation?"

Reno blinked somewhat owlishly, and pondered the question for a moment. He hadn't really given that much thought, to be honest. Particularly since _none_ of them were likely to be taking a vacation any time soon. Not with a war going on. There were certainly plenty of places he _could_ go. Costa del Sol, for one. For a _real_ visit, not just passing through. Or, like Shay had suggested, Icicle Inn when the weather wasn't conspiring to freeze him solid. Or... maybe Rocket Town, to see where his best friend had grown up. Or Wutai... Mideel... Cosmo Canyon... The list of possibilities just went on and on.

Shay snickered quietly from his seat. "I'd suggest you decide on _one_ and then work towards planning _that_ trip. And once you've seen it, pick somewhere else and start all over. Far more efficient than just saying 'I want to see everything'."

"Heh... not a bad idea. Thanks, Shay," Reno replied, "So where are _you_ goin' on your next vacation?"

"Oh... probably Mideel and the southern isles. Mum has been hounding both myself _and_ Estefan to join her and Dad on their trip this winter, and it's hard to say no to her. Assuming we've wrapped up the situation with Wutai by then, of course." He paused a moment, his attention focused on something ahead of them, and grinned. "But for now, you'll have to be content with checking Nibelheim off your list. That's it over there."

Reno set the map aside and followed the other Turk's gaze. Sure enough, he could just make out the tiny town nestled in one of the high valleys, towering ridges flanking it on either side. It might have been a cozy little view... had it not been for the ominous dark clouds moving towards it from the west. Judging by their movement, they'd be crossing the mountain range right around the time the two Turks were landing. Shay sighed and shook his head.

"Oh, wonderful... there's a storm moving in."

"Eh, what's wrong with a little rain?" Reno shrugged.

"Hmph... a little rain? You're clearly unfamiliar with late summer storms in the mountains. They can get pretty intense. We're not going to make it up to the reactor today, _that's_ for sure," said Shay, "... Though, to be fair, we probably wouldn't have anyway. By the time we get there, there won't be much daylight left. Ah, well. An evening off will be nice."

Reno snickered. "Thinkin' of slackin' off?"

"No... but there's only so much we're going to be able to do tonight if the weather's bad. Unless you _want_ to load the helicopter in the pouring rain. _I_ don't."

"Good point," the redhead agreed. "So what's the plan, then?"

"We'll see where the lab staff are at with preparing our cargo, help them out where we can, and then, I think a nice, quiet dinner at the tavern. They serve an absolutely _luscious_ shepard's pie. Get a fresh start on things in the morning."

Reno peered through the windshield as the town grew closer and closer. There wasn't much to it really. Some quaint-looking houses, the comparatively huge Shinra mansion, a well in the town's center... all set against the backdrop of the somewhat foreboding Nibel mountains – though that may have just been an effect of the coming storm. Beyond the town, he could just make out a few well-worn trails winding their way up the rocky slopes, and vaguely wondered which of them led to the mako reactor. He couldn't see it from their current position.

Shay set down in the wide swath of flat space behind the manor, just as the first raindrops had begun to fall. By the time he'd finished shutting down the engines, however, the light shower had become a raging downpour. Reno jumped at the first clap of thunder. It was loud enough to shake the ground.

"Holy _fuck_..." he breathed, "You weren't kiddin' about the storms bein' intense up here..."

Another echoing _boom_ reverberated off the sides of the mountain as lightning lit up the sky in dazzling streaks. One of them struck a tree near the road, splitting it straight down the middle into two smoldering halves. The redhead's eyes widened at the sight.

"... Um... Let's go enjoy this lovely weather from _inside_ the manor, shall we?" Shay said, with a note of nervousness in his voice.

"Yeah. I like that idea," the redhead replied, and scurried to grab his travel bag from the back and haul open the door. The pair of Turks leapt from the aircraft, pausing only long enough to close things up behind them, and then made a mad dash for the back door of the mansion. It wasn't an especially great distance they had to travel, but the torrent falling from the sky still managed to partially saturate them both before they made it inside. They all but fell through the door and into a darkened kitchen.

"Fuck that shit's _cold_ ," Reno said, shivering. "They forget it's s'posed to be summer?"

"Higher altitude, cooler temperatures," Shay responded with a shrug, before turning towards the interior of the house and calling out, "Hello? Is anyone here?"

The only response he received was silence, and Reno took the opportunity to take a quick look around. It was _nice_ little kitchen... but chill and dark at the moment, and the storm raging loudly outside didn't exactly help. He ran his hand along the smooth polished wood counter top as he made his way over to the stone hearth tucked into one corner. A fire had been burning there recently, but little more than embers remained of it now. Still... it was enough to warm him up after his unwanted shower.

The whole place had an air of stillness to it that felt almost otherworldly... and as much as he hated to admit it, he was starting to wonder if maybe his response to Rodney's claims that the old mansion was haunted had been a bit premature. It certainly had a bit of a spooky aura. The empty, abandoned feeling wasn't helping one bit.

But then... as he understood it, the upper floors were really just for show. The lab in the basement was where the real action was... and probably where the staff was, too, for that matter. Reno caught sight of a another door on the north side of the room and snuck a quick peek inside. It seemed to be a storage space, filled with barrels and crates, jars of preserves and pickled foods, canned and dry goods, and so on. Obviously the pantry. He grinned slightly. At least they wouldn't starve while they were here...

When he turned back to the kitchen again, Shay had crossed the room and poked his head out into the hallway beyond. Apparently satisfied that it, too, was empty, he pressed a button on a small panel on the wall by the door – one of several, Reno noted. Upon closer inspection, he saw that they were labeled with the names of various rooms. Shay had press the one tagged "Main Lab".

"What's that do?" he asked, curious.

"Lets anyone downstairs know we're here," the senior Turk replied. He gestured to the panel. "It's essentially a doorbell system. Press a button and a buzzer goes off somewhere in the manor."

The Main Lab button suddenly lit up, flashed twice, and then went dark.

"And there's our response," Shay said, grinning. "Someone from the research team should be up to meet us shortly. Come on... the lab entrance is upstairs. We'll meet them out in the front foyer."

The redhead trailed behind the other Turk as he led him out into the hallway, and then took a quick left. Reno had the briefest of glimpses of what looked to be a very large room at the far end of the hallway... maybe a dining room or something... before he emerged in the spacious foyer at the front of the manor.

The ceiling of the room towered so far over him that it was lost in the shadows... though he _could_ make out the silhouette of a chandelier hanging high above. A curved wooden staircase arched up to the second floor, and tall windows looked out into the storm outside. The lightning, every once in a while, would light up the entire room, casting eerie shadows over the space.

"Nice place," Reno commented, and then jumped in fright as the huge grandfather clock he hadn't noticed when they'd walked in suddenly chimed the hour in a deep, reverberating tone. It was followed almost immediately by more lightning and a clap of thunder. "Great place to set a fuckin' horror flick..." the redhead muttered, glaring at the offending piece of furniture as he willed his heart to stop hammering in his chest. Shay proceeded to do a terrible job of hiding his laughter at the rookie's expense.

"Hello?" a quiet voice called out, and Shay's attention was, mercifully, directed away from the redhead. Reno glanced up the staircase and saw a young woman gazing down at the pair of them.

"Ah... There you are," Shay said, smiling widely, "We're here to see to the materials transfer."

"Oh, yes... of course. We've nearly finished. Everything should be packed up and ready to go by tomorrow morning," the woman replied. She descended the stairs and stopped in front of the two Turks. "I'm Dr. Monroe... project lead."

The doctor was short and plump, though by no means unattractive for the extra weight. Her long, curly hair was tied up in something of a messy bun, held in place with a pencil, and several small metal instruments could be seen peeking out from the various pockets of her lab coat. Thick dark-rimmed glasses gave her eyes a slightly magnified look.

"I'm Shay, and this is Reno. Is there anything we can do to help out?"

Dr. Monroe shook her head. "No... No, I don't think so. We've got things under control downstairs, and no offense, but some of the samples _do_ require special handling. I'd prefer to keep the transport prep in-house. Though we may need you once we've finished... My staff can package them up with little difficulty. Getting things upstairs and loaded, however..."

"Just let us know when," Shay replied. He glanced back at Reno. "In the meantime, we'll just... find somewhere to make ourselves comfortable, shall we?"

"The sleeping quarters are upstairs to the left," Dr. Monroe said with a nod. "If you're hungry, there's plenty in the kitchen...or the tavern should be serving dinner by now, too." She glanced over at the rain-spattered windows. "Though I'm not sure I'd brave a trip outside right now, even if is _is_ just down the main road."

"I'm sure we can manage something. Thank you," Shay assured her. With that, the scientist took her leave, returning upstairs and disappearing into one of the rooms to the right.

"Thought the lab was _down_ stairs," Reno commented.

"It is. But the entrance is behind a false wall on the second floor. Don't ask," he said, shaking his head. He grinned and rubbed his hands together. "Well. It would seem we're not needed right this second. I don't know about you, but _I_ for one would like to put some dry clothes on and then go see what that kitchen has to offer."

"Heh... Shay, ya read my mind," the redhead replied.

~end chapter 90~


	91. Spoiling a Surprise

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 91: Spoiling a Surprise**

 **by Desha**

By the time they'd dried off a bit and changed into less sopping wet clothes, the storm pummeling the little mountain village had abated somewhat. What had barely fifteen minutes ago been a relentless downpour had become a chill drizzle... at least for the moment. Judging by the incoming band of dark clouds, Reno was pretty sure they hadn't seen all it had to offer quite yet.

But... the weather had calmed enough that they could slip out of the Shinra mansion and stay relatively dry. Thus, the pair of Turks had decided to risk a cold, wet walk back later and see what the tavern had on offer for dinner instead of fending for themselves in the kitchen. The tavern itself was really just the kitchen of the local inn and a handful of tables. As they arrived, Reno could smell the scent of fresh baked bread and some kind of roasted meat emanating from the back of the establishment.

He and Shay took a seat at the one empty table near the front windows and the redhead sighed as he leaned back and relaxed. It might not have been a "tourist destination", but a guy could kind of get used to the homey feeling that permeated this place. It was quiet and laid back and if the food tasted half as good as it smelled, he was pretty sure he'd just found a new favorite place to visit. He grinned slightly and glanced up as a young woman approached them with silverware and a short, one-page menu.

He eyed her appreciatively. Apparently decent food wasn't the _only_ thing sleepy mountain towns had to offer. The girl was _built_. "Buxom" would have been an understatement. Those were some world-class tits right there... and he was _pretty_ sure they were real, too.

"So... _You_ on the menu?" he asked, his grin widening lecherously, and the girl narrowed her eyes at him.

"No," she replied, with a tone of finality that suggested she got that comment a lot from visitors. Shay snorted a quiet laugh.

"Don't mind him. He's _relatively_ harmless," he chuckled. The redhead shot him a glare, which Shay dutifully pretended he hadn't noticed. "I'll have the shepard's pie."

"Same for me, I guess," Reno said with a shrug, "And a beer?"

"Coming right up," their waitress replied, in a distinctly cool tone.

"The fuck, Shay?" Reno hissed once she was out of earshot, "You _tryin'_ to shut me down before I even get her interested?"

Shay smirked. "Oh, she's interested, alright. Interested in tossing you off the mountain."

"Tits like that, it might _almost_ be worth the risk."

"Besides which... she can't be more than fifteen or so," the older Turk added, ignoring the commentary.

"So? _I'm_ barely eighteen. And I definitely wasn't a virgin at _fifteen._ "

"You know... I'd really prefer to return to Midgar and _not_ have to explain why I had to leave your remains down in some ravine, feeding the nibelwolves. Because if _she_ doesn't murder you, I'm sure her father will be happy to oblige. He's a trail guide... and quite large, if memory serves," Shay teased, "I don't think I'd get put in command of any more missions for a very long time, should _that_ happen."

Reno snickered loudly. "Yeah, yeah... okay. We're here on business. I hear ya."

Shay shook his head. " _Speaking_ of us being here on business... a beer? Really?"

"Yeah... kinda took a chance on 'em not bein' as strict about the drinking age around here. 'Sides... t's after quittin' time, isn't it?" the redhead replied.

" _Technically_ speaking, I'm not sure there _is_ a quitting time when you're on assignment outside of Midgar. But I won't say anything to Veld if you don't," he chuckled.

* * *

Tseng opened the door to his car and was just about to slide into the driver's seat when he heard his name called from the far end of the parking deck. He glanced up, seeking out its source and spotted Kai and Saya heading toward him with purposeful strides.

"Oh, good... I'm glad we caught yeh before yeh left fer the night," Saya said upon reaching him.

"Has something happened?" Tseng asked with a frown. Veld should have notified him immediately if there had been an incident... suspended or not. But Kai shook her head.

"No, no... it's nothing like that. It's about Rude's promotion. Or... actually, it's about the party we're going to be throwing to _celebrate_ his promotion," Kai explained, "Tres asked Saya to plan it and Saya asked _me_ to help. We're trying to keep it under wraps for now, so we didn't want to say anything in headquarters. Sato's _already_ caught wind of it somehow, and the more it gets discussed where people can overhear, the more likely a certain Turklingisn't going to be very surprised come Friday."

"I... see?" the Wutaiian Turk responded, not quite sure what _that_ had to do with him.

"Annnyway," Kai continued, "We need a place to actually _have_ said party."

" _Tres_ was just goin' ta take him 'round ta that wee _bar_ down the road a ways, fer Odin's sake..." Saya scoffed, distinctly unimpressed with her fellow Turk's idea of a "party".

"And _your_ apartment is a lot bigger than either of _ours_..." said Kai.

"Or _his_..." Saya agreed.

"Or... pretty much anyone's, other than Veld's..."

"Plus yeh've got that lovely wee park behind yeh..." The two women looked up at him hopefully, and Tseng sighed.

There was little use in fighting it. He'd apparently already been forcibly volunteered for hosting duties, and suspected they'd been planning the whole thing around him accepting their proposal all afternoon. And as much as it might have normally annoyed him... in this particular instance, perhaps it wasn't such a terrible idea. Kai had called him out earlier that day for making himself scarce of late... and she _did_ have a point. A point that was reiterated during his session with Dr. Hildebrand this afternoon. Easing himself back into being social was one of the things he was supposed to be working on if he wanted his status as second in command restored.

"So long as _you two_ personally handle the cleanup afterwards," he finally acquiesced, "And ensure that any overly inebriated rookies, of which I'm sure there will be at least _two_ , if past celebrations are anything to go by, make it safely home."

Assuming he didn't immediately give into his protective instincts and simply tuck Reno away in his guest room to sleep it off, of course. That was another requirement of the restoration of his authority. He had to start to show some progress towards acknowledging and reigning in his newly developed overly-protective streak... particularly towards his rookie. The doctor had been very clear on that. Apparently, the constant, nagging worry that something terrible might befall the redhead wasn't "healthy" or "productive"... no matter how real that possibility was in their line of work.

"Yeh've got yerself a deal!" Saya readily agreed.

"And I will _not_ be doing the cooking," Tseng added as an afterthought, and Kai cast him a rather incredulous look.

"We're celebrating a rookie's promotion, Tseng... not trying to poison the entire team in one fell swoop," she snorted. The Wutaiian Turk couldn't quite stop the chuckle that escaped his lips.

* * *

Reno woke the following morning to bright sunlight and the smell of bacon. He sleepily rubbed his eyes and groaned as he dragged himself out of from under the covers before bringing his gaze around the one of the other two beds in the room. It _should_ have been occupied. It had been when he'd gone to sleep, at any rate... but it seemed that Shay was an early riser. Hell, the son of a bitch had even made the bed before he'd slipped out to Ifrit knew where.

The redhead stretched as he made his way toward the bathroom. He desperately needed coffee. And as soon as he was showered and dressed, that's precisely what he staggered into the kitchen in search of.

"Good morning!" Shay called out brightly, "You're just in time... Breakfast is almost ready, and then we're going to go out and enjoy some of this lovely morning mountain air."

"Tch... take the chipper down a notch or two, will ya, Shay? I'm not caffeinated yet," the rookie yawned. The senior Turk laughed and helpfully filled a mug with fresh coffee for him. Reno grinned gratefully and topped it off with sugar before drinking deeply. After he'd drained three quarters of the cup, he came up for a breath. "So what were you sayin' 'bout mountain air?"

"The research team hit a bit of a snag, I'm afraid. A damaged sample crate. The whole thing will need to be unpacked, inspected, specimens replaced if necessary, and repackaged, so there will be a slight delay in loading the helicopter. I thought we'd use the time productively and see to the monitoring equipment at the reactor while we wait."

"Works for me. How far is it?" he asked, reaching for the coffee pot to get a refill.

"Not far. We can probably reach it in half an hour or so, if we don't dawdle," Shay replied, "The trail is a bit sketchy in a couple of places, but we should be alright. So... breakfast?"

Reno glanced over at the bacon sizzling in a large skillet on the stove, next to another pan full of diced potatoes that had, by then, turned a crisp golden brown. He could smell cooked onion, too, and maybe some sort of peppers?

"Potatoes O'Brien," said Shay, dishing some out onto a pair of plates and setting one in front of the redhead, "It's Sato's recipe... though to be honest, I think the _real_ reason he makes it is because Saya forces him share cooking duty at home and he'd rather be doing just about anything else. It's only four ingredients and you literally just toss it all in a hot pan and give it the occasional stir. Tasty, though."

" _Smells_ good," Reno replied, digging in. And it tasted just as good as it smelled. The redhead quickly managed to polish off two platefuls, along with several strips of bacon and three more cups of coffee.

It wasn't long before the pair were geared up for a trek through the mountains and making their way down the road that led out of the village. A handful of locals were out and about as well... including the busty waitress from last night, who pointedly glowered the redhead as they passed. Apparently he'd made an impression.

Soon, however, Reno and Shay were winding their way up a long, snaking path.

The trail was well-traveled, clearly. In fact, at least some of it looked to have been intentionally cut into the mountainside, and Reno wondered if that was the work of the villagers or of Shinra. After all... the Company must have needed a decent path during construction. And for future maintenance.

He turned his attention to the view as the trail narrowed and wrapped around an outcropped ledge. He could just make out the edge of Nibelheim from the vantage point, and was a little surprised to discover how high they were. He'd known they'd been heading gradually uphill, but hadn't realized just how far they'd gone. Shay had been right about the views, too... they _were_ pretty amazing. The mountains seemed to stretch on forever, like an impenetrable wall of stone. He couldn't see much of anything beyond them... at least not from his current position... but looking down over the ledge, he could see a deep valley, and thought, at least, that he could detect the serpentine shape of a river hidden amongst the trees that lined the lower altitudes.

"Oh, _wonderful_ ," Shay suddenly groaned, and Reno pulled up short, turning his attention on his fellow Turk. It didn't take him long to spot the problem. A wide chasm stretched out ahead of them, with a long rope bridge spanning the gap. Sort of. One side had snapped, and it now hung slumped, over the intimidating drop.

"Lemme guess... Reactor's that-a-way," the redhead said, nodding to the bridge.

"Afraid so," Shay sighed, "It must have been damaged in the storm last night. We'll have to backtrack and go the long way."

"How long's the long way?"

"Counting the time it will take us to hike all the way back to the fork in the trail... at least another two and a half hours before we get there."

Reno let out a groan that echoed Shay's and glanced at his watch. They'd started out pretty early... but if they were tacking on an extra couple hours out to the reactor... and then _another_ extra couple hours for the return trip... plus the time they'd be spending _at_ the reactor. He shook his head, irritated. It'd probably be dinner time by the time they hauled their asses back into town. Reno looked over at the damaged bridge.

"Ya know..." he said, thoughtfully, "It wouldn't be _that_ bad..."

"... _What_ wouldn't be 'that bad'?" Shay asked with a note of hesitation.

"Crossin' that thing." Reno closed the short distance between himself and the bridge and gave the remaining side a rough shake. It barely moved. Really... it _wouldn't_ be that difficult. They had an obstacle on the gauntlet just like this. They did it all the time. He glanced back at Shay and grinned, and then stepped out onto the lower of the two supporting ropes on the remaining side. He gripped the top rope tight and bounced, hard.

"Reno!" Shay shouted in alarm, but the bridge held.

"See? It's fine. We can get across this no problem," the redhead said, ignoring the other Turk's concern.

"I don't know about this..." Shay replied as the rookie stepped back onto solid ground again. Reno folded his arms over his chest.

"Tch... Come on, Shay. What's the point of doin' the exact same thing in trainin' every week if we're never gonna use that skill in real life?"

"Well... it _would_ save us a _lot_ of time..." he acknowledged. He glanced down into the deep chasm, and Reno reflexively followed his gaze. The redhead had to admit... that _was_ a hell of a drop. He wondered if anyone had ever actually fallen here. And if so, whether or not they'd lived to tell anyone about it. Shay let out a long breath and took a step towards the bridge. "Let's be safe about this, though, and take it one at a time. No sense in putting extra weight on it when we don't have to. I... um... suppose I'll go first, then. I'm in command, after all."

Shay swallowed sharply and stepped out onto the remaining half of the bridge, and Reno watched as he carefully shuffled his way across, hand over hand, one foot after the other. The ropes swayed languidly in the wind rushing up between the peaks. The senior Turk had to pause at the midpoint when a particularly nasty gust sent him almost horizontal on the pair of lines for a few seconds... at which point Reno began to wonder if _maybe_ this might not have been the terrific idea he'd thought it was. He hadn't realized that the wind up here was so strong. Had that been part of his considerations... he might not have been quite so gung ho about this.

At last, however, Shay made it safely to the other side, and the redhead sighed in relief. Aside from that one slightly frightening moment, the crossing had gone off without a hitch. His confidence in his decision restored, Reno gave a faint laugh and climbed out onto the ropes again himself.

It quickly became apparent that the setup for the gauntlet was _nothing_ like this. For one thing, the ropes back in the training hall didn't have wooden planks tied into them that he had to constantly step around and avoid. And the ropes in the training hall weren't hanging over a hundred foot drop, either, nor did they swing unsettlingly every few seconds when the breeze picked up.

"Just... don't think about it..." he said softly, as he made it a point to tear his gaze away from the ground far below him, and instead focus solely on the bridge and his distant destination and where he was putting his feet. Heights had never particularly bothered him before now... but then again, he really couldn't recall another instance in which he'd been _this_ high up, supported by only a couple of ropes stretched across certain doom. It _kind of_ put things into a slightly different perspective.

But the other side was growing steadily closer with every passing second. Like he'd said to Shay... getting across this thing no problem. No problem at all.

When he was within about fifteen feet from safety, however, "no problem at all" suddenly turned into a very _big_ problem.

He was so close he could practically _taste_ it. Just a dozen or so more shuffling steps and he'd be across. But it seemed the fates had other plans for him today, and without warning, the rope he was standing on shuddered violently.

"The fuck?" he muttered, glancing back the way he'd come just in time to see several boards drop away from where they'd been bound.

"Reno, hurry!"

It took him a moment to realized what was happening. The rope shuddered again, and several more boards fell... and _this_ time, the redhead instinctively knew. It was breaking. One goddamn strand at a time, just like in the fucking movies.

" _Fuck_!" he ground out and immediately moved to quicken his pace. Too late, as it turned out. One second, he was frantically trying to cover the remaining distance in record time... The next, he was hanging from the top rope, the support beneath his feet suddenly gone. He heard the rope whip through the air below him, slapping loudly into cliff face, the remains of its wooden walkway clattering against the stone.

Reno grunted with effort as he repositioned his hands on the remaining rope. He could already feel the rough material digging painfully into the soft flesh of his palms. He hoisted his legs upward until they could wrap around it, taking some of the weight off his arms. Thank _Shiva_ that hadn't happened when he was out in the middle of the damned thing. It was terrifying enough having it happen this close to safety. He quickly started to move towards Shay again, pushing and pulling himself along like some sort of monkey on a vine. Finally, he reached the edge.

"Heh... See?" he said, with a somewhat breathless grin, "No problem at all." He carefully swung himself down from the rope, and Shay pulled him away from the edge. "... Let's never do that again."

"Agreed," Shay replied, nodding enthusiastically.

* * *

Rude turned away from the computer. He cracked his neck as he stood up and headed out into the hallway. It was _long_ past time for a break. There hadn't been any further word of Fuhito or Istev or the mercenaries in general... no matter _how_ closely he scoured the intelligence reports. They'd just up and vanished. There _was_ good news from Wutai, however... finally. The defenses around the capital city were weakening. It was going to take awhile yet before SOLDIER took full control of the city, but most of the outlying area was securely under Shinra control. It was only a matter of time.

He'd be glad when it was over. They'd already been through so much. Luca was gone. Tseng was still on suspension. Tres was exhausted. Everyone on the team was overworked and on edge. If he'd had hair, he was pretty sure he'd have been pulling it out by now. Trying to put that thought out of his mind, Rude made his way down to the lounge, hoping that someone other than Veld had made the coffee today.

As he passed by Remy's office, though, he paused, hearing quiet voices from inside.

"That's not what yeh said _last_ week," Sato declared, and the rookie could practically hear the smug, self-satisfied grin he was surely sporting. Remy sighed loudly.

"That's because _last_ week, you were using your... 'talents'... to scare the living daylights out of any poor, unsuspecting employee unfortunate enough to walk into that little boobytrap of yours downstairs. Plus, I'm on a first name basis with half the maintenance department thanks to you. Now... Can you do it or can't you?"

Sato chuckled softly, and Rude heard his chair squeak as he leaned back in it.

"'Course I can do it. I've been studyin' up on Istev's designs since we first found out he's involved. I can build Research a replica o' the one that took out the power substation, no problem. _And_ the dud that _didnae_ blow. Now... yeh want the ones they was plannin' on usin' in the reactor themselves... that'll be a wee bit harder. Ne'er saw 'em in person. Only got the descriptions from the rest o' the team ta go offa."

"Do whatever you can, please," Remy replied, "The Research department has labeled this high priority."

"Aye, alright. I'm on it. The wee party'll need a little entertainment, anyway," Sato snickered, and Rude was instantly all ears. This was the first he'd heard anything about a party.

"One, how do you already know about that? And two... _nothing_ had better blow up at the party," Remy said threateningly, through clenched teeth.

"Yer no fun at all... yeh know that, right?"

"Sato... I'm _warning_ you. If I see so much as a _fuse_ on Friday..."

"Alright... Dunnae go gettin' yer panties in a twist, lass. All yeh had ta do was say so."

"Hmph. The day I believe _that_ is the day you finally blow your sorry backside to kingdom come with one of your little 'custom projects'. I mean it, Sato. No. Explosives. At the party. Is that clear?"

"Aye, clear as crystal," Sato sighed, clearly disappointed. Rude heard one of them – likely Sato – rise from their chair, and the rookie hurried to make himself scare before he was discovered. By the time anyone stepped out of that office, he was around the corner and walking into the lounge as if nothing were amiss.

So... a party, eh? He wondered what that was all about. At present, there was very little to celebrate, after all. He poured himself a cup of coffee and took a seat on the couch to think.

If Sato thought he could get away with something exploding, it clearly wasn't a company function. And if word hadn't yet spread to _Rude_ – and, going by Remy's reaction, hadn't meant to have spread to Sato yet, either –there was obviously some element of surprise involved. Maybe something planned for the rookies? Neither Cissnei _nor_ Rodney had gone through Hell Week yet, and they _were_ about due for it... though it would make more sense to celebrate the _completion_ of Hell Week, rather than the beginning of it... and if it was planned for Friday, there certainly wasn't time for _that_.

So what, then?

There weren't any birthdays or anniversaries or other milestones coming up that he was aware of. The war was going _well_ but there was still a lot that needed to happen before Shinra could claim victory. Maybe... Tseng had been cleared for duty? _That_ would certainly warrant a party. But if so, why all the secrecy? Surely Veld would have made an announcement to that effect at the morning briefing.

He took another sip of coffee and leaned back. He didn't have enough information to figure this out yet. He needed more data.

The lounge door opened, admitting Cissnei to the room. She smiled widely at him and headed for the coffee pot as well, pouring herself a cup.

"Hey, Rude... taking a little break?" she asked in a friendly tone. The other rookie nodded.

"Can only stare at those reports for so long before you start to go cross-eyed," he replied, and then smirked slightly as an idea occurred to him. "So... looking forward to the party?"

Cissnei very nearly dropped her mug as she spun to face him, her face falling in dismay.

"It was supposed to be a _surprise_! Who told you?! Ugh... it was _Sato_ , wasn't it? I _knew_ it couldn't have been just me and Rodney he let it slip to..." she lamented. Rude blinked in shock, the reaction thankfully hidden by dark lenses. He was quick to recover, however, and forced his best knowing smile. Cissnei sighed and shook her head, laughing softly. "I guess we all should have known we'd never be able to keep a secret from _you_." She grinned at him. "Well... since you already _know_ , congratulations on the promotion. You deserve it."

"T-thanks..." Rude managed, caught off-guard for a second time. This time, though, Cissnei's eyes widened in abject horror as realization set in.

"Oh, no... No! You... You didn't know about _that_ part yet, _did_ you?!" she groaned, wincing. "Ugh... me and my big mouth."

Rude snickered softly and got up from the couch.

"I can't believe _I_ was the one who spoiled it," Cissnei continued, shaking her head. Rude wrapped an arm around the younger Turk's shoulders in warm a side-hug.

"Don't worry. I'll be sure to act surprised."

* * *

Reno clambered up a small incline and paused for a moment, pointedly not looking back at the remains of the bridge. He shuddered slightly in the cool air as he stood, still catching his breath from his unexpected scramble along the rope. The wind had picked up again, and the sky was darkening once more. He _really_ hoped they weren't going to get caught in another downpour.

"Hey, Shay? How much farther's the reactor? I'm not likin' the way those clouds are lookin'..."

"Not far," the other Turk answered, nodding towards an opening in the mountainside a short distance from where they now stood. "Actually... That's it, right there."

"The damn thing's _inside_ the mountain?"

"Well parts of it, of course. It's a mako reactor. It goes deepdown into the planet, after all. But this entrance is mostly just a leftover staging site from when the reactor was being built. We don't really need to worry about anything in there. It's all falling apart anyway, at this point. We're only using it as a shortcut to the main facility on the other side of this peak."

Shay lead him into the little cave... which soon opened up into a not-so-little cave... and Reno suddenly found himself in a virtual labyrinth of pipes and walkways and staircases and ladders. Far below, he could make out the familiar green glow of raw mako. He followed Shay across a short wooden bridge and down a set of metal stairs to a platform overlooking a chasm. The glow was coming from somewhere _very_ deep inside of it. They continued on, edging around old pipes nearly as tall as the rookie himself, and then down a ladder bolted firmly to the rock wall, which led to a second, lower platform. From there, it was through a rough-looking door made of scrap wood tenuously strapped in place over a opening in the rock. Without warning, Reno found himself out in the open again as the pair emerged behind the towering edifice of the Nibelheim Reactor.

The redhead blinked in surprise as he realized that Shinra had built the thing in a natural hollow in the mountainside, and merely tunneled straight through one of the peaks that walled it in to make their shortcut. He and Shay circled around the structure until they reached the stairs that led upwards, into the reactor. As they headed up, the redhead glanced back and spotted a trail leading in from below as well.

"So... is that the way _back_ to town, then?" he asked, nodding over his shoulder.

"That would be it," Shay confirmed. "And you'll understand pretty quickly why _most_ people take the bridge once we're done here."

They headed inside, and Reno couldn't help but feel a bit confused... and slightly unnerved... by the sight that greeted them. Granted, he didn't spend a _lot_ of time hanging around mako reactors, but there was something... weird... about this one, in particular. For one, the entryway was little more than a long catwalk heading off towards, what he assumed, must have been the reactor core. Usually there was a control room or a monitoring station or... _something_... before you got into the guts of one of these things. But then, out in the middle of nowhere, with no permanent workers on site, maybe that simply wasn't needed.

Shay shrugged out of the backpack he'd hauled the whole way up the mountain, and set it on the floor, opening up the zipper.

"Well, at least _this_ part should be fairly easy," he chuckled, handing the rookie a pair camera. "Latest from R&D... all we have to do is find a good spot to attach them, and push the button. Apparently the hardware does the rest all on its own. Four out here, four in the next chamber, and we'll put one more up to cover the entrance exterior on our way out."

"No problem," Reno replied. Shay pulled two more of the camera units from the bag and walked to the far side of the catwalk, studying his options for a moment, before finally nodding and placing the first camera above the door to the next room. He pressed the button on the side and then jumped slightly as the hand-sized machine obediently extended four little arms and clamped itself around one of the pipes running along the wall. A red light blinked a few times and then stayed on, indicating that the camera was functioning.

"I guess they weren't _exaggerating_ when they said these things do it all themselves," Shay snickered.

"Okay... gotta admit. That was pretty fuckin' cool," Reno said, grinning. "You finish up out here, I'll go hit up the next room."

"Reno, hold on... there's something you should know about –" the senior Turk began, but the teen had already brushed past him and through the door. He wasn't sure what he'd expected to see – more pipes and humming machinery, most likely – but what was actually spread out before him made the redhead pull up short. He looked back at Shay, and then turned towards the sight, half expecting it to have been some strange hallucination.

But no... the odd-looking red pod-shapped... _things_... were still there. Three rows of them, in fact, a narrow staircase rising up towards yet another door at the center of the back wall. It looked like something out of an Ifrit-forsaken sci-fi movie. Each of the pods or tanks or whatever the hell they were had a single round window on the front, from which the eerie glow of mako emanated, casting a bluish-green hue over the room. Pipes and tubes snaked all around the chamber, connecting the pods into the much larger pipes branching out across the ceiling. At the back, the word "JENOVA" was stenciled over the door.

"Uh... Shay?"

"Yeah... That's what I was trying to tell you. This is an _experimental_ reactor. There's some pretty strange stuff in here."

Reno eyed the first row of tanks somewhat nervously. Something about them was decidedly unsettling.

"So... what _are_ those things?" he asked, and Shay shook his head.

"I don't know, _exactly_. Part of one of Hojo's projects, apparently. Luca once told me that he thought they were modified mako purification tanks... but he had no idea what they've been modified to _do_ , and to be honest, I've never had any desire to ask someone who might. They give _me_ the creeps. I think I'd rather _not_ know."

"What's back there?" Reno queried, eyeing the large door at the top of the stairs.

"Not a clue," Shay replied, "All I know is that the Jenova Project is decades old, _highly_ classified, and entirely under Hojo's dominion. You need top level security clearance to get anything more than the name. I'm not sure even _Veld_ knows much more than that... and if he does, he's certainly not allowed to share it with the likes of us."

"Huh. Weird," the redhead stated, nonchalantly... though in reality, it creeped _him_ out a little, too. Of course, logically, he knew perfectly well that there was plenty about Shinra that he didn't know. And probably never _would_ know. Trade secrets, top secret projects, backroom deals... largely things that had little to no impact on his day to day life. He was just a bit less prepared than he'd realized to physically walk _into_ one of those things out of the blue.

"... Let's... just get the rest of those cameras set up, shall we?" Shay said, breaking in on his silent reflection, "You said yourself, there may be more rain moving in. Best to finish up and head back before the weather turns. I, for one, don't relish the idea of spending the _night_ here."

Reno shuddered at the thought.

"Tch... you 'n me _both_ ," he quickly agreed.

* * *

"Yes, sir. Yes... Yes, sir, I know. I'll be there. Yes, sir. Goodbye." Rodney scowled slightly as he ended the call and tucked his PHS back into his jacket's inner pocket... and then jumped as a pair of hands suddenly gripped his shoulders from behind. A faint giggle from the direction of the unexpected assault made him roll his eyes. " _Must_ you do that, Cissy?" he sighed.

" _Must_ you keep calling me 'Cissy' after I've repeatedly asked you to knock it off?" the other rookie countered.

"Yes," Rodney deadpanned, turning to glare at her.

"Well, there's your answer, then." She drifted past him and took a seat behind her desk, settling in for a moment before glancing up at him. "New assignment?"

"... No. Just the Colonel being his usual overbearing self. I'm wanted at home this weekend for a 'family discussion'," he muttered, rolling his eyes, " _Those_ are always fun."

"Ouch. Sorry I asked," Cissnei replied, casting him an understanding smile. Rodney shook his head and leaned back in his chair, managing a faint smile in return.

Cissnei was the only person he'd ever felt comfortable talking to about his father. She was a military brat herself, and even though she'd lost her parents at a fairly young age, she still instinctively understood where he was coming from whenever the subject came up. True, SOLDIER was a little different from the general military... but the groups had more than enough similarities between them for her to grasp what it was like for him growing up in the shadow of a decorated Shinra army field commander, himself the descendant of military heroes past, who expected his son to "aspire to live up to his lineage of greatness"... or else. His father was _already_ less than thrilled with him for choosing the Turks over SOLDIER when he'd had the chance – or opting to forego both and follow in his _own_ footsteps, joining the Shinra Army – to begin with. Being anything less than the best of the best _now_ simply wouldn't be condoned.

"You're... not going to miss the party, though... are you?" she asked.

"Not if I can help it," Rodney snorted, "It may be the last fun I ever have. I don't know what crawled up his ass _this_ time, but he's ticked about _something_. And I'm sure it involves me. It always does." He shook his head and leaned forward again, resting his elbows on his desk. "I may have to leave a little early, though. If I'm not in Junon first thing Saturday morning, there'll be hell to pay."

"You know... you don't _have_ to keep trying so hard to be his perfect little soldier. You're not a child anymore."

"Hmph... do _you_ want to inform the Colonel of that? Because _I_ don't."

Cissnei giggled quietly and stood up, crossing the room and slipping around behind him to give him a hug.

"Not on your life," she replied, "I've met the man, remember?" She gently rested her chin on the top of his head for a moment before releasing him from her grasp. "Just remember, though. I like you just the way you are, perfect or not. So would everyone _else_ , if you quit acting like such a brown-nosing jerk all the time and gave them the chance to really get to know you."

Rodney smiled in spite of himself. "Thanks, Cissy."

"But I'd like you a lot _more_ if you'd quit _calling_ me that!" she laughed, teasingly smacking him in the back of the head.

"Never going to happen," the other rookie smirked.

~end of chapter 91~


	92. Surprise!

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 92: Surprise!**

 **by Desha**

The following morning started out dull and gray as the clouds that had moved in the previous afternoon seemed to have settled in for the long haul. On the bright side, they didn't seem to be inclined to dump another deluge on the pair of Turks... which made loading the research specimens into the helicopter far less painful than it might have been otherwise.

They'd initially planned on doing it last night... but the hike back from the reactor had been an agonizingly long one, made that much longer due to the remains of a large rockslide blocking the path. It had forced them to backtrack and take and even _longer_ route, which, in turn, had led them to a rather treacherous cliff they'd been forced to scale to get back on the main trail. The sun had been setting by the time they'd made their return, and neither Shay _nor_ Reno had been in any mood to punish themselves further. Instead, they'd scraped together a quick dinner from the food stores in the kitchen, and mutually agreed to turn in for the night a bit early.

Reno had passed out almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, and was pretty sure he hadn't moved so much as a finger again until the sun was up. So much for Rodney's theory about the old mansion being haunted. The redhead had slept like a log _both_ nights he'd spent there.

"Well? What do you think?" Shay asked as they hefted the last of the crates into the helicopter's cargo section. "Shall we pay a visit to one of Costa del Sol's fine dining establishments on the way home, or just refuel and go?"

The redhead shrugged. "Tempting... How late ya s'pose we'll get in to Midgar if we stop?"

"Just late enough for me to successfully miss the afternoon briefing, hopefully," Shay snickered.

Reno laughed, grinning at the senior Turk. "And people accuse _me_ of being lazy..."

"Hmph... Trust me, if _you_ had to attended the afternoon briefing, you'd be looking for an excuse to skip it, as well. Unless something major is happening, they're almost _always_ terribly dull. Better enjoy being a rookie while you still can. It won't be long before you'll have to go to them, too."

"Why? You know somethin' I don't?" Reno teased, and Shay shook his head.

"Well, you've already told me Rude's in the process of being promoted. You didn't arrive _that_ long after he did. It just seems reasonable to assume you're about due as well."

"Tch... Rude's got like four months seniority on me. Think I still got _some_ time before I qualify," the redhead replied, dismissively.

"Actually... _I'm_ a little surprised you weren't promoted _first_. Or at the very least, right alongside him. It's not _just_ based on seniority, you know. It's also based on merit and performance... and not to stroke your ego _too_ much, but your performance can hardly be called lacking," Shay said, holding up his hand as he began to tick off examples, "You prevented _one_ kidnapping entirely on your own. You risked your life to prevent a _second_ kidnapping. _You_ figured out that our uninvited Wutaiian guests were going after the Sector 5 pillar rather than the reactors... And let us not forget that _you_ were the one who took charge during the attack on the street fair." His face split into a wide grin. "Face it, Reno... you're almost as big an over-achiever as your _mentor_ is."

Reno scoffed and rolled his eyes, as he climbed into the helicopter and made himself comfortable in the co-pilot's seat. Sure, he'd had some shining moments... but so had everyone else on the team at one point or another. A few lucky breaks didn't equate to being deserving of special treatment.

"Yeah, okay, Shay..." he chuckled. The senior Turk followed suit and strapped himself in next to the rookie.

"Laugh all you want... but I bet it's coming sooner than you think," Shay said, reaching over to start up the engines.

* * *

Tseng sighed quietly as he stood outside of Veld's office, hand poised to knock. He was dreading the response he was bound to receive the moment he told his mentor why he was there. Veld could be unbearably smug at times like this.

But the plain and simple fact was... he was right and Tseng was wrong. And the longer the Turk lieutenant put off admitting it, the worse it was going to be. He finally knocked.

"Come in," Veld's voice called from within, and Tseng somewhat hesitantly pushed the door open, stepping inside. He closed it behind him and made his way over to the older Turk's desk, taking a seat in one of the plush chairs in front of it. "Something I can do for you?" his mentor asked, and Tseng was all but certain he could already detect a hint of what was to come.

"I... would like to revisit our discussion on promoting Reno," he said, and then immediately glared at the senior Turk, cutting off the words that were quickly forming on the man's lips. "Don't you _dare_ say it."

"I told you so," Veld replied, ignoring the threatening tone. Tseng scowled and folded his arms over his chest. The other man laughed. "Oh, don't be like it. You knew I was right all along."

"Yes... but you needn't rub it in," Tseng muttered.

"Might I asked what finally got you to see reason?"

The Wutaiian Turk sighed. "Tres was a bit less... _diplomatic_... than you were in pointing out my error in judgment. I believe the phrase 'dick move' was used," he replied, rolling his eyes, "Vulgarity aside... he was right. And so were you. Reno... isn't a rookie anymore. He's a Turk in all but rank, and it's time I rectified that. It would be selfish of me not to."

Veld smirked and opened the top drawer of his desk, and handed him a stack of papers.

"I've taken the liberty of filling everything out for you. It just needs your signature."

"A bit presumptuous, don't you think?" the Turk lieutenant replied, slightly irritated, as he reached for a pen.

"Not really. I knew it wouldn't long before you decided to do right by him."

Tseng paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, and exhaling slowly before finally signing his name to the bottom of the form. He swallowed harshly. There was a certain note of finality to this. A part of his life that he had just ended with the stroke of a pen.

"It's not an end, you know," Veld added, seeming to read his thoughts, "It's just the beginning of the next chapter. You _should_ be very proud."

"I _am_ very proud of him," Tseng replied, "I always have been."

Veld chuckled softly. "I'm sure you are. But I actually meant that you should be proud of _yourself_. You've trained an excellent Turk. One that I _myself_ had more than my share of doubts about when you first demanded him. It takes talent and dedication to take someone with no training or discipline whatsoever and turn them into one of our most promising field agents. You've done well... and you're not the only mentor who can take pride in his protege today."

Tseng dropped his gaze slightly unable to force back the smile that was working its way across his face. Veld snorted, shaking his head.

"I know I've worked hard to instill a bit more modesty in you than what you came to Midgar with... but there's nothing wrong with taking pride in your accomplishments. A little won't irrevocably corrupt you," he teased.

"Yes, sir," Tseng laughed quietly, glancing up, "May I be the one to tell him?"

"Of course. He's _your_ rookie, after all. For now, at any rate. The paperwork's been filed since Monday of course, but Tres has asked me to hold off announcing Rude's promotion until Friday. If you wish, the two of us can make things a double surprise."

Tseng snickered. "I will be truly astounded if the secret of Rude's promotion manages to _stay_ a secret until the actual announcement. Tres has already had to enlist at least _two_ accomplices that I know of in order to facilitate the celebration party. It's really only a matter of time before the rest of them find out. I'm certainly not adverse to a double announcement to the rest of the team, but if you don't mind, sir, I'd like to inform Reno ahead of time. In private."

"Entirely up to you," Veld replied with a shrug. "Mind if I ask why?"

"Because I'm not quite certain what his reaction will be. I don't wish to catch him _completely_ unaware with something like this. Reno occasionally needs time to... warm... to the idea of a major change. I'm sure you recall my report on what happened when he unintentionally found out I had plans to move him into his own apartment before I had the chance to discuss it with him properly..."

"As I recall," Veld said, with thinly veiled laughter, "... that _particular_ incident resulted in your protege discovering and stopping a Wutaiian plot to bomb the Junon base. _Perhaps_ you should reconsider. This time he may inadvertently end the war entirely, somehow."

Tseng shook his head, laughing. "He _does_ have a tendency to rather miraculously wander into the right place at the right time... doesn't he?"

Veld studied his protege for a moment. "It's good to see you laughing again."

"I... It... _feels_ good, as well," the Turk lieutenant replied, "I'm a bit hesitant to confer any sort of praise onto the psychiatric staff's methods, but... it _does_ seem to be helping. Things seem far less devastating. Or at the very least, it's manageable now... in a way that it wasn't before. Most days."

"Losing your entire family is no small thing to overcome," said Veld, "I should have seen how much you were struggling sooner."

"There's... always a _chance_ I'll eventually be forgiven," Tseng said, though even to his own ears, the claim didn't sound very convincing. His father would never forget what his son had done. Tseng doubted that forgiveness would ever come... nor that he would ever really redeem himself enough to actually deserve it. "But even if I'm not... I'm hardly alone. The Turks are my family, too, and have been since the moment I became one of them. They always will be. I think I forgot that for a time."

* * *

Reno cracked his neck as the shore came into sight. It was still a ways off, but home was growing ever closer. They'd spent a couple of hours in Costa del Sol, having a quiet, relaxing lunch, and the redhead had, more than ever, wished that he could stick around and _really_ see everything the resort town had to offer. Swimming in the ocean looked like a blast. So did the _bars_. And the women walked around all day in next to nothing. It was a fucking paradise.

But today wasn't a vacation day. They'd stretched it out as long as they feasibly could, but eventually, the pair had to get on their way again. Reno had taken over as pilot for the final leg of their trip. A short hop across the ocean and on to Midgar. They'd even lucked out and picked up a bit of a tailwind, and Reno grinned slightly... Shay probably wasn't going to miss that afternoon briefing after all.

He wondered if Rude's promotion had been announced yet. He wasn't sure how long something like that took to be made official... or if Tres was even going to hold off letting the soon to be ex-rookie know until _after_ it was official. Or, come to think of it, if it was something the Turks even made a big deal about beyond just congratulating the person being promoted. He'd have to check in with Cissnei and see where things were at before he said anything. He didn't want to spoil anything, after all.

Assuming Rude hadn't already sniffed out the mystery on his own. The redhead wouldn't have put it past him to spoil his own surprise. He always seemed to know pretty much everything that went on at headquarters, whether he was supposed to know about it or not.

Reno could see the city now, in the distance. It would only be another twenty or thirty minutes... Of course, _then_ , he'd probably have to help unload all the crap they were hauling back from Nibelheim. And escort it to wherever Hojo was storing it. Most of it was classified. He hoped Hojo didn't decide to show up to inspect the shipment personally. He'd managed to avoid the creepy little scientist for months... He hadn't had any direct interaction with Hojo since the man's unexpected nighttime visit to the Turks' offices, and he wouldn't mind _keeping_ it that way. The guy made his skin crawl.

A faint snore – a truly bizarre sound over the headsets, as they tended to give everything a tinny, electronic quality – interrupted his silent musings, and the redhead looked over at his fellow Turk. Shay had apparently dozed off at some point. He was sitting low in his seat, arms crossed over his chest, his head leaning against the plexiglass window next to him.

Of course... _he'd_ probably be doing the same thing – or trying to, at least – in Shay's place. There really _was_ fuck all to do while flying over water. The scenery was a bit... limited... and the two of them had more or less talked themselves out by then.

Reno yawned and turned his attention back at the approaching shoreline.

Boring scenery or no, _he_ just liked being in the air. It was... freeing. He'd spent so much of his life trapped in a soulless, sunless pit. Moving up to the Plate had been eye-opening. Learning to fly, though... _that_ had been life-changing. When he was a kid, the thought of visiting every sector of the Slums had seemed like it would have been an impossible task. The Slums were just too fucking big. When he'd gotten older, it had seemed slightly less daunting, but still a massive undertaking to even try.

He'd been a naïve little bastard. The Slums were nothing. There were little more than a tiny speck on the planet's surface. Even the first time he'd seen Midgar from the air, mind-blowing as it had been, hadn't even scratched the surface of how much more was out there.

When the war with Wutai finally ended, he was going to ask Tseng about using some of his vacation time. He _really_ wanted to see more... even if it was just one place at a time. Maybe his mentor would even be willing to come with him somewhere. He was pretty sure Tseng could use a little time to just relax and not worry about things back home... especially having been sidelined for so long. Just some time to not think about his responsibilities.

Soon they were over Midgar, buzzing over the buildings and crowded roadways. The copter landed on its helipad with a soft bump and Reno turned his attention on the still-slumbering Turk in the co-pilot's chair. He pulled his headset off and hung it on the peg behind his seat.

"Yo Shay..." he prodded. Shay snored faintly and attempted to roll over. His seat's harness held him firmly in place, however. Reno rolled his eyes and lifted one side of the other Turk's headset away from his ear. "Shay! Wake up!"

The senior Turk jumped violently as the redhead sat snickering unabashedly nearby. His head swiveled in confusion as he tried to get his bearings, before finally settling his gaze on the rookie.

"W-What?" he stammered, and Reno laughed.

"Wake up, man... we're here," he replied, a smirk firmly embedded on his face.

Shay rubbed a hand over his face and forced himself upright, fumbling for his harness' release.

"How long was I out?" he asked, finally freeing himself from the restraints.

"Since about ten minutes off the Costa del Sol coast." Reno got to his feet and climbed out onto the roof of the Shinra Building. "Heh... Home, sweet home."

Shay groaned softly as he stretched himself out. He glanced at his watch... and groaned louder. "You couldn't have maybe slowed us down a bit? Fifteen more minutes and I could _definitely_ have made a case for skipping the briefing..."

"Sorry," Reno shrugged.

"Hmph. No you're not," Shay chuckled, good-naturedly, drawing his PHS from his jacket. "Ah, well... I'll let the lab know their specimens are here. Why don't you go check in with headquarters."

"Sure you don't need me? Lotta shit to unload..."

Shay shook his head. "Not our problem anymore. Our job was just to _get_ it here. Hojo will have to coordinate getting it downstairs himself. It's not as if he doesn't have the staff..."

"Oh, good... I wasn't lookin' forward to dealin' with that asshole," Reno replied, with a relieved sigh. He reached into the helicopter and grabbed the bottle of rum from the storage locker, before departing with a wave to Shay. "See ya downstairs!"

A short elevator ride later, and he was stepping into the Turks' domain once again. He started towards Cissnei's office, hoping she was around so that he could drop off her requested purchase before he ran into Rude and had to explain why he was hauling a bottle of alcohol around headquarters. Reno rounded a corner, grinning as he saw that his path was clear. He quickened his pace, reaching his fellow rookie's office door with no one the wiser.

Or so he thought.

"Reno... Good. You're back," Tseng's voice addressed him, just as he was raising his hand to knock. The redhead swore softly to himself and turned, finding his mentor suddenly standing just a few feet behind him.

"Boss... _seriously_. You _gotta_ start wearin' a bell or somethin'."

"I fail to see how that would benefit _me_ in any way," Tseng replied, perfectly straight-faced, "In any case, I need to speak with you." His eyebrow rose slightly as the Turk lieutenant somewhat belatedly realized what Reno was holding. "After work plans?" he queried.

"Heh... Not exactly. Cissnei asked me do a little shoppin' for her if we happened to refuel in Costa del Sol. It's a gift. Ya know... for _you-know-who's_ you-know-what."

Tseng smiled slightly and shook his head. "I _told_ Veld that wouldn't stay a secret for long... It seems word has gotten around before even _I_ anticipated, if you already knew about it before you left for Nibelheim. Cissnei and Rodney are both out on assignment at the moment. I suggest you leave it on her desk, and then join me in my office."

"Yes, sir," the redhead replied. He slipped through the door to deposit the gift discretely next to Cissnei's computer monitor and then quickly rejoined Tseng in the hallway. "So... what's up?" 

Tseng motioned for him to follow as he started off towards his own office. Reno frowned slightly, wondering what was going on... Apparently, whatever it was Tseng wanted to talk to him about wasn't something he wanted to discuss where anyone else might overhear.

His first thought was that he'd fucked up somehow... though it was dismissed almost as soon as it had occurred to him. For one thing... he hadn't been _around_ to fuck anything up for the last two days. And he couldn't think of anything that had gone horribly wrong prior to his departure, so... A new assignment, maybe? Though that would hardly be grounds for a confidential, private chat.

His frown deepened. He was pretty sure Tseng's re-evaluation was coming up soon. Maybe it had already happened. Maybe it was bad news, and his mentor wanted to be the one to break it to him. But... Tseng didn't seem particularly upset. If anything, he was in a pretty _good_ mood at the moment, as far as Reno could tell.

How doubted anything serious had happened with the Wutai situation, either, while he and Shay had been out of town... Putting aside the fact that they would have been notified of a major event, the office would have been buzzing with activity, were that the case. Instead, every indication was that today had been a fairly quiet, uneventful day.

By the time they reached the Turk lieutenant's office, Reno had considered and dismissed almost a dozen possibilities. Tseng ushered him inside and closed the door behind him... locking it, for good measure. Reno's eyebrows rose in surprise. _That_ was unusual. Whatever Tseng wanted to say to him, it seemed that he didn't want to risk anyone barging while he was saying it.

"Uh... So I'm just gonna ask, for once, instead of drivin' myself crazy. Is this, ya know... _good_ news, or _bad_ news?" the rookie finally queried. Tseng laughed quietly and took a seat at his desk.

"Good news. Sit down, Reno."

The rookie slipped into one of the chairs opposite his mentor and looked up at him curiously. Tseng seemed to take a moment to collect himself before he finally spoke.

"I _had_ intended to inform you, first and foremost, of Rude's imminent promotion... but it seems the rumor mill has already taken care of that _for_ me," he began. "You know... back when Rude was still just a recruit, the Turks suffered a... rather _significant_ loss. More than half of the team was wiped out. We lost a lot of good friends that day."

Reno blinked in surprise. "I... No one ever told me," he whispered.

"It was the perfect storm of poor timing, outdated intelligence, and over-commitment of resources. We walked into it thinking it would be a textbook takedown and recovery. It... was not," Tseng said, a little sadly, "It was no one's fault, really. It was just one of those rare instances where absolutely everything that possibly _can_ go wrong, _did_ go wrong. Shinra has tried to keep it quiet. The incident didn't exactly make us, or the company as a whole, look good. But word still got around in certain circles. The initiates in the recruiting program caught wind of it, and nearly all of them dropped out. Rude was one of only a handful who chose to stay, and the only one even close to being ready to move up in rank. He was promoted almost immediately... though to be completely fair to _him_ , he had already been flagged as a top choice for the next round of new rookies... The incident merely sped things up a bit."

"... Why are you tellin' me this?" Reno asked, not quite able to figure out where this conversation was going exactly.

"To put things in perspective. Despite the accelerated timeline, Rude had, if I recall correctly, over a year of training already under his belt when he was made a rookie Turk. He's _been_ a Turk for about two years... and is now being promoted to full status. That's three years and change he's been working towards this," Tseng said, and then smiled widely. " _You_ accomplished it in only half that time."

Reno opened his mouth, but no words came out. In fact, his entire brain seemed to have momentarily switched off completely. It was several seconds before he recovered enough to formulate an even vaguely coherent response.

"I... huh?" he managed. Tseng chuckled and stood up, rounding the desk and taking a seat in the chair beside Reno's.

"Effective immediately, you are promoted to full Turk status."

Reno felt faint for a moment as Tseng's words finally registered. He... _was being promoted_? Now?!

"Reno?" Tseng prodded.

"Y-yeah... still kinda processin' this..." the redhead replied. His mentor smiled, shaking his head.

"And Veld wondered why I wanted to tell you privately rather than in front of the entire team on Friday," he snickered.

"You're... sure I'm ready?" he asked, still somewhat bewildered. He didn't exactly _feel_ ready. Hell, at the moment, he actually felt slightly terrified, for some reason. As a rookie, he had a pretty damn good excuse any time he screwed up – he was still learning. Now, though...

"Yes, I'm sure," Tseng replied, letting a hand rest gently on his protege's shoulder.

"So, I... guess that means I can't come runnin' to you anymore the next time I get myself in trouble..."

Tseng snorted disbelievingly. "Hardly. It's _still_ my job to keep my Turks in line and see to it that they're taken care of. It just means I'll be _far_ _more_ annoyed should I have to drag myself out of bed to bail you out of jail at two in the morning from now on."

"Tch... come on, boss. I haven't been arrested in like... _months_ ," Reno replied, rolling his eyes. But he grinned widely at the joke. At least he was _pretty_ sure Tseng was only kidding about that. Then again...

"Let's keep it that way, shall we?" said Tseng, "I'm _still_ your mentor, rookie or not. This just means that you've proven yourself capable of acting _without_ my constant supervision. And I think it goes without saying... though I will most certainly say it anyway... you have made me very proud, Reno."

The former rookie ducked his head slightly, feeling a somewhat uncomfortable warmth spreading over his face. Tseng, however, was having none of it, and reached out, lifting his chin until the redhead was looking at him again.

"I _am_ very proud of you, and you have more than earned the right to be proud of _yourself_."

Reno forcibly blinked back the moisture that was rapidly welling up in the corners of his eyes, still smiling in what, he was sure, had to look like the goofiest fucking expression he could imagine. He couldn't help it. Hearing those words from Tseng... It made him feel like he'd accomplished something he shouldn't have even been able to.

Tseng chuckled softly. "I suppose this means that Rude will be sharing his party after work on Friday."

"There's a party?" Reno queried, finally snapping out of his brief reverie.

"Ah... a secret that's somehow still _remained_ a secret," he laughed, "Yes. There's a party... immediately after work on Friday, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Tres insisted. Besides which, I think _everyone_ could stand to unwind a bit."

Reno cocked his head to one side, thinking for a moment. "Hey, Tseng? Um... Ya think we could maybe like... _hold off_ on tellin' everyone that I'm bein' promoted, too? Just 'til Monday?"

"Whatever for?" Tseng queried, an eyebrow rising in surprise. Reno shrugged.

"'Cause... I don't wanna take away from Rude's day. You said yourself... he's been at it for like three years now. And him 'n Tres don't get _nearly_ enough credit for everything they do around here. He deserves to have the spotlight to himself."

Tseng smiled slightly. "Alright. I suppose there's no harm in postponing the official announcement, if that's what you want. I'll let Veld know. On the condition that you join me for dinner tonight."

"You're... not cookin', right?" Reno inquired, snickering.

"No. I assure you that I am _not_ ," the Turk lieutenant chuckled, "Actually, I thought I'd treat you to one of the more high-end establishments in Sector 4, given the occasion. The restaurant at the Silver Swan hotel is excellent."

"Heh... Deal."

Tseng nodded and stood. "Good. Now that that's settled... get back to work," he said, fondly.

* * *

Friday. Some weeks it was a slog just to get to the end of the day. Other weeks, it was non-stop running, and hoping things wouldn't spill over into the weekend. This week, it seemed to be somewhere between the two extremes. Everyone had plenty to do... but at the same time, they couldn't wait for the end of the day.

Usually, Rude hated being the center of attention. He'd never cared for being under close scrutiny, or having people come up to him to talk to him every few minutes, or even just knowing that he was personally on everyone's mind for whatever reason. It made him feel uncomfortable and exposed.

Today, though, was different.

It had been a little disconcerting at first, after Veld announced to the entire team at the morning's briefing that he now a fully-fledged Turk – and as he'd promised Cissnei, he'd done his best not to let on that he'd known ahead of time – but after awhile, he'd gone from quietly enduring the attention to enjoying the parade of congratulations being bestowed upon him.

He'd really done it.

He'd lasted in the recruitment program. He'd survived initial rookie training. Made it through Hell Week... and he'd finally proven himself to both his mentor and the team. It was a hell of an accomplishment, and an honor.

The only downside he could see was that there was now an invisible bar that separated him from his fellow – well, _formerly_ fellow, now – rookies. It was odd to think that, for example, he now had the _official_ authority to tell Reno what to do. Even though he'd been training longer than the redhead, and even though he privately thought of him as a younger sibling he occasionally needed to slap upside the head, he couldn't help but look up to the rookie Turk as a sort of pseudo-superior in his professional life. Reno was a natural born leader, while Rude had always been more of a follower. He didn't have any aspirations for command, and doubted he ever would. His friend, though... even if Reno _hadn't_ been Tseng's personal protege, Rude still would have pegged him as an eventual contender for Second some day. And he'd be damned good at it, too.

Rude made his way back to his office following the afternoon briefing – his first ever – and dropped into his chair with a soft grunt. The attention had been nice... but he was ready for a quiet break. Especially since there was a party starting shortly that he wasn't supposed to know about yet.

"So how's it feel not bein' a rookie anymore?" Reno teased, as he leaned back in his own chair, arms behind his head.

"Hmph... Pretty good," Rude replied, and grinned slightly. "Could do without the extra meetings, though."

Reno laughed and leaned forward until he was sitting upright again. "Ya know... Shay said pretty much the same thing the other day." He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a small, wrapped package, before tossing it to his friend. "Gotcha somethin'. Figured I'd give it to ya now instead of makin' ya open it in front of everyone at the party I know you know's happenin' later. How's Tres gettin' ya there without actually tellin' ya about it, anyway?"

"He _did_ tell me. Said he was taking me out to celebrate," Rude replied with a smirk and tore open the paper. "He just neglected to mention that everyone else would be there, too."

"Tch... you're the _worst_ person on the planet to try 'n keep a secret from, ya know that, right?"

"I take that as a compliment," the older Turk snickered, as he opened the box. He blinked in surprise, and then looked up at the redhead. "How'd you know?"

 _He'd_ actually thought he'd kept this particular interest more or less under wraps. Shadow and Sword was something of a guilty pleasure... It had been horrendously popular ever since its debut earlier that year, and he was a little embarrassed to admit that he'd fallen for the hype and gotten swept up in the intriguing little TV show. Now, he never missed an episode. But people seemed to fall into one of two camps – those who adored it, and those who looked at its fans and simply shook their heads. He knew for a fact that Reno was of the latter description. The redhead grinned as Rude lifted the detailed figurine of Martesh, the Lady of Shadows, out of the box. He'd even gotten him his favorite character.

"Tch... gimme a break, Rude. You've got her as your fuckin' screensaver," Reno snickered.

Alright... so maybe he hadn't been _quite_ as diligent as he should have been about keeping it out of the office. He hadn't been able to resist.

"Thanks, Reno," he replied, smiling. The redhead gave him a dismissive wave, and made himself comfortable again.

"So, not to change the subject or anything, but what's this shit I've been hearin' 'bout Sephiroth?" Reno asked. He propped his feet up on the desk and tilted his chair back until it was only just balancing on its back legs. "Somethin' 'bout Mr. Super SOLDIER facin' down some kinda monster?"

Rude nodded. It had been the primary focus of the afternoon briefing, in fact. A condensed version had already been leaked to the media, with promises of more details to come later in the evening... so he wasn't surprised that Reno'd already heard something about it.

"Apparently Godo finally decided to play his trump card. He used materia to summon Leviathan to defend the capital."

Reno teetered precariously in his chair as his curiosity was suddenly piqued. "Wait... like _Leviathan_ , Leviathan? Like the 'what in Leviathan's name' kinda Leviathan? _That_ Leviathan?"

"Say 'Leviathan' a few more times, why don't you?" Rude snickered, noting the redhead slightly awed expression.

"Nah... It's startin' to sound weird to me after all that. Seriously though... Sephiroth _fought_ it?"

Rude nodded. "And won, from what the reports say. Single-handedly."

"Tch... no way..." the redhead breathed, shaking his head in disbelief, "No one's _that_ strong... are they?"

"I'm just telling you what the reports are saying," Rude shrugged.

"Fuck, man... Glad the son of a bitch is on _our_ side. Think this'll finally end it? I mean... what the hell else could Godo have up his sleeve?"

"Guess we'll have to wait and see," Rude said, though at the briefing, the consensus among the senior Turks had been along the same lines. Wutai wasn't a _large_ country, by any means... and though their warriors were strong and well-trained, Shinra simply had more soldiers than they did... and they would continue to throw them at Wutai until Wutai had nothing left. A summoned creature would almost _have_ to have been their end game... a last-ditch effort at victory. They'd holed up in the capital, shored up defenses until it was an impenetrable fortress, and waited for Shinra to commit vast amounts of troops, hoping that Leviathan would wipe them out in one fell swoop. It looked like Wutai had gambled and lost. If that was the case, the only recourse that didn't involve massive casualties was surrender.

"Hey... you two workin' in here, or gossipin'?" Tres' voice queried as he poked his head through the open door.

"Aren't you the one who tells me at least once a week that gossip is part of our job?" Rude replied.

" _Your_ job... not _his_ ," the senior Turk replied with a smirk, "Quittin' time. You ready to head out?"

Rude nodded and gathered his things to leave before giving his friend a quick wave.

"Later, Rude," Reno replied with a knowing grin.

* * *

It felt almost like his birthday. Everyone had gotten him _something_ , and by the time he'd unwrapped it all, the party was in full swing with Sato playing music on Tseng's stereo, Reno tackling drink requests as best he could from the limited options he'd been presented with, and Saya and Kai running in and out of the backdoor as they took turns keeping an eye on the grill they'd set up on the patio.

It was... perfect. For a little while, everyone seemed to forget that there was still a war going on, and were just hanging out at a perfectly normal family barbecue. Tres sat down next to him on the couch and pressed a cold beer into Rude's hand.

"You totally fuckin' knew, didn't ya?" he said, grinning.

"Since Tuesday," Rude replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"It was _Sato_ , wasn't it. I _knew_ that cripshay-fucking asshole'd never be able to keep his mouth shut."

"You taught me to never compromise a source," the younger Turk grinned back, drawing a laugh from his mentor.

"Taught ya too goddamn _well_ , I think," he said, shaking his head. "You're a damn fine intelligence agent, Rude." He smirked slightly, "Hell, I might just fuckin' retire and turn it _all_ over to you."

Rude snorted in amusement, "Pretty sure I've still got some things to learn."

"One or two, maybe," Tres agreed, playfully punching him in the shoulder. "You're a good kid." The senior Turk leaned back against the couch cushions and took a long swig of his own beer before turning back to Rude. "So... how's it feel?"

"... Different. In a good way, but... definitely different."

"Yeah, well... you earned it, kid. Don't doubt that for even a second."

Rude beamed at his mentor, and took a drink from his own beer. With Tres, you frequently had to read between the lines. He seldom openly praised anyone or anything... and his respect _had_ to be earned. There were no exceptions. Hearing Tres say that about _him_ was... special.

"So... now that you're a big boy Turk," Tres teased, "I think it's time we start looking at puttin' you out in the field _without_ me more. Got somethin' for ya down below on Monday. Nice easy networking opportunity to start ya out with."

"Thought you said to never go down to the Slums on my own."

"Didn't _say_ you'd be goin' alone. Just that you wouldn't be goin' with _me_. But don't dwell on that shit tonight. We'll worry 'bout it next week. This is a goddamn party!" he replied, raising his drink with a laugh. Rude mirrored him and the pair happily drank to his success.

~end chapter 92~


	93. The Bitterness of Rivalry

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 93: The Bitterness of Rivalry**

 **by Desha**

Reno woke to soft skin, and softer lips... lips that were playfully teasing the sensitive strip of skin above his naval. He sighed contentedly, smiling slightly as they began to migrate lower with an agonizing slowness.

"You gonna spend all mornin' torturin' me, or am I gonna be gettin' off from this... 'cause I gotta be at work in like half an hour, ya know."

A faint giggle emanated from under the covers, and the redhead's eyes rolled back in his head as he was suddenly engulfed by wet warmth.

"Oh my fucking god, yes..." he groaned, "Fuck it... I'll be late this mornin'."

The pleasure was inexplicably withdrawn without warning and the redhead whined in frustration.

"Now, we _can't_ have that..." Lira chastised him, peeking out from under the sheets. "You said Tseng was going to be announcing your promotion first thing today. Wouldn't wanna miss _that_..."

" _Liraaaaaa_... Come on... You can't get me goin' like this 'n not finish what ya started!" he pleaded. Not that she was likely to _actually_ leave him wanting... but the woman _did_ like to tease. And to be honest, he typically enjoyed it, too. But this morning, he didn't have the time for it. Lira laughed and slithered up his body until they were face to face again, leaning in and capturing his lips. Reno's hands caressed her skin, as she shifted position, straddling his waist. _That_ was more like it.

"Tell me you want it..." she demanded in a whisper, her breath softly tickling his cheek. Her fingers coiled around his wrists, firmly moving them over his head, pinning him in place.

"I want it," Reno replied, breathlessly.

"How _bad_ do you want it?" she giggled.

"Bad enough that if you keep this up, I'm not gonna let you keep playin' this little game you like so much," he shot back, grinning evilly, "I'm just gonna roll ya over and fuck ya."

"You say _that_ as if it were actually an option right now..." Lira snickered. There was a sharp snap above his head, and Reno blinked in momentary confusion. It took him far too long to figure out what she'd just done... but when he did, he groaned loudly.

"Seriously?" he asked, twisting himself slightly until he could see the handcuffs now securing his left wrist to the bed's headboard. Lira returned his evil grin... with interest.

"Just lay back and let me do all the work, honey. I _promise_ you're gonna enjoy this..."

* * *

"Hey," Rude greeted him as he stepped into the Turk's lounge later that morning. "Trains running late?"

"Uh... no. No, they're on time," Reno snickered, "I kinda had to hunt down a handcuff key before I could get outta the apartment this mornin'. Missed my usual train."

Rude raised an eyebrow.

"Lira spent the weekend. _And_ found my cuffs. She decided to put 'em to good use right before I had to leave for work." He grinned widely. " _Not_ that I'm complainin'. She more than made up for it..."

He'd meant it when he'd told Tseng that he wanted his friend to have the spotlight to himself on Friday... but going the whole weekend without telling anyone about his _own_ promotion had very quickly proved too difficult to bear. He'd called Lira on Saturday morning and invited her up to his place to celebrate. Which had essentially meant a weekend of sex, punctuated only by the occasional break to pass out from exhaustion or order food delivery.

The other Turk just snorted quietly in amusement and shook his head.

"You can spare me the details..."

"You sure?" Reno joked, "... 'cause I _got_ details. She was there _all_ weekend."

" _No one_ want to hear about your degenerate sex life," Rodney muttered from the couch, rolling his eyes in apparent disgust as he finished off a cup of coffee and set the empty mug aside. " _Trust_ me."

"Tch... what crawled up _your_ ass this mornin'?" the redhead queried. Apparently the other rookie was in a less than pleasant mood... more so than usual.

Rodney glowered at him and stood up. " _Some_ of us prefer to start our mornings off with a cup of coffee and conversation that reflects a little common decency... Not hearing about how the company bicycle got taken for another ride!" With that, he stormed off, slamming the door behind him.

"Geez... what the hell's _his_ problem?" Reno asked, slightly bewildered. Rude gave him a confused shrug. The rookie shook his head and snickered softly. "Company bicycle? Ya know... I know that was meant as an insult, but I kinda like that..."

"You would..." Rude laughed as the door to the lounge opened again.

"Hi, guys... What's up with Rodney?" Cissnei asked as she made her way over to them, "He looked like he was about to punch a wall..."

"Your guess is as good as mine," the redhead replied, "Just in a shit mood, I guess."

Cissnei frowned, but apparently decided to drop the subject for the time being. Instead, she turned to Rude. "Well... _anyway_ , how was _your_ weekend? Any more celebrating after the party?"

Rude chuckled and shook his head. "Not really. Called my dad to tell him the news, then spent the rest of the day... after I was done being hungover... trying out some new recipes."

"And ya didn't invite _me_ over?" Reno pouted.

"I tried... your phone was in emergency only mode."

"... Oh. Right. I kinda forgot I did that," Reno laughed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Why weren't you taking calls?" Cissnei curiously queried, and Rude started laughing.

"You're better off not asking. He'll tell you _way_ more than you want to know about it," he stated, "Reno had a... _guest_... this weekend."

"Why wouldn't I want to know about that?" the rookie asked, clearly not picking up on the innuendo right away. Reno snickered and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

" _Probably_ 'cause it was the kind of guest that spends most of her time naked and spread eagle on my bed when she visits."

"... Oh. OH!" Cissnei rolled her eyes. "For Shiva's sake Reno... can't you just say that you had a date? You know... like a _normal_ person would?" she laughed.

"I _could_."

"But he won't," Rude added, "Moving on. Word is Veld has some kind of big announcement in store for the morning briefing."

Reno blinked. Rude had already found out? His surprise must have shown on his face, because the older Turk suddenly eyed his friend suspiciously for a moment, before lowering his ever-present sunglasses to peer over them and looking the redhead directly in the eye.

" _You_ know what it is, don't you?" he proclaimed.

"Uh... n-no?" the rookie stammered, caught off guard. Rude folded his arms over his chest and stared him down. "Tch... Okay, yeah. I know what it is."

"Well?"

"Well, what?" Reno asked, " _I'm_ not sayin' a damn thing. You're gonna find out in like..." He paused a moment to glance at his watch. "... fifteen minutes, anyway."

"Is it about Tseng?" Cissnei ventured, "Is he returning to duty?"

"Or... _not_ returning to duty?" Rude suggested. The redhead groaned, as he quickly realized that if he didn't nip this in the bud, he was going to inadvertently end up starting a rumor about his mentor.

"It's not about Tseng, okay?" he said, "And that's _all_ I'm sayin'."

Rude looked over at Cissnei. "Go for the legs."

Before Reno could fully register what the pair was about to do, he found himself on the floor, Cissnei pinning the lower half of his body while Rude restrained his arms. The redhead struggled for a few moments, before deciding that attempting to escape was a wasted effort. He was outnumbered. With a sigh of resignation, he stilled and glared up at the pair of them.

"Tch... And just what are you two gonna do? Torture it outta me?" he asked, sarcastically.

"What's goin' on in here?" a voice inquired accusingly from the doorway, and Reno turned his head to see Tres walking into the lounge, a vaguely bemused expression on his face. "Rude? You wanna tell me why you're pinnin' a rookie to the floor?"

"... He knows what the announcement is."

"Oh. Well, in that case..." Tres said, leaning over the redhead and grinning widely, "Carry on."

"Tch... thanks a _lot_ , Tres..." Reno muttered. "You assholes _aren't_ gonna get me to talk, ya know..."

"Hmm... You suppose he's ticklish?" Rude snickered. The redhead smirked. Really, he wasn't ticklish at _all_... except for the soles of his feet, at the very top of the arch. _That_ could drive him nuts. But trying it anywhere else didn't generally get much of a response from him.

"Well, I'd say _that's_ a no," Tres commented upon noting the look the redhead was giving them. "Ya know... be a real _shame_ if someone finished off all the coffee before you got your mornin' fix. You'd have to brew a whole new pot, waitin' for it to finish, drop by drop... Might not even be ready before the briefing."

"Lame. 'Sides... I grabbed some on the way in today since I was runnin' late anyway. Try again," Reno laughed. He suddenly heard the door creak open yet again.

"What in _Leviathan's_ name..." Remy stormed across the room to where the trio was holding Reno down. " _What_ are you three doing to Reno?" she asked, exasperated.

"Tch... Busted," Tres sighed. "Alright... let 'im up."

The hands holding him in place withdrew and the redhead sat up on the floor, a smug grin firmly settling over his features.

"Whywere you restraining him?" Remy demanded.

"Kid knows what the big announcement is," Tres shrugged.

"So you thought you'd just hold him down until he told you? For Leviathan's sake, Tres... you don't need to know _everything_. If Reno has been told, then it's for a reason, and one would _assume_ that he was ordered not to say anything. _Stop_ behaving like a _child_." She rounded on the other two Turks. "And you two should know better as well."

Tres held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright... Take it easy. No harm was meant. We were just havin' a little fun."

"Yeah, Remy, come on," Reno hurriedly piped up in their defense, "We were just fuckin' around. They weren't hurtin' me or anything."

Remy shook her head and sighed. "Well... stop 'fucking around' on the clock. Morning briefing is in five minutes. _Surely_ the three of you can wait _that_ long to find out what Veld wants to tell us."

She cast one final look at her fellow Turks and then rolled her eyes and made a hasty exit. All four of them were silent until she was gone. Tres was the first of them to burst out laughing. The others wasted no time in following suit.

"Leave it to Remy to spoil a good time," Tres chuckled as he slowly sobered, several moments later. He glanced over at Reno. "We good? You didn'ttake any of that seriously did ya?"

"Nah. 'Sides... it was worth it just to see the look on Rude's 'n your facea when you found out I knew somethin' you _didn't_ for once."

Tres reached out and ruffled the redhead's hair.

"Smartass. Alright... like Remy said. Briefing's in five... 'n I for one ain't gonna show up late. Shit better be worth it."

* * *

Cissnei followed the group down the hallway towards the briefing room... but broke off as they passed the office she shared with Rodney and stopped to peer inside. The other rookie was seated at his desk, scowling at his computer monitor.

"Rod?" she called out, stepping inside.

"What?" he snapped back.

"... The trip home went that well, huh?" she said in an understanding tone. Rodney's shoulders sagged.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Cissnei smiled. "Okay. But if you change your mind..."

"... I know where to find you," the other rookie sighed.

She nodded in acknowledgment. "See you at the morning briefing."

With that, she slipped back out into the hallway, and quickly rejoined the others, taking the empty seat next to Reno. Several of the others were milling about, as well, and at least a few of them were discussing the "big announcement" and putting forth theories on what it might be.

Sato was quite loudly proclaiming that _obviously_ President Shinra was retiring and Rufus would be running the place by the end of the day. Everyone else was pointedly ignoring him, though Cissnei had to try very hard to stifle a giggle when he tried to draw her into his argument as well. Eventually, Veld arrived, Tseng mere steps behind him – and Rodney just a few paces behind _him_ – and took his seat at the head of the table.

"Quiet down. We have a lot to cover this morning," the Turk leader began. The murmuring gradually subsided as the Turks turned their attention exclusively on him. "First thing on the agenda... It's officially almost fall and Medical has sent out their annual notice that flu shots will be available the first week of next month. They're anticipating a nasty flu season this year, so you're all _required_ to get one. No exceptions."

There was a collective round of groans, the loudest of which seemed to be coming from the redhead sitting next to her.

" _No_ exceptions," Veld emphasized, before turning back to his notes. "Maintenance has notified me that the pool will be closed for the next week for emergency cleaning and super-chlorination. No further information has been provided... though from what I hear tell, one of Hojo's experiments was involved. Frankly we're all probably better off not knowing the details... so plan your training schedules accordingly."

"Ew..." Cissnei whispered, glancing over at Rude. He nodded subtly in agreement.

"Assignments... Sato. You're still working on that project for the Research department?"

"Aye... I've made a decent start, but it'll be a few more days 'fore I've got anything ta show 'em."

Veld nodded and made a note of it. "As I'm sure you're all at least peripherally aware by now, we've had some interesting developments on the Wutai front. As a result of those developments, Lord Godo indicated over the weekend that he's willing to reopen negotiations, and has instituted a temporary cease-fire. A Shinra delegation will be leaving this afternoon. We may be nearing an end to this. I expect the President will want to mark the official end to hostilities with a public appearance... which means we'll likely soon need to select and secure a location for said appearance. Nothing to act on yet. Just keep it in mind."

He turned his gaze on Tres. "In the mean time, however, we're not going to be letting our guard down. Fuhito and Istev are still out there somewhere. Has there been any news?"

"None," Tres spat, angrily, "It's like the fuckers just ceased to exist. But Rude 'n me are lookin'. And we'll fuckin' _find_ 'em."

"Kai... I want you and Saya at Fort Condor today. There's been a security breach. A weapons cache was raided... but nothing was actually taken. It could be related to the mercenaries that attacked the city... or it could be benign. I want to know which as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir," Kai replied.

"Shay," Veld continued, "I'm afraid you're playing tour guide this morning."

"Sir?" the young Turk queried.

"The president has requested an escort for some high profile... and rather affluent... investors. They'll be touring the Number 2 Reactor. Make sure they don't wander into any areas they're not allowed... Diplomatically."

"Yes, sir."

"And, last but not least, the rookies will be with Remy for training today until lunch. Tseng will take over in the afternoon. I believe that covers everything," Veld finally concluded, snapping his agenda book shut.

"... Now just yeh hold on," Sato said, leaning forward in his chair. "What in Titan's name do yeh _mean_ 'that covers everything'? What's the bloody big announcement?!"

"Oh... _yes_. There _was_ something else. Thank you for reminding me," Veld said, opening the notebook again, and flipping through it. Cissnei stole a quick glance at Reno, who seemed to be trying very hard not to laugh. "Effective immediately, the building cafeteria is moving Taco Tuesday to Wednesday."

"Oh, _come_ on," Tres, shouted from the back of the room, frustrated.

"I agree... Taco Wednesday just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?" Veld replied, smirking, and Cissnei joined Reno and several other Turks in snickering loudly. At last, Tseng stood up and smiled slightly.

"Sir... If I may, I _think_ they're curious about the _other_ announcement."

"It's the president, innit?" Sato insisted, before Veld could respond to his second in command, "He's retirin' 'n leavin' us at the mercy 'o the brat..."

Tseng looked directly at the Mideelian Turk and shook his head. "No."

"Oh, would yeh just _tell_ us already?" Saya groaned, "Yeh've had yer fun. Yeh keep this up, 'n Tres is liable ta have an aneurysm fer not knowin' 'n Sato'll have a dozen more conspiracy theories by lunch time that we'll all have ta listen ta. Put us outta our misery, already."

The Turk lieutenant chuckled and glanced over at Veld, who nodded.

"Then in the interest of keeping us all _sane_ ," he replied, "I am... _exceptionally_ pleased... to announce that Reno will be joining Rude as a full Turk, effective immediately."

Cissnei squealed in delight and turned to the grinning redhead beside her, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Oh, Reno! Congratulations!" she cried, amid the growing sound of the rest of the team doing the same. She couldn't believe it. Not just that he'd been promoted... but that he kept it a secret all morning, knowing it was happening. If it had been her, she'd have been shouting it from the rooftops the moment she found out.

"Cissnei... you're crushin' me," Reno said, poking her in the side. The rookie giggled, blushing slightly, and obligingly released her grip on her compatriot.

* * *

Rude grinned widely as he watched everyone gather around his fellow Turk. He couldn't have been happier for his friend. Or, oddly enough, for himself. Over the weekend, he'd begun to worry that his _own_ new rank might result in the pair of them growing apart. After all... Reno would still be training with the other rookies, while he'd be working even _more_ closely with Tres. But now... well... _now_ it didn't matter. Reno was a fully-fledged Turk, too. That strange little barrier his promotion had threatened to set between them was gone.

As the others began to disperse to head off to their own assignments, Rude stepped forward and caught the redhead in a headlock.

"Hey! Fuckin' quit it!" he yelled, squirming.

"Hmph... Can't believe you kept this from me," he teased. Reno finally broke his hold and darted out of reach, grinning.

"I wanted to surprise ya for a change," he replied, "Tseng sure as hell surprised _me_ with it." His friend offered him a wide smirk. "Ya know... when he told me _last week_."

Rude wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulders and chuckled, impressed that the redhead had kept it to himself for so long. Eventually, Tres strolled over to them.

"Heh... Well _this_ certainly makes shit easier. Don't gotta run my request by Tseng first, now," said the senior Turk, "Congrats on the promotion. I got a job for ya."

"Oh, yeah?" Reno queried, "What?"

Tres looked over at Rude. "You remember how I said I had a networkin' opportunity down below I wanted ya to take care of?" Rude nodded. "Well... take my fellow slum rat here with ya. He knows the in 'n outs of that place _'least_ as well as I do, and 'sides... you two assholes work good together. Come on... I'll fill ya in on the details."

* * *

Cissnei returned to her office to find Rodney in about as good a mood as she'd left him earlier. Actually... he may have been in an even _worse_ mood, judging by the deep frown, and the angry look he was casting at his computer as he glared at it.

It hadn't exactly slipped her notice that he'd bowed out of the briefing room without saying a word to Reno.

"Hey," she said, as she slid into her chair. She rolled her eyes slightly when he didn't answer her. "Okay... what's going on?"

"Nothing," Rodney, stated, coolly.

"Rod... come on. You didn't even congratulate Reno on his promotion. What's up with you today?"

The other rookie rounded on her, glowering. "Why the _hell_ should I congratulate that obnoxious little slum rat on _anything_? Everything's just handed to that little shit, anyway... just because he was personally picked by Tseng. You and I have been training harder and just as long as _he_ has, and _he's_ the one that gets the promotion? And right _after_ Rude! Rude's been around longer than any of us rookies! How is that fair?!"

Cissnei was shocked by the venom in her friend's voice. She'd known from almost day one that Rodney had a little bit of a self-imposed rivalry going with the redhead, but she hadn't realized that it had gone this far.

"Rod..." she began, only to be cut off.

"No... don't you defend him. You tell me... What's he done to deserve any of this? He's a perpetual goddamn screw up. He got us _blacklisted_ by the director of SOLDIER, for Hades' sake. He's slept with half the female population of Midgar. Drinks himself stupid at every opportunity. He never takes _anything_ seriously... Why in Titan's name would they promote _him_?!" His scowl deepened and he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll _tell_ you why, Cissy. It's because he's got Tseng wrapped around his finger. It doesn't seem to matter _how much_ havoc he causes. As far as Tseng's concerned, he's the golden child who can do no wrong."

"You _know_ that's not true," Cissnei sighed, shaking her head. "Reno's been in trouble plenty of times."

Rodney snorted loudly. "Oh, yeah... he always gets in _so_ much trouble. Remind me again... what was his punishment for completely screwing over the Turks' relationship with SOLDIER? Oh... right. A few days of _not having to work_." He shoved himself away from his desk and stood up, before beginning to pace the floor like a caged animal. "And what do I get? Nothing. It should have been _me_ , Cissy. If they were going to promote someone that quickly, it should have been me. I'm _twice_ the Turk he'll _ever_ be, and so are you."

She'd heard enough. It was one thing to be jealous of one of their teammates... but this was taking it just a little too far.

"Rodney, _shut up_. I don't know what's gotten into you... what your dad said to you when you went to see him this weekend... but _Reno_ isn't the cause of your problems, so just _stop_ blaming him! You're being ridiculous."

"Oh, _I'm_ being ridiculous..." Rodney sneered, "Is it 'ridiculous' to expect an even playing field? Is it 'ridiculous' to think that I deserve at least as much respect as that _un_ educated, _un_ disciplined, _un_ suitable piece of gutter trash?!"

She'd never seen him so angry before. It actually scared her a little. Rodney had _always_ pushed himself to be the best... and anytime he _wasn't_ , she knew it got to him... but this... this was something different. She got the feeling that this had been brewing for a long time, and somehow she'd never noticed. She wasn't sure if it was Reno's promotion, or the visit to his father, or a combination of the two that had finally set it off, but Rodney was _ticked_. She felt as though she should have seen it sooner... even though she couldn't, at the moment, pinpoint anything that might have warned her that he was _this_ upset.

"You know... my father warned me," he continued, not waiting for her to answer, "He always _said_ that if you wanted to be the best you have to work three times as hard, for half the respect. I honestly thought the Turks were different. All their talk of how we're one big happy family... It's bullshit, Cissy. All that really matters is who you know and how far up their ass you are. And Reno's so far up Tseng's ass, I'm amazed he can still breathe! Rufus', too. Don't think I haven't noticed how well _those_ two get along... The bastard plays it off like he's the poor pitiful orphan from the slums, but he knows _exactly_ what he's doing. Has from the start."

"Will you listen to yourself?" Cissnei said, shaking her head. "You sound _unhinged_."

Rodney stalked over to her, and for half a second the rookie was convinced he was going to attack. But all he did was growl in frustration before throwing himself back into his chair, muttering angrily under his breath.

"Rod... will you _please_ just talk to me? Where is all this coming from all of a sudden? Did something happen in Junon?"

The other rookie sank lower in his chair. "The Colonel is 'displeased with my progress'," he replied in a somewhat mocking tone. "I made the mistake of telling him about Rude's promotion shortly after _you_ told _me_. He called me home just to spend the entire weekend berating me for not being the first of the current class of rookies to make full Turk."

Cissnei cocked her head to one side, mystified. "But Rude was a rookie for almost a _year_ while you and I were still recruits... of _course_ he'd be promoted first."

"That's what _I_ told him!" Rodney shot back, "He just said that ninety percent of success was came from pure effort and I wasn't trying hard enough. And then _Reno_ of all people gets promoted ahead of me! When he finds out, I'll never hear the end of it."

Cissnei got up and walked over to her friend, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "You know... it's not _Reno's_ fault that your dad is a total jerk..." she replied, firmly, "Look... it's not the end of the world. Why don't you go and talk to Tseng about what's going on? Maybe he could... I don't know... tell your dad to chill the hell out."

Rodney looked away and gave a noncommittal grunt.

"Well, I for one am not going to be late for my morning workout simply because you're sulking. The way I see it, you can either do something about it and get back to training, or keep wallowing in your own self-pity. So are you coming to the training hall or not?"

The other Turk finally sighed and followed her out into the hallway.

* * *

"So... what's the plan?" Reno asked as he and Rude boarded the train to the Slums. Tres had only given them a file on the guy and some fairly basic instructions. Meet with a new potential informant... talk him into actually doing it... and set up the usual contact method. It was nothing Rude hadn't done before with Tres.

Which, given that Tres wasn't coming along this time, made it a lot more intimidating. Rude, for one, was glad he had someone he knew he could trust implicitly backing him up... because frankly, he was a little bit terrified.

"We're meeting him at the Lonely Dragon Bar in Sector 3. You know it?"

The redhead suddenly grinned. "Know it? I used to _work_ there..." he laughed.

Rude blinked in surprise. He'd _thought_ the name seemed somehow familiar, but for some reason hadn't made the connection. He relaxed slightly. They were headed for Reno's old bar. Sure, he'd been away for awhile, but his friend would, at the very least, know which of the old regulars wouldn't be pulling a gun on them – and, for that matter, which of them might.

"I'll handle the informant. I just need _you_ to watch my back while I'm talking to him. Anybody around there that might be a problem?"

"Eh... The Dragon was always a pretty quiet place during the day. The assholes don't typically show up 'til their work shifts end. We _should_ be okay... but I'll keep an eye out 'n let ya know if I recognize any of the troublemakers."

Rude nodded and leaned back in his seat. The train was virtually empty this time of day. There were a handful of passengers in the car ahead of theirs, and he was pretty sure he saw someone get on a few cars back... but that was it. Mid-morning just wasn't a busy time for travel, particularly down to the Slums. Reno was leafing through the dossier on their contact. After a moment, Rude heard him laugh.

" _Knew_ the son of a bitch looked familiar..." he suddenly snickered, " _Man_ , he's aged."

"You know him?"

"Eh... sorta. Used to live 'round my old neighborhood in Two. He was kind of a friend of a friend, guess ya could say. Then he lucked out 'n picked up a job workin' for one of the gangs over in Four 'n left the sector. Never saw him again. To be honest, I figured he was dead by now. Had a pretty bad habit back in the day."

"What's his story?"

Reno shrugged. "Didn't know him _that_ well. He mostly just hung out with a friend of mine... Kel... 'cause Kel was his supplier. Turned up once a week, like clockwork, when his stash ran out, lookin' for more. Not sure what his drug of choice _was_ , exactly, but it came in pill form. _Seemed_ like a halfway decent guy when he wasn't strung out... which wasn't all that often." He snorted softly, "Tch... and Kel always wondered why _I_ never wanted to get into that shit..."

"... You ever try anything?" Rude asked, curious. Drugs were a major problem in Sector 2. In _all_ of the sectors, really, but Two was definitely the worst as far as that went.

"Once. And that was _plenty_. Regretted it pretty much immediately, and the shit fucked me up for _days_. Felt like I was being stalked, even when I was home alone. When I finally came down, I decided cigarettes were _enough_ of an addiction for me 'n never tried it again," he chuckled. "Well... that, and Lira made me promise. After she 'bout killed me when she found out what I'd been up to."

Rude snickered. "Isn't there _anything_ about you that's normal?" he teased.

The redhead grinned and shook his head. "If I were normal, I'd be as boring as _you_ ," he shot back.

"Careful," Rude jokingly warned, "You might have been promoted, but I've still got seniority."

Reno grinned and gave him a mock salute. "Yes, sir!"

… to which Rude merely rolled his eyes.

"Knock it off."

* * *

Tseng stepped off the elevator, onto the ninth floor, and made his way down the now entirely too familiar hallway. He paused at the entrance to the reception area, steeling himself before walking through the door.

The first sound that met his ears was the trickling of the planet's ugliest fountain. He did his best to ignore it as stalked over to the desk and let them know he'd arrived for his appointment, before grudgingly taking a seat across the room.

He'd grown used to this ritual over the past several weeks... to the point that he could _almost_ relax while sitting here now, staring at the fountain. Today, though, he was more than a little on edge. Today's appointment wasn't going to be like the previous ones. No... today was his re-evaluation. Sometime in the next hour or so, he'd find out whether or not the psych staff were of the opinion that he could finally return to field duty, or if he was to be stuck behind a desk for the foreseeable future.

And worst of all... he wasn't at all sure which way things were going to go. Which was why he'd mentioned it to no one but Veld. He hadn't been able to bring himself to tell Reno. He couldn't deal with the risk of getting his protege's hopes up, only to see them dashed a few hours later... because he knew how much Reno wanted him to get better.

He certainly _felt_ like he was making good progress. But then... he'd thought he could handle a full return to work once before, and it had only ended up making things far worse for him. He _wanted_ this. Badly. But he doubted that just wanting it would be enough.

~end of chapter 93~


	94. Assignments

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 94: Assignments**

 **by Desha**

"... Can I ask you something?" Rude queried as he and Reno made their way through the somewhat dilapidated streets of Sector 5. They still had a ways to go before they reached The Lonely Dragon over in Three, but at least it was a fairly pleasant walk. Sector 5 wasn't so bad, as slums went. Sure... most of the buildings were a hodgepodge of scavenged materials, but for the most part, none of them – even the ones that were original to the old town Midgar had been built on top of – looked like they were about to collapse. A few people even had little gardens in places where the sun poked through the Plate above them. Still... not exactly an _ideal_ place to live.

"Sure," the redhead shrugged. They strolled casually past a crumbling church, and Rude briefly watched a young girl with long brown hair slip inside through the heavy wooden doors, before turning back to his friend.

"Was it always this bad down here? I mean... has it gotten worse since you were a kid or has it always been... ?" He trailed off, gesturing to their surroundings.

Reno shrugged. "Guess that depends on your definition of bad," he replied, and snickered, "Actually, some places have gotten a lot better, the way I hear it. I never left Two much, though. Not 'til I was older, anyway... and even then, it was pretty rare. Two's _always_ been a shithole. Mom wanted to live over here in Five... or maybe Seven someday. Never managed to scrape up the cash to get us outta there, though... 'n _I_ sucked when it came to money, so I was lucky if I managed to stay _fed_ most days after she died. I wasn't goin' anywhere any time soon before Tseng came along."

Rude glanced over at the younger Turk. It wasn't often he so much as mentioned his mother without being prompted... much less offered any kind of insight into what she was like. He wasn't sure if it had been meant to casually test those waters, or as an invitation for Rude to probe further. Reno smirked somewhat sadly when he caught him looking at him.

"Tch... Go ahead. You can ask if ya want."

"... You still miss her a lot, huh?"

"Yeah," Reno sighed, and then gave a rather mirthless laugh, "Which is kinda ironic, seein' as I hardly remember her anymore. I mean... I remember shit _about_ her, ya know? Like her singin' to me. Or how she always braided her hair first thing in the mornin'. Or how she never let _anyone_ fuck with me, even when they were twice her size. But... a lot of the _little_ details are just... gone." He dropped his gaze to the path in front of them as they continued on in silence for a few minutes. "Been thinkin' lately... I don't talk about her 'cause the most vivid memory I got of her's also my _last_ memory of her. And it's not a pleasant one. But if I keep this shit up... I'm afraid I'll _keep_ forgettin' things, 'til there's nothin' else left of her. And I don't wanna remember her like that."

Rude swallowed sharply and rested a hand on the redhead's shoulder. He understood what Reno meant. He'd been a lot older than his friend was when his _own_ mother had died, and even _he_ had days when he struggled to recall the finer details of her face or what her voice sounded like. Reno finally looked up at him.

"Ya mind if we table this discussion for now, though?" he asked, "I _do_ wanna remember her... but I'm not so sure mid-assignment's the best time for a therapy session."

"Hmph... for either one of us," Rude agreed, chuckling faintly.

* * *

Veld was uncharacteristically agitated when Tseng returned to the office, speaking animatedly on the phone with – judging by his clipped tone and exasperated expression – Heidegger. His suspicions were confirmed mere moments later, as his mentor beckoned him into his office.

"Yes, sir. I understand. We'll begin preparations immediately."

He sighed heavily as, apparently, the executive hung up on him, and calmly placed his phone on his desk. Veld then leaned back in his chair, massaging his temples.

"I swear, that man's voice alone is enough to give me a migraine..." he lamented.

"If it's any consolation, I wholeheartedly agree," said Tseng.

"It's no consolation at all," Veld deadpanned. He gestured to the chair in front of his desk, and Tseng sat down. "Well?"

"I... am _provisionally_ cleared for duty."

"Oh, thank Titan," the Turk leader breathed. "Remy is quite capable, but she's not _you_ , no matter how she tries."

Tseng chuckled quietly and relaxed in his seat.

"You said provisionally?" Veld prompted.

"Yes, sir," his lieutenant replied, leaning forward slightly. "I... As you are aware, part of my... treatment... included medication. I'll be continuing to take it, with a re-evaluation in three months to determine whether or not it is necessary to persist, and sessions with Dr. Hildebrand every two weeks are required for the foreseeable future. It was also recommended that I transition back to full duty slowly, over the course of a week or two... though I will stress that _that_ was a _recommendation_ only, and wholly optional."

Veld laughed, shaking his head. "Well... I see they've done absolutely _nothing_ to cure you of your addiction to work..."

"I'm afraid _that_ condition is chronic, sir," Tseng replied, a teasing smile briefly crossing his lips.

"It's good to have you back, Tseng," Veld said, "Hmph... and just in time, as it turns out. Heidegger wants us to prepare for a major presidential visit to Junon."

"Sir?"

"The president is confident a treaty will be negotiated with Wutai in short order. So confident, in fact, that he's already writing his speech. He wants to give it in Junon, live on television, with the Shinra army and SOLDIER assembled behind him. The speech will be preceded by a parade through the base, and he would _ideally_ like the actual signing of said treaty to take place between himself and Lord Godo immediately after on the promenade."

Now it was Tseng's turn to groan.

"So... multiple VIPs, Wutaiian representatives and entourage who will need to be vetted, general crowd control, security for not only the location of the signing and the speech, but the _entire_ parade route... all of which will be entirely out in the open and exposed. Am I missing anything?"

"He wants the grounds opened up to approximately one thousand members of the general public to pad the crowds, as well," Veld replied.

"Of _course_ he does..." the Wutaiian Turk sighed. "Sir... is it too late for me to put in for a vacation?"

"No... but you'll be taking it _after_ this is all over," Veld answered, smirking.

"In that case... I should contact Viridia, and let her know just what sort of nightmare is about to descend upon her."

"Good idea. And after that, I have _another_ assignment for you, if you feel you're ready for it. I trust you remember that girl and her mother that Hojo wanted found...?"

To be honest, Tseng hadn't given those two much thought at all in recent months... but yes, he _did_ remember. He'd first been sent after them... well... not really _that_ long after he'd brought Reno up to the Plate, actually, now that he thought about it. Certainly before his Hell Week, at any rate. In fact, he'd taken the redhead down with him to investigate that lead, though they'd come up empty-handed.

"I take it we've gotten some new information on them?" he asked.

" _Possibly_. Tres will fill you in. It may simply be another dead end and I understand that everyone has a lot on their plates right now, but we _do_ have standing orders to bring the pair of them back..."

"Understood. I'll handle it."

Dead end or not, honestly, he was just itching to be back in the field. An afternoon outside of the office... even if, as he suspected, it involved a trip down to the Slums... sounded strangely appealing at the moment.

* * *

"Well, now... Would ya look what the cripshays dragged in," a familiar voice laughed as Reno and Rude stepped into the empty bar. Reno grinned widely and offered his former boss a wave. It _had_ been awhile. He hadn't been down here since he'd paid the place a quick visit not long after being recruited.

"Hey, Wilfred... How's it hangin'?"

"Short, shriveled, and slightly to the left," the old bartender joked, "Finally decided to come crawlin' back, beggin' for your old job, eh?"

"Hate ta disappoint... We're just here to meet someone," Reno snickered, taking a seat at the bar. Rude silently followed suit. They were a little early... their contact wasn't supposed to show for another twenty minutes or so. But that just gave them more time to settle in and make sure the area was secure. Not that _that_ was particularly hard. There was no one else _here_ at the moment besides Wilfred. Even the barkeep's old pal Hansen hadn't turned up quite yet, and he was practically a fixture at the Lonely Dragon.

Wilfred chuckled and wiped down the bar in front of him before setting out a bowl of peanuts.

"Guess that's my loss, then," he sighed, "You were my best bartender, ya know." He paused a moment, eyeing the young Turk. "New life seems to agree with ya, though. Ya look good, kid. What're you two drinkin'? First round's on the house."

The redhead smirked. "You're only offerin' that 'cause ya know we're on the clock 'n can't drink, aren't you?" he snickered.

"Heh... Waters all around, it is!" he declared. They spent the next several minutes making small talk with the bartender, and munching on the free peanuts so generously offered to them – likely in the hopes of getting the two Turks to actually buy something. Wilfred was a great guy... but he took every opportunity that presented itself to turn a profit. That was one of the reasons his place was one of the more successful establishments in Sector 3, after all.

Finally, someone walked through the door, taking a seat at one of the tables near the exit and looking around suspiciously. Reno recognized him immediately from the photo in his file... though he _was_ still a little surprised as just how much the guy had aged in the last couple of years. It was far more apparent in person than it was in his photo. He was only seven or eight years older than the redhead, but the guy _almost_ looked like he was in his forties, and the years had _not_ been kind.

Back in the day, Alvin had been a gangly, unwashed, greasy-haired junkie. Now, he was a gangly, unwashed, greasy-haired junkie with a nasty-looking scar down the side of his face and a rather pronounced limp. He had a twitchy, spastic way of moving, even while sitting down, and even from across the room, Reno could see the dark circles marring the papery skin under his eyes.

Rude nodded to him and got up to go talk to him, leaving the redhead at the bar. Reno turned slightly in his seat so that he had a good view of both his fellow-Turk and the door.

He thought back to his Slum days. Like he'd told Rude, he'd never known Alvin real well. Just had a tendency to bump into the guy every so often when he, _too_ , was paying a visit to Kel's place. Usually to restock his cigarettes and to take a look at whatever else happened to be on offer that week, but occasionally just because Kel was a fun guy to hang out with. At first he'd felt a little sorry for the son of a bitch. After all... it was hard to kick a habit like his in a place like Two. Hell, most junkies didn't bother to try. For some people, being stoned out of their minds for as many hours of the day as they could afford was preferable to the reality of the sector.

And then one day, he'd brought his kid with him. Ten year old little girl. Because he didn't _fucking have cash._ Kel had turned him down flat, and to his credit had looked as disgusted with the proposal as Reno had been...

Logically, the redhead knew it was pure desperation from the withdrawal. He could understand it... but he couldn't in a million years condone it. And though he was still of the opinion that Alvin was at least _halfway_ decent guy when sober, Reno'd lost all sympathy for him that day. His _own_ mom might not have been mother of the year... but she did everything she could to keep him away from shit like that, even at times when it _probably_ would have been a lot easier to just drag him along anyway. And even at her most desperate, she'd certainly never tried to _sell_ him.

He'd still ended up seeing a lot more than he should've... but at least she'd _tried_.

He wondered, briefly, what had happened to Alvin's kid. Probably strung out somewhere in the slums by now, just like her old man typically was. Either that, or working a street corner. Or both. She'd never stood a chance.

Though, to be fair, Reno's own odds had never exactly been _great_ and somehow _he'd_ managed to survive childhood. By all rights, he probably ought to have been laying dead in a gutter a long time ago. So maybe the kid had lucked out, somehow, same as him.

Alvin sure as fuck hadn't, though. Reno'd seen that kind of twitching enough as a kid to recognize it as a trait common to long-term users. The ones who had to be high almost all the damn time to just avoid withdrawal setting in. Which certainly explained the man's willingness to turn Turk informant. It was a job that might get you killed or worse if the wrong person found out... but damned if it didn't pay well.

"Hey, Wilfred," Reno said, quietly. "Outta curiosity... you ever thought about makin' an extra gil or two rattin' some of your regulars out to Shinra?"

The barman snorted. "I do that, 'n my regulars ain't gonna be regulars no more."

The redhead snickered and turned his attention back on Rude. "Yeah... figured as much."

The pair seemed to have reached an agreement of some sort. Rude calmly passed Alvin a envelope that Reno knew contained around two hundred gil and a burner phone. The junkie shoved it into the pocket of his hoodie and nodded, and then hurried over to the door with several paranoid glances around the room before taking off. Rude rejoined his partner at the bar a moment later.

"All good?" Reno asked.

"Yeah. Ready to head home?"

The redhead grinned and picked up the now half-empty bowl of peanuts from the bar, tipping the entire thing into his mouth.

"Yup," he managed to say around the rather large mouthful. Wilfred snorted, annoyed.

"You know... those are s'posed to be for the _payin'_ customers."

Reno swallowed roughly, forcing his little snack down, and smirked. "Only 'cause you think makin' 'em extra thirsty'll get 'em to buy more." He pulled a ten gil note from his pocket and tossed it on the bar. "I'll come back some time for that free round. Long as it's something a little stronger than water, next time. Deal?"

Wilfred snatched the bill and pocketed it with a grin. "Any time, kiddo," he laughed.

* * *

Tseng crouched beside a pile of scrap, watching the girl from afar. He'd been prepared to question the locals, but by sheer force of luck had all but walked right into her as she was emerging from a church. He was certain it was her, and though he'd been careful not to betray his surprise at locating one of his targets with such ease, she seemed concerned as she'd made her way past him. As he tailed her, she would pause and peer back over her shoulder now and then, as if she knew someone was following just out of sight.

He was tempted to simply grab her now, rather than risk losing her entirely if she panicked and made a run for it. She was a little thing... probably not able to outrun a full grown man, but easily capable of _losing_ one by flitting in and out of the towering scrap heaps. Besides... her mother was also a priority target and with any luck, the girl would lead him straight to her if he was patient.

So he held back. Eventually, the girl relaxed, apparently having convinced herself that she was alone now. He trailed behind her silently... much farther back than he normally would have. She seemed to tense up again when he drew too close.

He supposed that made an odd sort of sense, given who she allegedly _was_. If you believed in that sort of thing. According to her file, Aerith and her mother, Ifalna, were descended from a race called the Ancients... or the Cetra, depending on who you asked. There were Wutaiian legends about them dating back centuries, that spoke of a people so closely in tune with the Planet that they could actually speak to it. It was a commonly held belief, among those who even remembered them at all, that the Ancients had died out long ago. There weren't supposed to be any more left. But if Shinra's research was correct – and assuming the legends really _were_ ,in fact, more than just legends – these two shared that ancient bloodline. They were, quite likely, the last of their kind.

It didn't take him long to figure out where Aerith was heading. And frankly, Tseng was more than a little surprised when he saw the house just sitting there like some sort of oasis in the ruins of the slums. It looked like it might have, once upon a time, been a farm house... which would make sense, given that a significant part of Midgar had been constructed over top what used to be fairly rich farmland. It was a small, two story cottage with a red roof and large, triangular upstairs windows that looked out across what was probably once a field. A picket fence lined the bank of a small pond with astonishingly clear water. It must have been fed by an underground spring or something... typically ponds in the slums were stagnant and wholly unpleasent.

But perhaps most surprising of all were the flowers. There were hundreds of them, growing in pots... growing from the ground... lining the small balcony of the house and its rooftop. Bright yellow flowers, blooming unassumingly in the Slums.

Tseng carefully made his way towards the house, intending to peer through one of the windows and see if the mother was there as well. If not, he'd have to wait for her to return. Unfortunately, the moment he reached the front, the door was thrown open wide. A woman stepped out, menacingly brandishing a rolling pin and glaring openly at him.

"What do you think you're doing, following my daughter and skulking around my home?" she demanded.

Tseng backed off a few steps, raising his hands placatingly. _Her_ daughter? Yes, the girl was older than in her file photograph from the Shinra labs, but he was absolutely certain it was Aerith. This, however, definitely was _not_ Ifalna. He was going to have to be very careful what he told this woman.

"My name is Tseng," he began, "Shinra Company sent me to find a girl named Aerith."

* * *

"Well, _that_ was... uneventful," Reno sighed as he and Rude meandered through the streets of Sector 3. He'd kind of hoped that his first mission as a full Turk might have been a _little_ more exciting. Instead, he was basically playing bodyguard to Rude... who needed a bodyguard like he needed a hole in the head.

The bald Turk snickered. "Tres always says the best kind of mission is the one where you 'stay the fuckin' hell outta trouble'."

Reno laced his fingers behind his head as he walked, and grinned back at him. "Yeah, yeah... I know. Nothin' wrong with gettin' home in one piece. Wouldn't mind a _little_ excitement, though. Seems like every assignment I've been on lately's gone basically a hundred percent accordin' to plan. Well... aside from the helicopter thing. And the shit that went down in Kalm. But other than that, I haven't been shot at in weeks!" he joked.

"You can be my practice dummy on the firing range this afternoon, if you want someone to shoot at you _that_ badly..." Rude teasingly offered.

"Yeah... pass," the redhead laughed. He sighed and glanced upwards at the Plate above them, "I s'pose you're right, though. Dyin' of boredom beats dyin' of a bullet to the head. It just makes me... I dunno. Nervous, I guess. Like if things are _this_ calm right now, it's _gotta_ mean something big is brewin'."

Rude shrugged. "Or maybe we're just _finally_ getting a break. You heard Veld this morning. The war is practically over. At this point, it's mostly just a bunch of formalities. The actual fighting in Wutai has _already_ stopped, and if it's stopped there, what would be the point of them sending more mercs here?"

"Believe me... I'm hopin' that's the case. I don't wanna see any more of Midgar get shot up or _blown_ up any time soon. Just... got a naggin' feeling that it's not really gonna be over 'til it's officially over. Ya know?"

The other Turk nodded. "... I know." He suddenly smirked. "I think getting promoted makes Turks more paranoid."

"Tch... says the guy who _already_ spends half his day watching security cameras. Even _before_ he got promoted," the redhead snickered.

* * *

The woman was still glowering at him, though at the mention of Shinra Company, he detected a faint spark of fear in her eyes. Hesitantly, she invited him inside with a sweep of her arm. The girl, at hearing her name, scrambled up behind her, peering out at him from behind her... mother's?... skirt. That was certainly how the girl seemed to regard her, at any rate. Had something happened to Ifalna?

It was more than possible. She was thought to have been injured during their escape... and even if she hadn't been, the Slums were a dangerous place for someone who had never so much as visited them before. She would have been easy prey for thieves or one of the local gangs. Or perhaps she'd simply found a safe place and someone to care for her daughter and disappeared, hoping to keep Shinra off their trail...

"We... would like you to return Aerith to us," Tseng carefully continued. "We've been searching for her for a very long time."

"No!" Aerith shouted, in a surprisingly loud voice. "Never!"

Tseng shook his head and knelt down, bringing himself to eye level with the girl.

"Aerith, you're a very special child. You are of special blood. Your _real_ mother was an 'Ancient'," he said, keeping his voice calm and soothing. It was much the same tone he'd always used when breaking bad news to Mayu. Aerith, however, was having none of it. He turned his attention on the woman again. "The Ancients were said to have the ability to speak the the Planet. They knew of a land of supreme happiness. That is why the Shinra would like Aerith's cooperation... We believe she can bring that happiness to everyone in Midgar. Even those who live in the Slums."

It was a load of shit, and knew it, but he did his best to sell it. In reality, he didn't really know _what_ Shinra – or perhaps more specifically, Hojo – wanted the girl and her mother for. He was only privy to bits and pieces of their files. Enough that he knew they were integral to the Neo-Midgar Project, which, in turn, was to be a massive undertaking. A second Midgar, even grander than the first. How and why it involved Aerith and Ifalna was classified above his security clearance.

Still... the story _sounded_ nice. Aerith turned to the woman, and sniffled softly.

"He's wrong! I'm not an Ancient! I'm not!" she declared, and then fled out the door. Tseng sighed. He'd hoped he wouldn't have to do this the hard way. Though perhaps there was still a chance at smoothing things over.

"May I ask... what's your relation to the girl?" he queried.

"I'm her _mother_ ," the woman replied, sharply, "Or as good as she's got, anyway. Elmyra Gainsborough."

"And... Ifalna? Her birth mother? What became of her?"

Elmyra looked away. "She was hurt when I met her. Bad. She pleaded with me to take Aerith somewhere safe. So I brought her home, to live with _me_." She suddenly looked up at him, tears forming in her eyes. "Please... don't take her. My husband died in the war. We never had children. Aerith is all I have."

"I... am afraid that I'm under orders to return her to headquarters," Tseng replied, though the words left a foul taste in his mouth.

"I can't stop you, can I?" Elmyra said with a quiet sob. "You'll just kill me and take her anyway, if I try. Won't you. That's what you _Turks_ do, isn't it?"

"I would very much prefer _not_ to have to resort to such measures... both for your sake and for hers. A child shouldn't have to see that. But yes. I _will_ be taking the girl, with or without your consent. And if you try to prevent that... I will stop you by whatever means are necessary."

"May I... at least pack some things for her and say goodbye?"

Tseng swallowed sharply. The pain and loss was clearly etched on the woman's face, and he felt truly vile for doing this. But if he _didn't_ , someone else would. And they might not be quite as... cordial... next time.

"Alright," he replied, at last. "But quickly. I'll wait with her outside. You have my word that we won't leave until you return."

She nodded, and wiped her eyes. "Thank you," Elmyra breathed, before turning and hurrying up the stairs.

Tseng shook his head and stepped outside, eyes scanning his surroundings as he did so. He had little trouble spotting the girl again. She was crouched beside a patch of flowers in the sprawling garden. The Turk walked towards her, slowly, so as not to startle her. When he reached her side, he knelt down again.

"Are you going to take me away?" she asked.

"Yes," Tseng replied. Aerith vehemently shook her head.

"I don't want to go! Why are you so mean?!"

She looked up at him, anger, sadness, and perhaps more than a little fear all flicking across her face, and Tseng found that he couldn't meet her eye for more than a second or two. Her gaze was too accusing. Too... pleading.

Too much like Mayu.

"... You're hurting." It was a statement, not a question. When Tseng raised his eyes again, Aerith was still looking at him, but this time with... sympathy, perhaps? That, too, was like Mayu. His sister always knew when something was wrong. Always.

And in that moment, he knew that he couldn't do this.

"Aerith. If... I were to leave you here, would you promise to _stay_ here?" he asked, pointedly avoiding answering her.

What in the Nine Hells was he doing? He had his orders. The girl belonged to Shinra. He _couldn't_ leave her here, no matter how much he wanted to.

"Why?" she asked, quizzically.

So he wouldn't have to do this. So he could protect her. If she was here... no one would continue to _look_ for her here. Because he would tell them he'd already looked. The intel was sketchy at best, anyway. No one would so much as blink if he said it hadn't panned out.

If... he lied.

Dear Leviathan, he was seriously considering lying, not just to Shinra, but to his own mentor. Disobeying orders, and lying about it. All for the sake of a little girl he didn't even know.

"The why doesn't matter. Promise me that, and you can stay."

Aerith studied him for a moment... and even though he knew it had to be impossible, he could have sworn he saw a look of understanding in her eyes.

"I promise," she replied, and plucked one of the flowers from her garden, pressing it into his hand.

It felt... as though a weight had been suddenly lifted from him and he realized that this was as much for him as it was for her. It was an atonement of sorts. There was something special about this girl... just as there had been something special about his sister. He had failed to protect Mayu. Perhaps this was fate's way of allowing him to make up for that.

Tseng nodded and got to his feet, and began walking back towards the house, just as Elmyra was stepping through the door with a small bag in hand.

"She won't be needing that," he said, pausing just long enough to register the look of confusion on the woman's face before turning and heading back out into Sector 5 proper.

* * *

Reno flopped down onto the hard plastic bench seat of the train to the Sector 5 Plate, and folded his arms behind his head as Rude moved to join him.

"Man, forget what I said earlier. This is my kinda mission. In, out, 'n home by lunchtime."

Rude snorted a soft laugh. "What happened to Mr. somethin' big's gotta be brewin'?"

"He got hungry," the redhead replied, grinning. "An empty stomach _always_ trumps paranoia. It's a known fact."

Rude rolled his eyes and sat down next to his friend.

"Is that you're ever so subtle way of saying you want to stop and grab something to eat before we head back to the office?"

"Was I bein' subtle?" Reno queried, "Yeah, sorry... Must be the hunger talkin'. What I meant to say was I'm fuckin' starvin'. Let's get a pizza."

"Is there any chance that might be an open invitation?" a familiar voice asked, and both newly minted Turks jumped, startled. Reno spun around in his seat and found Tseng standing directly behind him.

"For Ifrit's sake... I'm not even safe from this shit on public transportation," he breathed, shaking his head. "Hang on... what are you doin' here? You're not checkin' _up_ on us or some shit, are ya, Boss?"

Tseng slipped around the end of the bench, and took a seat beside his former rookie.

"No, actually... I'm not," the Turk lieutenant, "I had intended to save the news for the afternoon briefing, but, as I have so fortuitously stumbled upon you both, I'll tell you now. I've... been officially reinstated. With some minor caveats. Veld opted to send me on a rather mundane and uneventful reconnaissance mission in Sector 5 to start out with."

Reno grinned widely. "So... you're back?"

The Wutaiian Turk chuckled softly. "Yes... It would seem that I am, indeed, back."

The redhead's grin widened, and he turned to his partner. "Forget the pizza... we gotta go somewhere 'n celebrate! Like... the all you can eat buffet over in One!"

Rude smirked and glanced over at Tseng. "Hope you were planning on an extra long lunch, sir..."

~end chapter 94~


	95. Wutai Surrenders

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 95: Wutai Surrenders**

 **by Desha**

Reno stepped off the elevator Thursday morning and directly into a frenzy. First, he was nearly trampled by Shay, who was cradling several large rolled up plans in his arms as he dashed towards one of the larger meeting rooms. Then, as he was acknowledging the senior Turk's hurried apology, the redhead suddenly found himself sprawled on the floor in the middle of the hallway as something large and heavy bowled him over.

"Sorry 'bout that," Sato said, reaching for his arm and pulling the other Turk to his feet. "She got away from me fer a second there..."

"The fuck's goin' on?" Reno asked, eyeing the cart Sato had been pushing. It was about half filled with boxes of ammunition, and a few weapons.

"Are yah daft? Do yeh not listen ta the mornin' news?" he asked in a disbelieving tone. "Fer Titan's sake... Wutai's surrendered! The war's over... 'n we've got us a shite-load o' things ta do on account! Too busy even fer a proper mornin' briefing!"

Sato gave his cart a shove and started off down the hallway with a wave, vanishing around a corner at top speed. Moments later, Reno heard a loud crash, and the sound of Remy swearing, at least in part, in angry Wutaiian. Reno snickered and quickly headed off in the _opposite_ direction.

When he reached the lounge, he found Cissnei and Rodney already there.

"So what's this I hear about the war endin'?" the redhead inquired. Cissnei grinned and practically bounced her way over to him.

"It's all over the news this morning!" she said excitedly. Shinra and Wutai have reached an agreement, and Wutai has officially surrendered. "Tres says the official treaty signing will be in two days. In Junon. That's why everyone's running around the office like lunatics right now. We've got to set up security for a parade and the President's speech in less than forty-eight hours!"

Rodney snorted softly. "Odin forbid we get reasonable notice on something like this," he muttered. "Do you have _any_ idea how hard it's going to be to secure all of _Junon_ in that amount of time?"

"Tch... I see _you're_ in a real good mood again," the redhead shot back, "And isn't Junon _already_ pretty fuckin' secure?"

Rodney had been acting like a petulant son of a bitch all week. More so than usual, that is. Apparently even the end of the war wasn't enough to drag him out of it. Reno mentally shrugged. Whatever was pissing off the rookie wasn't _his_ problem. Especially when Tseng walked into the lounge behind him seconds later, clipboard in hand and a determined expression on his face.

"Reno, there you are..." he began, looking up from a clipboard, "I take it you've heard?"

The Turk nodded. "Yeah... Cissnei just caught me up. War's over and we're pullin' double duty in Junon for the next couple days."

"I suspect it will be more like triple duty before long," Tseng replied with a faint smile, "You're on the helicopter today. At _least_ for the entirety of the morning. Take Rodney with you. We have three loads of supplies... possibly more... that need to be in Junon by noon. Sato and Kai are already loading the first. As soon as they're done, I need you in the air. Lieutenant Commander Nacelle will meet you on the tarmac. Unload it, help her secure it, and then come straight back for the next load."

"Yes, sir." Tseng gave him a curt nod and reversed course back into the hallway, off to, he assumed, issue a new set of orders to the next Turk on his list. Reno blinked in surprise at the rather abrupt command, but quickly brushed it aside. He was learning that, unlike the rookies, Turks tended not to get their hands held when it came to their assignments. Simply being given orders, and then being expected to complete them on his own without someone looking over his shoulder or even checking in on him was kind of a new experience... but he _liked_ it. He glanced back at Rodney.

"You heard the man," he said, "You 'n me are goin' to Junon."

"Imagine my delight..." Rodney deadpanned.

"Oh, yeah... this is gonna be a fun trip," Reno snorted, "I can already tell..."

* * *

"Ugh... I hate workin' with Junon security," Tres muttered as he and Rude made their way downstairs to the security division's equipment room. He wanted additional cameras installed along the parade route, and was planning on borrowing them from building security's hoard.

"Why?" Rude asked, genuinely surprised.

"'Cause. That Viridia Nacelle's a goddamn ball buster. Has ta have every little thing done her way, or fuckin' else," he replied, and then smirked, "Hmph... ain't no mystery why her 'n Tseng got a thing goin' between 'em. Two peas in a fuckin' pod."

"She didn't seem so bad when _I_ met her..." the younger Turk said, hesitantly. Granted, he'd only really met her the one time, and it had been little more than an introduction when Tres had taken him on his first tour of the base... but she'd been friendly enough. And Reno seemed to like her. She'd even gone out of her way to help him out with materia training... before they figured out the redhead couldn't use it.

"Oh, don't get me wrong... she's sweet as pie when she's off duty. _On_ duty, though, she turns into a hellbeast stickler for every goddamn rule 'n regulation in existence. And Ifrit help ya if you ever manage to get on her _bad_ side." They reached the equipment room and Tres slid his ID card through the electronic lock on the door.

"Reno never complained when she was working with him on his materia practice," Rude pointed out, and Tres snorted softly.

"One... that was a favor for Tseng. 'Course she's gonna treat him nice. Two... the way I hear it, the kid was desperate to get it right at the time. Probably woulda gone outta his way _not_ to piss her off," he said. "But hey, I've only known the woman for four years now... What do _I_ know, right?"

Rude chuckled softly. "Point taken."

Tres grabbed a box off one of the shelves and passed it over to Rude before tossing several additional items into a box for himself.

"I was hopin' to get this on the first supply run... but I don't think we're gonna have time," he muttered, "Still gotta tag 'n catalog it so it doesn't wander off after the festivities. Those Junon fuckers just _love_ to steal my shit."

"Technically, it's building security's shit," Rude helpfully pointed out, as they hurried back to the elevator. "We're stealing it from _them_ first."

"Tch... _one_ smartass on the team's enough, and the redhead's already got that position covered," Tres replied, rolling his eyes, "So shut it and get to the elevator before Security figures out we raided 'em."

Rude simply laughed and turned to head back out the door.

* * *

"How are things going?" Veld asked without preamble as soon as he set foot in Tseng's office once again. He'd just spent the past hour with Heidegger, going over the President's demands for the parade ceremony, leaving Tseng to actually _run_ things in his absence.

" _Thus far_ , we're on schedule... if you can consider 'get this done in two days' a schedule." Tseng shook his head and set the clipboard on his desk. "As we didn't have any specifics yet, I opted to dispatch basic supplies for a major security event immediately. Sato and Kai are collaborating on the packing list and preparing everything for transport. Reno and Rodney are _handling_ said transport. Tres is raiding Security for surveillance cameras, last I checked, and he took Rude with him. Shay is pulling the building plans for Junon and working with Remy and Saya to identify necessary security checkpoints and obvious danger zones. And _I'm_ going to recruit Cissnei momentarily to help _me_ with communication, as keeping track of where everyone keeps disappearing to is proving to be a bit much for one person. How did it go with Heidegger?"

Veld rolled his eyes. "It's abundantly clear that he took _none_ of my suggestions in regards to downsizing the event to the president. In fact, we may be looking at an even larger crowd than we initially thought. Oh, yes, and President Shinra now _also_ wishes to have Rufus in attendance."

"Naturally..." Tseng groaned. That meant yet _more_ dedicated security for the vice president.

"I realize that you would prefer to supervise Rufus yourself... but I'm likely going to need you to help me coordinate things on the ground."

"Yes, sir," the Wutaiian Turk sighed. He'd expected that, to be honest. Keeping things running on schedule for this was a massive undertaking, with more than handful of moving parts. To be honest, he was hesitant to trust it to anyone but himself or Veld... or perhaps Remy. He'd already taken the possibility of Rufus being included into consideration and come up with a plan for that eventuality. "In that case, I'd like to Reno in charge of Rufus' security detail. He's one of the few people besides myself Rufus trusts and will grudgingly listen to _before_ bullets start flying rather than after."

The Turk leader snorted a soft laugh. "Not that anyone would ever know it, they way they're constantly bickering any time they're in the same room. But I have to agree. Your protege has shown that he can keep him in line far better than most. I think he's best left in Reno's hands if you're not personally available. Have you contacted base security yet?"

"Yes, sir. Viridia will be there to meet the helicopter and direct them to secure storage, her personnel are already doing preemptive sweeps, and I told her that she would have finalized plans for the parade route by the end of the day even if I had to draw them up myself."

"Hmph... given Heidegger's habit of putting everything off to the last possible minute, you may have to. If I don't hear from him on that subject by lunchtime, lets just assume that we'll be figuring it out for ourselves."

"... In other words, I should just plan on doing it over my lunch break," Tseng replied, only partially teasing. He'd been expecting _that_ ,as well. Heidegger was notoriously unreliable when it came to deadlines.

"Beginning to wish you'd put that re-evaluation off another week yet?" his mentor joked. The Wutaiian Turk only smiled.

"Please, Sir... you know perfectly well that I _live_ for days like today."

* * *

"All I'm saying is that there are people who feel that we _should_ have simply decimated them," Rodney snapped, folding his arms over his chest in the co-pilot's chair and glowering out the window in the general direction of Junon. "At the very _least_ , that we ought to execute their soldiers to prevent future uprisings."

"Tch... and all _I'm_ sayin' is that _that's_ pretty goddamn fucked up, and so's anyone who want's to _do_ it."

"From a purely logistical standpoint it makes perfect sense," the rookie insisted. Reno rolled his eyes.

"Bullshit. Ya know what killin' a bunch of people who've already surrendered does? Pisses off _everyone_ else. So not only does Shinra Company have a fuckin' PR nightmare on its hands, it's also just made itself a whole shit ton of new enemies worldwide."

"What would _you_ know, anyway?" Rodney scoffed. "The closest _you've_ ever been to military life is running errands to Junon."

"Don't gotta be military to figure out that gunnin' down people who aren't shootin' back is a dick move," the redhead replied, and the rookie lapsed into silence again as they crested the mountain range and their destination came into view. He wasn't even sure what had _started_ the conversation. One second, he'd been making small talk in an effort to make spending the morning with an inexplicably angry rookie at least bearable. The next, the two of them were debating the pros and cons of committing mass genocide.

And he had to admit... he was a little disturbed by the whole conversation.

Oh, sure... he could follow Rodney's logic on the subject. He just felt that it was flawed and that the rookie Turk wasn't looking at the bigger picture. To be honest, he got the impression that even _Rod_ didn't fully agree with what he was saying... that he was just parroting something he'd been told by someone else. Maybe even trying to justify it by getting the redhead to agree with the idea. Though who or what had put the idea in Rod's head, Reno didn't have a clue. He certainly hadn't heard anyone one _else_ on the team making comments like that.

He made a mental note to mention it to Tseng the next time he saw him. If it was making _him_ this uncomfortable, it was _probably_ something the Turk lieutenant ought to know about... if only to decide for himself whether or not it was something they should be concerned about.

Soon enough, however, they were setting down in Junon, and Reno spotted Viridia heading towards them as he shut down the engines. She was flanked by several security officers lined up behind her. Once shut down was complete, the redhead unstrapped himself and hoped out of his seat, clambering into the back and hauling the doors on either side open... which, frankly took some effort. Sato and Kai had really stuffed the aircraft as full as they could get it while still leaving the flight crew access to the cockpit.

"Hey," Reno greeted her with a wide grin. It had been awhile since he'd last seen the lieutenant commander. She smiled back briefly, but quickly switched into business mode.

"We've got a secure hanger set up for you Turks to uses as a base of operation," Viridia said, gesturing towards the far end of the runway. "My men will give you a hand unloading."

Reno nodded and slipped back inside, Rodney not far behind him. The next several minutes were a flurry of activity as the two Turks pushed and shoved their cargo out into the waiting hands of Viridia's team. He breathed a relieved sigh as he and Rod finally slid the last container to the edge of the cargo bay and hopped down onto the helipad.

He wiped the back of his arm across his forehead, surprised that he'd worked up that much of a sweat. Summer was nearing its end, and fall weather was definitely making itself known. The last few days had been much cooler than what they'd gotten used to over the past season. Today was no different.

He shrugged, though, and joined the little parade that was now making its way towards the hanger, three fully loaded sleds in tow.

"How are things going in Midgar?" Viridia asked. "I'd imagine you're all busy after the news this morning."

"Yeah, it's pretty much organized chaos back at headquarters, right now," the redhead snickered.

"Oh! And I hear that congratulations are in order..." she added, a faint smile on her lips. "Tseng mentioned there's been a promotion or two last I had a conversation with him that wasn't about security measures."

Reno grinned, snickering. "Ya know... I always figured that security measures are just what you two talk about, regardless of what's goin' on. Everyone's got their fetishes, after all..." he teased.

"If you were one of my subordinates, I'd have you on latrine duty for that comment."

His grin widened. "Good thing I'm not."

"Hmm..." she responded, eyeing him. "At _any_ rate... congratulations."

"Thanks... I gotta admit, it _does_ feel pretty good. 'Specially with Tseng back at work again, too."

"How's _he_ handling the chaos?" she asked, and though her tone was teasing, Reno could hear the sincerity behind the question. He chuckled softly.

"Ya know... I _think_ he's actually enjoyin' it. Everyone _else_ is losin' their damn minds, but Tseng's calm as can be..."

"Typical," Viridia laughed. Before long, they reached the hanger, and the redhead hung back, watching as the lieutenant commander's security personnel unloaded the cargo, stacking it neatly at one end of the large building. Reno shook his head. Even with two more trips, the weren't going to fill a fraction of the space. But then... if it was _also_ going to be their temporary command center, he supposed they'd eventually put it to good use.

Truth be told, he was kind of looking forward to this. This was definitely the biggest mission _he'd_ ever been personally involved in. It was going to be a hell of a challenge, even with the whole team literally dropping everything just to focus on the events in Junon in two days' time. There were dozens, maybe hundreds, of moving parts, and a screw up could literally mean the difference between life and death if the worse happened and shit really hit the fans. Weirdly enough... he wasn't worried.

Or, maybe it would be more accurate to say that he wasn't worried about being the one to fuck everything up for once. He wasn't about to let himself get _too_ complacent. But he felt a confidence that until recently had been largely foreign to him. And it wasn't just because of the promotion. It was because of everything leading _up_ to the promotion. He hadn't just proven himself capable to Tseng and to Veld and to the rest of the team. He'd proven himself capable to himself, as well.

"Alright," said Viridia, "I think that'll do it."

"Heh... great. See ya in an hour and a half with the next batch," the redhead replied with a grin. "Come on, Rod... let's get goin' before Tseng starts wonderin' where we are."

* * *

By the time he and Rodney had returned from their third, and final, Junon run of the morning, Reno was getting more than a little sick of his co-pilot. Rod had been snappish and borderline belligerent the whole time... and the redhead had, sometime around their second flight _back_ from the military base, determined that the rookie, in addition to inexplicably advocating for mass executions in Wutai, was ticked off at _him_ specifically for some reason. He hadn't come right out and said so, but he'd made more than a few not-so-subtle remarks that had led Reno in that general direction.

It was no secret that Rodney wasn't exactly his biggest fan. He'd been pushing him practically since the first moment they'd met. But something had caused him to up his game... and the only significant change Reno could think of was his promotion... though he didn't know why the rookie would be pissed about _that_. But if that _wasn't_ the reason for his attitude towards the Turk today, he didn't have the first clue what it might be.

He knew someone who might, though. Cissnei knew the guy better than any of them. Maybe she had the inside scoop on this one.

As they landed once again on top of the Shinra Building, Reno spotted Rude and Tres there, apparently waiting for them. They headed straight over as soon as the helicopter was on its landing pad, and Tres hauled open the door, climbing inside.

"The rookie can go report for his next assignment, but don't _you_ get in any hurry to go anywhere, Red," he said, as Reno turned to ask him what was up. "You got one more delivery to make."

Reno raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "So what's the cargo?" he asked, noting that the senior Turk was empty-handed.

"Us," Tres replied, grabbing a bag the redhead hadn't noticed his friend holding for his mentor and tossing it into the back. Rude pulled himself into the helicopter and Reno saw that he had one, as well. "Me 'n Rude are goin' on to Junon to get a head start on gettin' the extra surveillance set up."

Rodney released his harness and squeezed past the two men without comment, leaving them to their ride, and headed back into the building as Rude took his place in the co-pilot's seat.

"Man... how come _I_ get stuck haulin' your sorry asses around?" Reno joked as he flipped the switch for the engines.

"Last promoted, first tapped for the shit jobs that are too much for the rookies to handle," Tres replied with a smirk, "Enjoy it, Rude... you get to skip over _that_ little right of passage, thanks to your friend here."

"Hey Tres... Anyone even tell ya you're an asshole?" Reno shot back, snickering. Tres grinned widely in response.

"Only everyone who's ever met me, kid."

* * *

Cissnei hurried down the hallway in search of Shay. She eventually found him pouring over a set of blueprints with Saya and Remy in one of the meeting rooms.

"We should really cover the entry elevator better," Remy opined. "It's a the base's weakest point by far, and one squad just isn't going to be enough."

"Enough fer what?" Saya asked, "Enough ta stop the entire bloody Wutaiian army? Aye, it's a weak point, but yeh can only cram so many people on board at one time... 'n we're puttin' guards top 'n bottom. That'll take care 'o things. Keep in mind... with this Titan-be-damned parade, we're goin' ta have ta cover half the bloody city... which isnae goin' ta be easy with the President wantin' the troops ta march with 'im 'n stand in formation durin' the speech 'n signin'. Security personnel's gonna be stretched a wee bit thin as it is."

Remy scowled but conceded the point.

"Um... excuse me?" Cissnei quietly broke in, during the lull in conversation. The three Turks glanced up from their planning. "Sorry to interrupt. Shay, Veld needs your help for a few minutes. He's in his office."

The senior Turk nodded. "Alright. I'll be right there."

Her message delivered, Cissnei withdrew from the room, and set off to fulfill her next task... Seeing to the sleeping quarters. No one was going home any time soon, and while several Turks were going to be in Junon by the end of the day, at least some of them would be spending the night at the office. As she made her way towards them, the elevator pinged, and a familiar face stepped into the hall.

"Hey, Rod," she said with a warm smile.

"Hey."

Cissnei rolled her eyes. " _Now_ what?" she queried. She recognized that tone. He was annoyed at something.

"You know... it's bad _enough_ he gets promoted ahead of me. Now I've had to spend my entire morning listening to that asshole telling me I'm wrong every time I open my mouth," he groused. "Stupid slum rat thinks he knows everything now that he's a full Turk."

"Oh, not _this_ again. Will you just let it go already? Reno was _always_ going to be promoted before either of us. He was a rookie longer."

Rodney shook his head. "Yeah, well... that doesn't give him the right to have a fat head about it. Someone ought to knock him down a peg or two. He's nothing special. If _I_ happened to randomly stumble into every damn anti-Shinra plot in existence, _I'd_ look pretty good, too."

"Seriously? Now you're blaming him for having good timing?" Cissnei sighed.

"You just don't get it, Cissy..."

"No... I _do_ get it. You're jealous. But you _need_ to let it go, because honestly, your attitude is making _you_ look bad. We're a team, Rod. We need to be able to work together, no matter what."

"I only have to _work_ with him, Cissy. I don't have to _like_ him," Rodney replied, sourly. With that, he strode away from her to, she assumed, get his next assignment. Cissnei sighed and shook her head.

She genuinely liked Rodney. He'd been a good friend to her while they were in the recruitment program, and she hated seeing him like this. What was more, she understood _why_ he was the way he was sometimes. His childhood hadn't been the greatest, after all, with his father constantly pushing him to be the best of the best, and accepting no excuses for failure. But she couldn't help but think that he was ultimately going to end up sabotaging himself with his misplaced aggression towards Reno... and if he refused to listen to reason, there wasn't much _she_ could do about it.

* * *

"Send him in," Rufus replied to the intercom on his desk, cursing his new secretary for at least the eleventh time that morning. He was nowhere _near_ as competent as the old one... but he could hardly hire _her_ back, now. The slum rat has seen to that quite effectively... and though he would have much preferred to have a decent receptionist, he'd very quickly learned that having the Turks available at any and all times was far more important... even when said Turk happened to be that particular red-haired pain in his backside.

His office door opened and he relaxed as Tseng walked in.

"Ah... I was beginning to think I'd been forgotten," he said by way of greeting. Tseng was supposed to have been there almost half an hour ago.

"I'm sorry for the delay, sir. We've been quite busy with the Junon preparations."

Rufus waved it off. "No matter. I assume you have my itinerary?"

"A revised draft, yes," the Wutaiian Turk replied, handing him a sheet of paper. "It should be finalized by early tomorrow afternoon... so if you have any additional requests, please make them soon. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we expect that you and your father will arrive in Junon the evening before the festivities around eight o'clock. You'll be escorted to quarters in the administration building, and the usual guards will be posted. Godo and his retinue will arrive early the following morning, shortly before the vetted members of the general public are allowed in, at which point your security will increase and your personal escort will take over. The parade will be commencing at nine a.m., followed by your father's speech, a brief military demonstration, and the treaty signing."

The vice president snorted derisively as he read over the schedule. "My security detail is being headed by the slum rat, I see..."

"Yes, sir," Tseng replied, and Rufus was quite certain he detected the hint of a smirk on the man's face.

"Hmph... _wonderful_ ," he muttered, "Though I suppose it could be worse. I _could_ be stuck with that Mideelian lunatic all day... Ramuh only knows what _he_ might put me through. So. Are the rumors true? Have you really promoted that little miscreant of yours?"

"I have indeed, sir," the Turk lieutenant chuckled, "I think he's earned it, don't you?"

Rufus rolled his eyes. "I will admit... he's not as utterly hopeless as I thought he was the first time I met him."

"Sir, the first time you met him, you attempted to drown him and ended up going for a swim yourself."

" _We do not speak of that incident_..." the Shinra heir hissed through gritted teeth, feeling an uncomfortable heat rising in his cheeks as he glowered at the Turk. That... had not been one of his _finer_ moments, admittedly. But how in Ramuh's name was _he_ supposed to have known that the bastard couldn't swim? And how _dare_ the slum rat drag _him_ in, as well?! Still... he preferred to simply pretend it had never happened. To do otherwise would require an admission of guilt on his part, and that was _certainly_ not going to happen.

"Of course, sir," Tseng responded with a slight smile, and ignoring the fact that the younger man had brought it up first. "In any case, Reno will be seeing to your safety. Please remember that his job is to protect you, and he cannot do that if you refuse to listen to him. As such, I expect you to do as you're asked."

"Yes, yes... I know," Rufus said dismissively. "Though I hardly think I'll be in any significant danger in _Junon_ of all places. Particularly given the cessation of hostilities."

Tseng's eyebrow rose. "Normally, I'm forced to lecture you for a good ten minutes before you agree to abide by your security detail when I'm not on it."

"As irritating as your protege _is_ – and he is _extremely_ irritating – he's also extremely capable." Rufus glanced away for a moment. "I... despise acknowledging that I may have been in the wrong. But after the events of the past month or so, I don't seem to have a choice. I'm not invincible. There _are_ people out there who wish to do me harm."

" _Finally_..." the Turk breathed, and Rufus looked up at him from his desk, annoyed.

"And just what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Tseng shook his head and chuckled. "Just that I have been trying to drill that into you for, quite literally, years now, and I am very grateful it's finally sunk in."

"Don't you have planning to see to?" Rufus groaned. He had _indeed_ been enduring the man's constant nagging about safety measures for nearly a decade. Tseng only laughed quietly at his response.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Though I _am_ free for lunch, if you'd care to join me. That is, if you don't mind me bringing along the parade route map to work on while I eat."

"I was under the impression Heidegger had been assigned that job."

"He seems to have delegated it to the Turks, sir," the Turk lieutenant replied. Rufus rolled his eyes.

"Typical. What my father sees in that lazy, self-absorbed moron is beyond me. Fine, then. Bring it with you if you must. Perhaps I'll have some suggestions for you."

Actually, he had _several_ suggestions. To be honest, Rufus rather enjoyed parades...

~end of chapter 95~


	96. Preparations

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 96: Preparations**

 **by Desha**

Reno woke to the sound of an alarm blaring in his ear. He groaned loudly – though the sound seemed to be drowned out by the noise – and forced himself upright in bed as he groped blindly for the source of his rude awakening. Finally, his fingers encountered the rigid plastic box next to the bed. He swatted the button on top in supreme irritation, silencing the damned thing.

"Ugh..." he muttered, rubbing his eyes for a moment before finally deigning to actually open them. "Too fuckin' _early_..."

But he didn't have the luxury of sleeping in today. He yawned and swung his legs over the side of the bed, dragging himself to his feet, and stretched in the limited space of his tiny room. He dressed quickly and headed out into the hallway where he came dangerously close to walking directly into Veld.

"I can't tell if you're awake or merely sleepwalking," the Turk leader chuckled, eyeing the sleepy Turk.

"Yeah well... I can't either, yet. Please tell me there's coffee."

"Made it myself," Veld replied, and Reno almost cringed. Veld's idea of coffee bordered on undrinkable. Even by _his_ standards. But he'd always managed to get it down before. He could do it again, if he had to. He _needed_ the caffeine. The redhead nodded and left him behind as he meandered his way into the lounge, where he found the pot of coffee and poured himself a cup. As he was trying his best to cover the bitter flavor with a metric ton of sugar, the door opened behind him.

"Don't," a voice said. Bewildered, he turned, and in his still-not-fully-awake state was decidedly confused when the mug was removed from his grasp and replaced with a large styrofoam cup bearing the logo of one of the city's more popular coffee chains.

"... I think I'm in love with you, Remy," he said as realization dawned, grinning widely at her. The senior Turk snickered and pointedly set aside the purloined mug before setting a cardboard tray containing three additional cups next to the coffee maker.

"I never realized just how easily bought your affection really _is_ ," she said teasingly.

"Really?" he asked, eyebrows rising in mock surprise, "'Cause you got me into _bed_ with ya not all that long ago and it only cost ya a few drinks..."

" _Reno!_ " she hissed in hushed whisper.

"What? Not like anyone's around to overhear me," he laughed. "Veld was headin' for his office when I saw him a minute ago 'n everyone _else_ is already in Junon."

It was true. The others had all been dispatched to the military base sporadically over the course of yesterday, with Tseng leaving last, quite late. Only Veld and the presidential and vice presidential security details remained in Midgar. They'd be tying up whatever loose ends remained at headquarters, and then escorting President Shinra and Rufus to Junon that evening.

"Reno..." she intoned, warningly.

"Yeah, yeah... I know. I promised ya I'd keep my mouth shut, 'n I will. But I'm not gonna pretend it didn't happen," he replied, and then smirked. "Uh... ya know, just for the record, I _am_ eighteen now _and_ I'm not a rookie anymore. So... just throwin' that out there."

Remy rolled her eyes. "Keep it up and I'm dumping _all_ of this coffee down the nearest drain. You can go right back to drinking Veld's caffeinated mud."

"Heh... and people accuse _me_ of not bein' a mornin' person," he joked before taking a long sip of his drink. He glanced up at her, and smiled warmly. "Serious 'bout that, though. I mean... it wouldn't have ta be like a relationship kinda thing. Not really into all that commitment bullshit, anyway. But... if you're ever in the mood 'n want someone ta keep ya warm... I'm available. And _legal_ now."

"Look, Reno, you're very sweet, but..."

"Hey, ya don't have to let me down gently or anything," the redhead snickered, cutting her off. "You're not gonna hurt my feelin's if you say no. Just... ya know... keep me in mind, huh? I had a good time with you. So... yeah. Free, no strings attached sex, if ya ever want it. Just ask."

Remy reached out and trailed her fingers along his cheek, and the younger Turk leaned into the gentle caress, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Stop it. I haven't had nearly enough sleep _or_ enough coffee to properly ignore that level of temptation yet this morning..." she said, teasingly.

Reno grinned widely back at her.

"That didn't exactly sound like a 'no'..." he replied.

"Drink your coffee. We have long day ahead of us," the senior Turk sighed before beating a hasty retreat out of the lounge.

"Still didn't sound like a 'no'!" he called after her. He received no further reply, so he finished off the first cup of coffee and moved on to the second.

It wasn't exactly a 'yes', either... and he wouldn't keep bugging her about it, since he was pretty sure Remy was still more than a little embarrassed by the whole drunken one night stand thing. But he definitelywasn't gonna turn her down if she ever decided to take him up on the offer. They'd had a hell of a lot of fun drunk. He could only imagine what it would be like if they were both sober next time.

* * *

Tseng woke to the not at all unpleasant sensation of fingers gently toying with his hair. He smiled and opened his eyes.

"What would I have to do to convince you to come and wake me like this _every_ morning?" he queried. Viridia leaned over and kissed him.

"Oh... just tender your resignation, move to Junon, and give up everything you've worked so hard for in Midgar," she giggled. "Come on... Time to get up. Your Turks are waiting for you."

" _Most_ of my Turks are likely still in the process of dragging themselves out of bed at this hour. And at least one of them is almost certainly in severe caffeine withdrawal. Hopefully, Veld remembers to make coffee, or Reno will be dead on his feet all morning back in Midgar," he replied, chuckling. 

"Well... get up anyway," Viridia prodded. "We've both got a long day ahead of us, and as much as I enjoy having you in my bed, the sooner we get started, the better."

* * *

"Mmm..."

Tres leaned back against the wall, taking a long, drawn-out drag off his cigarette, before flicking the ashes into the morning breeze and slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke. He smiled slightly. Nothing like the first cig of the morning.

"You _do_ know that's against base regulations, don't you?" a voice to his right queried.

"Hmph... You lecturin' _me_ on the rules, now, Mr. Former-Rookie?" he snickered, taking another drag and turning to face his protege.

"... Lieutenant Commander Nacelle isn't going to like that," Rude replied, as he stepped out onto the balcony alongside his mentor. Tres rolled his eyes.

" _Only_ if the she-demon of Junon finds out about it. You gonna rat me out?"

Rude shrugged. "Don't have to," he said, nodding to the ground below. As if on cue, a shrill voice shouted back at him.

"Tres Descartes! Smoking is prohibited in the administrative building! Put that out immediately!"

"Ah, hell..." the older man groaned, as he zeroed in on not only the lieutenant commander, but her favorite Turk as well. He hurriedly stubbed the cigarette out against the wall, and turned to Rude. "Ya coulda warned me, ya know..."

"I did," Rude smirked, "Not my fault you ignored me."

"... What'd I tell ya the other day 'bout bein' a smartass?" Tres grumbled, "Come on... get your ass movin'. If Tseng 'n Viridia are up and headin' to work, we damn well better be, too."

The pair slipped back inside, and hurried off to the elevators. Tres had hoped for a quick exit before they crossed paths a second time, but it wasn't to be. The elevator arrived on the first floor, and he was greeted by an annoyed scowl. Viridia stood in front of the doors as they opened, arms crossed, glaring at the Turk.

"For Ifrit's sake, woman... I put it out, alright?"

"Hmph," she snorted in reply. "How many times do I have to remind you of the smoking ban in administrative quarters? People have to sleep here, and no one wants to wake up to that smell."

"I wasn't _in_ the administrative quarters. I was _out_ on the balcony," Tres countered. Viridia narrowed her eyes. "Tch... Fine. Message received."

"Mmhmm... The next time I catch you, you'll be spending the afternoon in the brig, presidential visit or no." With that, she slid past him, stepping aboard the elevator herself, as Tseng trailed along behind her. Tres elbowed the Turk lieutenant as he passed.

"Just who's side're you on here?" he asked, only half serious. Tseng raised an eyebrow, stepping into the elevator car.

"At the moment? Hers. You're well aware of the rules." The doors closed before Tres could reply, so instead he settled for swearing under his breath.

"Pussy-whipped... that's what he is," he muttered, and then quickly remembered that he wasn't alone. He turned to Rude. "And don't _you_ go repeatin' that. Pussy-whipped or not, he'd still kick _my_ ass for sayin' so."

Rude laughed and shook his head. "Maybe we should go finish those upgrades before you get yourself into _real_ trouble."

Tres flipped him off and started towards the base cafeteria. "Fuck that. I'm not doin' shit on an empty stomach 'n neither are you. Breakfast first, _then_ we'll finish up."

Rude quickly fell into step beside him, and the two Turks made their way towards the crowded mess hall. Tres groaned when he saw the line, but grabbed a tray and joined the queue anyway. Fuckin' day _always_ started too goddamn early on the military base. At least they were efficient. There were easily fifty people ahead of them, but Junon had food service down to an art form. It was too bad they weren't quite as diligent when it came to food _quality_... though even there, they were still better than the Shinra Building's crapateria. A short wait later, his tray had been filled with scrambled eggs, a biscuit dripping with some sort of sausage gravy, fried potatoes, and what looked like orange slices that had been haphazardly peeled and left sitting out overnight.

"Heh... nothin' like a gourmet breakfast, eh, Rude?" he chuckled, seeing the expression on his protege's face.

"And this is _nothing_ like a gourmet breakfast," the younger Turk deadpanned. Tres laughed and led him over to a quiet table in the back corner of the hall.

"Your spoiled as all hell, ya know that, right?" he said, grinning. "All that fancy cookin' you do, you've forgotten how us commoners are _s'posed_ ta eat."

Rude cracked a smile and sat down. Tres took a seat across from him, and picked up his fork.

"Don't get me wrong... you can _cook_ ," he added, snickering. "Ya just forget what normal food tastes like when you're living off high-end shit like that."

"Missing the days of boiled cripshay?" Rude teased. The senior Turk nearly choked, before laughing out loud.

"Oh, _hell_ no... I was never quite _that_ bad off, even _before_ I took up with Corneo," he finally managed. "You gotta be _desperate_ to eat those little garbage sniffers. Hear they don't _taste_ so terrible, but you ever _smelled_ the damn things? 'Bout makes ya sick if you're not expectin' it. And don't even get me started on what _they_ eat."

"... Reno said _he_ ate them."

"Mmm... wouldn't surprise me. Two's always been a real shithole. Ya eat what's available... and if cripshays are what's available, cripshays are what's on the menu. Don't mean they're _anyone's_ first choice for a meal, kid."

"... Can I ask you something about the slums?"

"Nothin' stoppin' ya..." Tres shrugged.

"I was talking to Reno they other day while we were down below. Asked him if things had always been so bad down there. He said it was actually _better_ now than it was when he was a kid... at least in some ways."

"There a question in there?" the other Turk prodded. He had a feeling he knew what the kid was getting at, but he wasn't gonna give him a free pass on this on. If he wanted to know, he was damn well gonna ask.

"How did things end up so awful?" Rude finally replied, "I can't even _picture_ things being worse than they are now..."

Tres sighed. "That's what happens when ya let hopelessness run rampant. But... well, look, I'm not gonna say livin' down in the slums has ever been a cakewalk, but the redhead's got kind of a skewed view of things. Not _his_ fault, by any means. He grew up in the absolute worst of it, and hasn't really been _out_ all that long. Hell, I'm goddamn impressed he turned out as stable 'n well-adjusted as he _is_ , all things considered. When Tseng told us where he found 'im, I thought for sure trainin' that kid was gonna be a lost cause. At best, I was expectin' a thug who wouldn't like takin' orders... at worst, a junkie we'd have ta get clean before we could even start workin' on him," he replied, and then laughed again, " _Definitely_ didn't have 'im pegged as the little ball of sunshine he is. Which just goes ta show ya... not even those of us who grew up down below know _everything_ 'bout that place."

He snuck another cigarette out of his pocket and lit it, inhaling deeply.

"But to answer your question... it got that bad 'cause we fuckin' _let_ it. Fucked up as it sounds, it's to Shinra's benefit to have a lower class. They'll work for shit wages, they're too poor to constitute any _real_ threat to the company, and they're grateful for whatever we decide to give 'em... 'n of course no one _wants_ to live down there if they got a choice in the matter. Give's 'em somethin' to strive for. Fact is, the Slums are just what's left after decades of poverty, hunger, and no goddamn sunlight, courtesy of the Plate."

"But... why do so many people stay there? It's not as if they're being held prisoner."

Tres snorted softly. "Ya think so, huh, kid? Where the hell would they go? Plate's too expensive for all but a lucky few, 'n Kalm sure as hell ain't got room for 'em all. Think they're just gonna head on out into the plains 'n build a new city for themselves? Might not be _actual_ prisoners... but they're plenty trapped down there. Ask the redhead. Kid like him, I bet gettin' outta that shithole was his lifelong goddamn dream."

"... It was," Rude acknowledged. Tres nodded in understanding.

"Probably never really thought he'd actually manage to _do_ it, either. Somethin' like that... it's _just_ a dream for most people down there. Hell... I actually had it pretty _good_ by slum standards, and even _I_ didn't hesitate when Veld turned up lookin' to recruit me. I knew _exactly_ what movin' to the Plate meant for me," he replied, "Heh... well... _and_ I was fuckin' sick 'n tired of takin' orders from Corneo. Don't care _how_ much that asshole paid. Wasn't worth it."

"What _did_ you do for Corneo, anyway?" the younger Turk queried. "You've never actually told me."

"Tch... whatever the hell he told me to. Roughed up jackasses lookin' to rip him off, spied on the competition, shook down people who owed him money 'n blackmailed more than a few of 'em, coerced the shopkeeps to do business exclusively with his network... kept people scared of him. Mostly went around makin' a lot of people miserable so Corneo 'n his goons could keep livin' the high life, me included. Just didn't sit right with me after awhile. Granted, us Turks get into some pretty shady shit, too... but Corneo 'n his ilk are just plain scum. No loyalty, no honor."

It had been a girl that had been the last straw for _him_ , though. She'd wanted out of her contract. Demanded it. Tried a couple times to run off, but always got caught and dragged back to Wall Market. Corneo wasn't about to lose one of his most popular pieces of meat without taking his pound of flesh first. On her last attempt at flight, he'd sent Tres after her... ordered him to bring her back to his mansion. To the basement. Tres hadn't stuck around to watch, but he could hear her screams echoing through the whole house for hours. Eventually they'd stopped. Corneo had ordered him to clean up the mess and toss her into the gutter where she belonged. He'd never seen someone so simultaneously terrified and grateful as he had when he'd thrown her out of the place. She was a mess and in obvious pain... but she was free of her contract.

Suffice it to say, when Veld had turned up and made him an offer a couple weeks later, he hadn't even had to think about it. It had been worth taking the pay cut to be able to look at himself in the mirror every morning without feeling disgusted.

"Anyway... we got a lot of shit left to do today," he continued, shaking himself from the memory. "If we're gonna have any hope of gettin' it done on time, we're gonna have to split up. I'll pick up where we left off with the cameras last night. You go down to the far end of the parade route 'n start workin' your way back towards me. Hopefully, we'll have 'em all connected by lunch 'n runnin' by dinner."

Rude grinned. "Bet I can finish my end before _you're_ even halfway done."

"Heh... Yeah? You're on, smartass. Loser buys dinner tonight. Down in _lower_ Junon... no more of this mess hall shit."

* * *

Reno knocked on Veld's door some time later. The coffee had done its job, and he and Remy had already made some decent progress on their remaining tasks... but there was something he still had to take care of.

"Come in," the Turk leader called out. The redhead stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

"Hey... ya got a minute, sir?" he asked, as Veld looked up at him.

"A minute is about _all_ I have a the moment. What is it?"

Reno frowned and took a seat in front of the Turk leader's desk.

"I was gonna talk to Tseng about it yesterday... but he left for Junon before I got the chance. I think somethin's up with Rodney."

Veld shuffled several papers aside and leaned forward, elbows resting onto of the desk as he steepled his fingers in front of him.

"Go on..."

Reno rubbed the back of his head, trying to decide where to start. "Maybe I'm way off base here... but... some of the shit he was talkin' about yesterday... It was weird. He spent almost the whole time we were in the air goin' back 'n forth from Junon sayin' how Shinra shouldn't be signin' a treaty with Wutai. We should be destroyin' their troops and takin' over the country."

"... I can understand how that might be a bit of an uncomfortable conversation."

"Yeah... but it was more than that. I kinda got the feeling that maybe those weren't entirely _his_ ideas. Like it was somethin' he heard somewhere else 'n was... I dunno. Maybe tryin' to get me to validate it by agreein' with him or some shit. Or maybe by _not_ agreein' with it, since he seems to think everything I do or say is wrong. Like I said. It was weird. I mean, no secret him 'n me don't get along so great, but I'm kinda worried about him. He's been a little... ya know... _off_ lately."

"I see..." Veld replied, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Anyway... after that whole thing with Hojo, you said I damn well better tell ya if I was ever threatened again immediately. Guess it wasn't technically a threat against _me_ this time... but... I'm tellin' ya."

Veld nodded. "Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I'll speak with Rodney when we arrive in Junon this evening. Have you and Remy finished with the presidential itinerary yet?"

"Presidential... yeah. _Vice_ presidential, not so much. Rufus just put in a request... by which I'm pretty sure he meant _demand_. He wants a tour of some new airship they're buildin', so we gotta shoehorn _that_ shit in now..." he replied, supremely annoyed by the new addition to the schedule. They'd had everything planned down to the minute... It had been perfect. And then Rufus had thrown a wrench into the works.

"Ah... the Highwind," Veld chuckled. "Yes, Tseng _did_ mention the vice president was a bit... eager... to get a first hand look at it, even though it's still in the very early stages of construction. Can you make it work with the rest of his day?"

"We're gonna have to shift some other stuff around 'n maybe skip the reactor tour, but yeah, I think so."

"Do your best. I doubt you'll get any sort of expression of appreciation, but it's always a good idea to try and accommodate the executives."

Reno snickered at the comment. "Yes, sir."

* * *

By mid-afternoon, the chaos had finally begun to fall in line, and Tseng was grateful for the break. It had been a very long couple of days, and they weren't out of the woods quite yet... but he could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Tres and Rude had completed their additions to the base's camera system. From their command center in the secure hanger, the Turks now had eyes all over upper Junon, from the parade route, to the main entry points, to the more obscure areas like the barracks and the tram. It was, perhaps, a bit overkill... but given everything that had happened recently, Tseng wasn't about to tell Tres he was being paranoid.

Particularly not with Fuhito and Istev still out there somewhere. Wutai may have surrendered, but those two were freelancers. What they might do was up for debate. With their paycheck cut off by the end of the war, it was likely that they would simply move on the their next client... but with both the president and the vice president in attendance tomorrow, no one wanted to risk making that assumption.

Sato, with some help from his cousin and some of Viridia's security guards, had swept the city for explosives. Twice.

Kai was overseeing parade security and crowd control, and Shay was overseeing the rookies as they put the finishing touches on their command center. In another few hours, they would be as ready as they possibly _could_ be... which was fortunate, because in another few hours, The remaining Turks would be arriving with President Shinra and Rufus. It was, as Kai would say, about to get real.

* * *

"Oof! Rodney, give me a hand with this, will you?" Cissnei called down to her fellow rookie from her perch halfway up a tall set of scaffolding. They'd been working all morning, and needed another power run for Tres' monitors, but the cables were bulky and less than cooperative. She'd initially thought she could manage on her own but it had quickly become a two person job... and Shay had gone off in search of more tables.

The other rookie set aside the what he was working on and crossed the hanger, hoisting himself up to just below her position and taking some of the weight.

"You know you _could_ just drop the damn thing," he replied, "It's only cabling."

Cissnei sighed. "Would you stop being such a grump and just help me get it down? I'm hungry. I want to get this finished and go get some lunch."

"Fine..." Rodney muttered, helping her ease the bundle of cable off of the platform and down to the hanger floor. Cissnei hurriedly climbed down to assist with the last leg of the descent. "You know... this whole treaty signing is just one big dog and pony show. We trounced Wutai. Why the hell are we letting them save face like this? It would be so _easy_ to just occupy the country and take what we want. They have it coming after what they pulled."

Cissnei finally wrangled the cabling down and breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced back up at Rodney.

"Ugh... you've been talking to your dad again, haven't you?" she said, shaking her head.

"Well, he's right, you know. Wutai is nothing compared to the Shinra army. Why are we letting _them_ dictate peace terms?"

"We're _not_ ," Cissnei replied, hoisting the cable over her shoulder. "We _negotiated_ terms that suit the interests of _both_ parties. Shinra isn't interested in occupation. There's no profit in having to run – and defend – an entire country. They just want Wutai to stop fighting them on the reactor construction."

"They _killed_ Luca, Cissy!" Rodney growled. "And in case it's slipped your mind, they _almost_ killed you, too. More than once. Tseng's sister is dead because of them, and Tseng himself is still kind of a mess. Not to mention all the people hurt and killed in their attacks on Midgar. When do _they_ get retribution?!"

Cissnei sighed. "Rod... It has to _end_ somewhere. If we take retribution for what they did, they'll come after us again for it. And then we'll go looking for revenge over _their_ revenge. At some point, someone _has_ to say 'no more'... or the fighting and killing will just go on and on forever. Is that really what you want? Do you think that's what _Luca_ would want? Or Mayu?"

Rodney was silent for several seconds, and for a moment, she thought he was finally starting to see things her way, rather than, she could only assume, through his father's logic. But then he scowled.

"And when the bastards decide that the treaty isn't enough and double cross us, what then?" he said, coldly, shoving the rest of the cabling into her hands. With that, he stormed off, leaving the hanger, and Cissnei, behind.

"Rod!" she called after him, but received no reply.

* * *

Reno stretched his arms up over his head until his shoulder gave its familiar crack. The executive helicopter – the new one, fresh off the assembly line in Junon – sat ready and waiting in the cool evening air... all they needed now were some executives to _put_ in it.

Rufus arrived first... No surprise there, really. The redhead had gotten the impression that the brat was actually looking _forward_ to this. Apparently, he had a thing for parades. At least, that's what Sato had told him yesterday. Truth be told, Reno was kind of excited himself. He'd never seen one in person... much less ridden in one, and as Rufus' security detail for the trip, that's exactly what he would be doing.

"I trust everything is ready to go?" Rufus inquired as he approached the helicopter.

"All set. We're leavin' soon as the President gets here."

The Shinra heir snorted softly. "Leave it to my father to keep me waiting when he's aware I actually _want_ to go for a change. You've seen to my tour of the Highwind's construction site?"

"Yes, sir," he replied. Rufus nodded.

"Excellent."

He slipped aboard the aircraft without any further conversation, leaving Reno slightly bewildered. Not a single insult? Hell, that parting "Excellent" had _almost_ been a compliment. Rufus really _must_ have been looking forward to this trip. This may have been the best mood the Turk had ever seen the young executive in.

He had little time to ponder it, however, as shortly after Rufus was aboard, Remy and Veld stepped out onto the roof of company headquarters with his father. They made their way over to the helipad. Veld was the first of the trio to reach him.

"Is Rufus here?"

"Got here right before you did," he replied, "Think he's more than ready to be airborne, sir."

"Good... Let's get going, then," the Turk leader replied. A moment later, he was showing the President onto the copter. The three Turks then hurried in behind him, taking their seats inside the plush, luxury aircraft, and Veld gave the pilot the order to take off.

Reno watched the roof drop away as the helicopter lifted into the sky. The sun was setting quickly, and it would almost certainly be dark by the time they reached Junon. Too bad, really... the city was goddamned impressive from the air. Not on the scale of Midgar, but still...

But there would be other chances to see it. Right now, his job was to keep Rufus from getting into any kind of trouble while they were there. Hopefully, that wouldn't prove _too_ difficult.

~end chapter 96~


	97. Preparations Complete

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 97: Preparations Complete**

 **by Desha**

Tres hadn't stopped grinning since he'd walked into the Turks' temporary command center. In fact, he was pretty sure his overly pleased expression remained firmly in place until Rude arrived fifteen minutes later, when he finally let out a loud laugh.

"Guess who owes me dinner!" he shouted across the echoy space. Rude sighed and shook his head, but smiled good-naturedly.

"A bet's a bet. Where are we going?" he chuckled. Cissnei glanced back and forth between the pair.

"What bet?" she asked, curious.

"Heh... This sucker bet me _he_ could finished settin' up 'fore _I_ did. And now... it's time to pay up," Tres replied, slapping the younger man on the back. "Care ta join us, rookie? _His_ treat..."

"... I don't remember the bet including me covering guests, too..." Rude pointed out.

"Hmph... Well, ya certainly can't expect a _lady_ to pay when she'd been invited out to dinner," Tres teased, "That's just plain unchivalrous."

Rude snickered in response. "You wanna come?" he asked, turning to the rookie, "Looks like I'm buying."

Cissnei giggled softly. "You don't have to," she laughed, "But, that being said, I _definitely_ wouldn't mind something other than mess hall chow tonight. Um... let me just go clean up a little."

Tres watched the rookie run off and then turned back to his protege, elbowing him in the side.

"Ya know... you could do a lot worse..." he chuckled. Rude's eyebrow rose from behind the dark lenses of his sunglasses and Tres was forced to roll his eyes. "Oh, come on... She's sweet on ya, kid. Has been practically since the day she walked into headquarters. You had to've noticed by _now_..."

"... I... might have gotten that impression."

Tres snorted loudly. "So... what? Not interested?"

"..."

"Don't tell me you're still pinin' after the one that _dumped_ your sorry ass..." he said, fixing him with an annoyed look.

"N-no... It's not that," the younger Turk said hurriedly, shaking his head in denial. "I'm over Margaret. It's just... we work together. What if... things didn't work out between us? My _last_ girlfriend hasn't even _spoken_ to me since we broke up."

Tres nodded in understanding. "Yeah... s'pose I can see that. Look... I'm not tryin' to push ya into anything. But she _does_ pretty obviously like ya. If you're not gonna take her up on the offer, it'd be a lot kinder to let her down gently then to just keep pretendin' you don't notice."

"... Yeah..." Rude replied, hesitantly. Tres laughed. He got the distinct impression that _that_ was the last thing his protege wanted to do. Rude was a bright kid and a good Turk, but when it came to women, he really _was_ kind of hopeless. Not that Tres had the best track record himself in that department.

"Well, ya don't gotta do anything about it _tonight_ ," he added, snickering loudly. His protege smiled shyly, and Tres grinned back at him. "But... uh... maybe take some time to give it a little more consideration before you make a decision one way or the other. No one understands a Turk like another Turk, after all. Might be that the love of your life's been starin' ya right in the face all this time. Wouldn't be the first time it's happened."

No... it certainly _wouldn't_ be the first time it had happened. He'd seen first hand how deeply in love Kai and Alyssa had been... and even though they'd lost Alyssa far too soon, he knew that Kai _still_ treasured the time they'd had together. Tseng, too, pussy-whipped as he was, was head over heals for Viridia, even if he wouldn't admit it. She wasn't _technically_ a Turk, but she could have been if she'd wanted it. Veld had made a valiant effort in that regard and as far as Tres was concerned, that counted.

Hell... if he thought it wouldn't likely end in him getting his balls ripped off, _he'd_ have tried making a move on Remy a long time ago. As much as they butted heads, he'd always admired how driven she was, and how she never gave up, even when things seemed to be falling apart around her. And it certainly didn't hurt that she was a bit of a looker, too. He'd never quite found the courage to go for it, though... Truth be told, he was probably the _last_ person Rude ought to be taking relationship advice from, now that he thought about it.

Fortunately, Cissnei chose that moment to return to them, grinning widely as she tied her hair back into a ponytail. Tres glanced over at Rude, who seemed to be watching her a bit more appraisingly than before.

"Alright, let's get a move on!" the senior Turk declared, turning to head out, "Hope you haven't spent all of that nice big raise ya just got yet, kid... 'cause I'm fuckin' starvin'!"

* * *

"Well, well, well... Look who _finally_ decided to show up and get some work done," a familiar voice greeted Reno as he exited the serving line in the base's mess hall later that evening, tray laden in food. He turned his head, searching out the source of the taunt.

"I'd hardly call it working. He's clearly just here to eat," a second commentator opined, and the redhead's gaze finally settled on a table in the corner. He grinned when he recognized Tseng and his dining companion, Viridia, and hurried over to them.

"Hey... I just spent the last hour and a half flyin' here with Rufus and then gettin' his royal pain in my ass settled into his quarters. I think I've earned a decent meal."

Tseng frowned slightly. "Have there been issues? I was under the impression Rufus was quite looking forward to this trip. He's usually a bit less... antagonistic... when he's not being forced into something."

Reno grinned and shook his head. "Nah... Nothing major. Actually, he hasn't been too bad at all today, really. Compared to normal, I mean. He even said somethin' that could _almost_ be classified as _nice_ to me earlier. Damn near fainted from shock..."

The Turk lieutenant chuckled and made a bit more room at the table for the younger man. Reno took a seat, setting his tray down in front of him, and wasted no time digging into his dinner.

"So... I miss anything interestin' 'round here?" he asked between bites.

"Nothing of consequence," said Tseng, "Though I've heard tell that Saya very nearly threw Sato off the end of the cannon earlier during their bomb sweep. Something about a prank that went unappreciated. It's secondhand hearsay, however... I'm afraid I've not yet been able to confirm the incident even happened."

"Oh, it happened, all right," Viridia interjected, "I got that report straight from one of my corporals, who saw the whole thing."

Reno snickered, wondering just what sort of trick the Mideelian had pulled _this_ time. Saya usually didn't put up with any of her cousin's crap. Son of a bitch was probably lucky to still be alive if he pranked her out on the cannon.

"But on the plus side..." Tseng continued, "at this point all security measures are in place, and _everything_ is on schedule."

"Heh... careful, Boss. You're gonna jinx us talkin' like _that_."

Viridia laughed. "He's right, you know. You're just _asking_ for something to go horribly wrong, saying that."

"Superstitious nonsense," Tseng said, dismissively... though, Reno noted, he very quickly changed the subject as he turned to Viridia, "Is it true they're taking bets on the length of President Shinra's speech in the officers' barracks?"

The lieutenant commander smirked. "Absolutely not. Gambling is strictly prohibited in the barracks."

Reno snorted softly as he plowed through a pile of mashed potatoes. "So what kinda odds are they givin'?"

"Twenty to one it only goes on for half an hour. Seven to one he hits the two hour mark and calls it a day. The captain's got a hundred gil riding on him making it to two hours, fifteen minutes. Even at only three to one odds, it would make for a nice little payout."

"Hmph... strictly prohibited, eh?" Tseng chuckled.

" _Absolutely_. In the barracks," she replied, grinning, "Of course, I can hardly police what the ranks get up to off-base..."

"That why everyone else is missin' in action instead of eatin' tonight?" Reno snickered.

"It's entirely possible. _Sato_ , at the very least, will certainly be placing a wager or two, and he'll probably drag Shay along, as well, in the hopes of securing financing for a larger bet..." the Turk lieutenant said with a shake of his head. "It's _very_ fortunate that Shay doesn't typically gamble. He's terrible at it." The redhead smirked and went back to his dinner... and as he did so, couldn't help but think how much more like his old self Tseng seemed lately. Whatever the hell Veld and Ward and whoever else had been involved were doing... it was working. He couldn't quite put it into words, but Reno could see the change in him.

And he was _glad_ to see it. He'd been worried. Worried that his mentor would slip back into the black mood he'd fallen into after Mayu had died. Worried that, if it happened again, he might not be able to climb back out this time. Worried that... he might _still_ lose the closest thing to a parent he'd had since he was scrawny little five year old in the slums. It was a relief seeing him like this.

"In any case... as you and Remy are assigned exclusively to the executive security details, I've decided to exempt you from overnight surveillance duty," Tseng continued. "I expect you to use that time to ensure you're well-rested for tomorrow."

"Heh... In other words, stay the hell outta the bar," the redhead translated, laughing.

"I actually meant that you should go to bed at a reasonable hour tonight," the Turk lieutenant replied, before fixing him with a stern look, "But now that you've brought it up, I'll amend that with stay _out_ of the bar."

"You know," Viridia chimed in, teasingly, " _I_ was under the impression that he'd graduated from being your rookie. Do you even still have the authority to enforce bedtime and sobriety?"

"Old habits die hard," a familiar voice answered as Veld, having at last made his way through the serving line, strolled towards the little group. "Especially for over-protective mentors. Just ask Tseng how long it took _me_ to finally stop pestering him about his savings..."

"You stopped?" Tseng shot back, arching an eyebrow, "When was that, exactly... ?"

Veld chuckled and took a seat next to his second in command. "Well... I'm much _better_ about refraining these days, anyway."

The reply brought a round of snickers from the others. Truth be told... Reno didn't really mind when Tseng made little comments like that, though. No one but his mother had ever bothered when he'd been a kid, that was for sure. Little reminders that someone cared enough to nag you about silly things like getting enough sleep or not spending all of your gil on junk you didn't need were oddly comforting.

"So," he asked, redirecting the conversation back to the previous subject, "What's with the surveillance duty, anyway? I thought Junon was a fuckin' fortress."

"It _is_ ," Viridia firmly declared, "but I suppose a little paranoia never hurt anyone." She looked pointedly over at Veld. "I'm _certainly_ not taking it as a slight against my security personnel," she teased.

"Considering the recent incidents involving Rufus, we're simply not taking any chances. Shinra and Wutai may be at peace, but any time the President makes a public appearance there's a risk. Especially when it's as well-publicized and highly attended as this signing," said Veld, "There's also the little matter of our mercenary acquaintances still being on the loose... though they've likely moved on to other contracts by now."

"Tres has organized duty shifts to keep an eye on his camera network and to supplement the normal base security patrols. Kai and myself have the dubious pleasure of taking first shift," Tseng added, and glanced down at his watch, "... which I should be leaving for, actually. I'll see you all in the morning."

Viridia smiled. "I'll walk you, then. I need to check in with command, anyway."

With that, the pair stood, and Reno gave them a quick wave before they headed out, leaving the remaining two Turks to their own devices. Veld, meanwhile, started in on his own meal.

"Before youopt to take your mentor's advice and turn in for the evening," he said, nodding at the redhead, "... there's one last item you, Remy, and I need to go over. _Should_ something occur at any point tomorrow that requires the quick removal of the President and Vice President, we have primary and secondary escape routes planned out. I'd like to do a physical walk through tonight and again first thing in the morning."

"Sounds good to me, sir," the redhead replied. The two Turks fell into a brief silence as conversation took a back seat to hunger. It was Reno who broke it a moment later. "You ever get the chance to talk to Rodney?"

Veld shook his head, and swallowed the bite of roast pork he'd taken.

"Not yet... Unfortunately, I was detained by the President before I could catch up to him. But I _will_ speak to him. The more I've thought about your concerns, the more interested I am in knowing just where those ideas might be coming from. I don't much care for the thought of someone feeding my rookies propaganda behind my back," the Turk leader responded, and Reno heard a definite note of irritation in his voice.

* * *

A few hours later, Tseng glanced away from the monitors for a moment and yawned. The busy day seemed to finally be catching up to him, and even though he'd had _far_ later nights as a Turk over the years, he was ready to get some sleep. Thankfully, his shift was nearly over. Rodney and Shay would be arriving to relieve him shortly, and he could finally head off to bed.

Hopefully, Reno had taken his advice and turned in early. He wouldn't have time for a break tomorrow. As the vice president's security detail, he would need to be alert and focused until the day's events concluded and the executives were safely on their way back to Midgar. He smiled slightly at the thought. Veld hadn't needed any convincing to put Reno on that assignment. It was a testament to just how far his rookie – _former_ rookie, he quickly reminded himself – had come. Tseng had had a hand in training any number of new Turks, but Veld had been right when he'd told him that a First Rookie would be very, _very_ different.

Some slight movement on one of the video monitors caught his eye, and he looked up just in time to spot Kai as she drifted past the camera outside of their secure hanger. The Turk lieutenant sat up straighter in his chair as he heard the soft ping of the electronic lock, followed by the sound of the door opening and her footsteps heading toward him.

"All quiet on the western front," Kai said, "Next shift here yet?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure they won't be long," Tseng replied, "I _hope_ you patrolled more than just the western half of the base..."

Kai rolled her eyes. "That was _movie reference_ , for Shiva's sake... Don't be so literal," she replied, lightly punching him in the shoulder as she slipped past him and dropped into a nearby chair. Tseng laughed softly and returned his gaze to the monitors.

It had started out somewhat cautiously... but he'd soon found that his old friendship with Kai hadn't been quite so hopeless as he'd long thought. Several long talks over the past few weeks had helped – in more ways than one – and, for now, at least, they seemed to be easing back into the relationship they'd had prior to the mission that had cost Alyssa her life, and he was glad for it. He'd... missed his friend.

"Giving the Turklings the graveyard shifts, eh?" Kai continued, glancing at the schedule posted on the wall. Shay and Rodney would take over for them, and then Cissnei and Saya would finish off the overnights. Rude and Tres would have the entirety of the day shift. She reached for the pot of coffee on one of the long folding tables... before thinking better of it, given that she'd be off to bed soon, and settling for water instead.

"According to Tres, that's what rookies are _for_ ," Tseng replied, snickering. He didn't entirely agree that someone should be stuck with the jobs no one else wanted simply because they lacked experience... but at the moment he wasn't inclined to contradict the other Turk. It meant that _he_ got to go to sleep at a semi-reasonable hour tonight.

Right on cure, two shadows darted past the camera outside, and the lock pinged again, announcing the arrival of the next shift.

"Speak of the devil and he'll appear," Kai said, grinning as they pair stepped into the light of the hanger. Shay shook his head, chuckling.

"I'm not even going to ask why I've suddenly been named the devil..."

Rodney rolled his eyes, but refrained from commenting.

"Ugh... Did I miss the memo that said common sayings need to be taken literally tonight, or what?" Kai asked.

"I believe we discussed it after you left to place your bet on the President's speech," Tseng deadpanned, getting up from behind the bank of video monitors. Kai fixed him with a look that seemed equal parts amused and annoyed.

"Tseng... do us all a favor and leave the jokes to your protege. He's _so_ much better at them."

The Turk lieutenant smirked and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair, pulling it on before turning to the new arrivals.

"It's been quiet thus far," he said, nodding to the displays. "If you whichever of you is monitoring the cameras was hoping for some late night entertainment, I think you're going to be disappointed."

"Same on patrol," Kai added. "Aside from a few _very_ drunk soldiers sneaking back to the barracks after curfew... if you can call what they were doing ' _sneaking_ '... I didn't see anything of note the whole time I was out there."

"Duly noted," Shay replied, "Guess we'll take it from here, then."

Tseng nodded. "Good night," he said as he and Kai turned to leave.

"Good night, sir," Rodney called after them. The pair slipped into the darkness of the base, and started walking towards the administration building.

"What do you suppose are the odds of Veld giving us all a nice, long vacation after this is done?" Kai queried, grinning widely.

"All of us at once? Slim to none," he replied, and then smirked, "Which is why I've already made _my_ request for a month from yesterday."

Kai looked over at him in surprise. "Tseng Itsudake is taking a _vacation_?" she said, incredulously, "Did I miss the memo on the apocalypse coming, too?"

"I'm not _that_ bad about taking time off..." the Wutaiian Turk scoffed.

"Oh, no, not at all," Kai teased, "Says Shinra's most dedicated workaholic. So where are you going?"

"Costa del Sol," he replied. "It's... been awhile... since I was there for purely personal pleasure. And Viridia has some leave coming up. I thought it might be nice to spend a little time together without having to worry about our respective responsibilities for a change."

" _You_ thought so, huh?" she replied, eyeing him.

"... _She_ thought it might be nice. And I very eagerly agreed with her," he amended.

"Hmph... no surprise there." Kai shook her head. "Maybe now that your little baby Turkling is all grown up you'll take better care of yourself."

"And just what's that supposed to mean?" Tseng inquired, an eyebrow rising curiously.

"Oh, come on... you've been putting yourself second for his sake since his first day on the Plate. You even came back to work _way_ before you were really ready because you were worried about him." She smiled warmly. "Which, I would expect no less from you. You _basically_ adopted the kid, after all. But Reno's a big boy now. It's about damn time you started looking after _yourself_ again."

"Reno has never been a burden to me," he replied, somewhat defensively. Yes, he had needed quite a bit more of Tseng's undivided attention than he'd initially expected, and there had certainly been times when the senior Turk had felt more than a little lost in balancing discipline and compassion with the younger Turk... but even in hindsight, he wouldn't have changed things. Kai only snickered.

"Of _course_ he was. Just because it was one you were happy to bear doesn't make it any less a burden. He needed more than a mentor. He needed a parent... and that's what you became for him. That's above and beyond, if you ask me. Burdens aren't necessarily bad things, you know. Sometimes they're worth it."

"... He is _more_ than worth any minor inconvenience I may have suffered on account," Tseng replied, firmly, as they reached a small alley that cut over to the next block of buildings. The Turk lieutenant turned down it.

"I never said he wasn't... and where the hell are you going? Our quarters are _this_ way," Kai said, stopping at the end of the alley pointing in the direction they'd previously been walking. Tseng paused and turned back to look at her, before smiling.

"I'm aware of that... but _Viridia's_ quarters are this way, and I'd hate to keep her waiting just for the sake of keeping up appearances," he replied simply. The other Turk blinked in surprise and then shook her head, laughing.

"Nevermind what I was saying," she said, "It sounds like you're already taking my advice..."

Tseng chuckled and continued down the alley, towards the base's officers' quarters.

"Good night, Kai," he called back over his shoulder.

* * *

Reno sighed, staring up at the ceiling, and wondered why, when he most needed to be well-rested, his brain always seemed to refuse to shut itself off for the night. He was pretty sure that a major part of the driving force behind his current wakefulness was that he was more than a little excited about tomorrow. Sure, he had a job to do... but the idea of getting to ride in a parade with Ifrit only knew how many people watching made him a little giddy. That, and the fact that the whole reason tomorrow was happening at all was because the goddamned war was over.

He'd also heard a rumor going around that Sephiroth might be in attendance, too, and... well, he wasn't exactly a fanboy, but it was fucking _Sephiroth_ , for fuck's sake. He wouldn't say no to the chance to meet the guy.

The redhead grunted softly as he rolled over onto his side and pulled the covers over his head, curling up into a tight little ball in the center of the bed. It was times like this he still occasionally reverted to his old sleeping habits. There was something oddly comforting about it that usually seemed to force his body to relax even when his brain was demanding otherwise.

Tonight was, apparently, the exception to the rule. No matter how hard he tried to relax, sleep refused to come. Finally, he surrendered and climbed out of bed, grabbing his cigarettes off the side table as he went, striding across the dark room to the narrow balcony that overlooked Junon.

The night was cool, but not unpleasantly so, and the soft breeze blowing in from the ocean smelled strongly of salt. He pulled a cigarette from the pack, setting it between his lips as he lit it and inhaled. He knew it was technically against the rules... but hell, who was gonna bitch at him about it at this time of night?

He leaned forward, propping his elbow on the railing and resting his chin on his palm as he gazed out at the inky black sea. Very faintly in the distance he could make out a handful of lights bobbing up and down on the waves. Probably a cargo ship... or maybe a ferry, bringing in more people who'd be attending the festivities. The last he'd heard the number of expected spectators had been close to two thousand, and they surely weren't all spending the night down in Lower Junon.

He knew that _some_ had passed through the security checks already and had holed up in the inns on the base... but those rooms probably couldn't handle more than a few hundred people. Maybe another fifty or so were staying down below. Most people would be arriving by plane or boat in the morning, or venturing across the plains from nearby towns. Remy had seemed particularly concerned about security around the elevator, and the logistics of so many people using the damned thing. He was glad that was something that _he_ wasn't going to have to deal with. Crowd control didn't sound like an especially fun assignment this time around.

The moon was barely a sliver in the sky... though the stars were out, and shown clearly in the darkness. You just didn't get views like this in Midgar. For all the city's grandeur, it didn't lend itself well to star-gazing. Too much light. You couldn't see them as well in Junon as you could in, for instance, Kalm... but they were a lot brighter than they were in Midgar.

The redhead exhaled a cloud of smoke and yawned as he flicked the ash from his cigarette into the breeze. He let his gaze drop to the street below and saw a dark figure approaching the administrative building. As it passed under a pole light, he recognized the figure as Kai, and realized that they must have just changed shifts over in their little temporary headquarters. She suddenly paused, as if realizing that she was being watched, and looked around, seeking out the source of her surveillance.

Reno grinned and took a long drag off the cigarette.

"Paranoid much?" he called down to her. Kai looked up at him, and even though it was too dark to actually see it, he was almost certain she rolled her eyes at him.

"Baby Turklings are _supposed_ to be in bed," she stated, starting forward again, towards the doors. "And put that thing out."

"You ever gonna quite callin' me that?" he replied.

"Nope," the diminutive Turk called back. A moment later, he heard the door swing shut as she entered the building. Reno snickered and took one last drag before obligingly doing as he'd been told. He was finally starting to feel sleepy now. About damn time, too. He yawned again and glanced up at the stars one more time before turning and walking back into his room, shutting the balcony door behind him.

* * *

A figure crept silently across the darkened base, keeping well out of the bright lights that illuminated the tarmac. Most of the base's personnel may have been slumbering, but Junon never _truly_ slept. There were always patrols, late night arrivals from overseas, and even the odd after-hours training drill.

But those were familiar routines that could be easily avoided.

And tonight they _had_ to be avoided. Being seen was not an option. Those damned cameras that had been added certainly didn't make things any easier. _That_ was definitely an unexpected obstacle... but nothing that couldn't be overcome. Security was probably tighter tonight than it had ever been.

And tomorrow it probably wouldn't be any less so. Fortunately, there was no need to worry about _tomorrow's_ security.

The figure slipped unseen into an alcove as a pair of soldiers rounded the corner of a nearby building, on patrol. Once they'd passed by, spotting the next camera took a moment, but it was easy enough to elude its watchful gaze once its location was known. Just a little farther...

It didn't help that the current mission had a time limit. Going missing for too long would lead to questions, and questions would lead to suspicion. And suspicion would ruin everything.

The elevator was just ahead. Junon's only connection to the ground below. The only way – short of an aircraft or a submarine that could reach the underwater reactor and its causeway – to gain access to the base.

The two soldiers standing guard at its doors never even knew what hit them.

~end chapter 97~


	98. Everyone Loves a Parade

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 98: Everyone Loves a Parade**

 **by Desha**

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _Closing in on 100 chapters, but we're nearly there. :) Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me!_

* * *

"Now in't that a pretty sight?" Saya sighed, eyeing one of several monitors that was currently showing the morning sun, rising over the mountain range off to the northeast of Junon. She stood up from her chair and pressed her palms into the small of her back, stretching out tense muscles. "Cissnei, the next time I have the bright idea ta spend my entire shift sittin' down, do me a favor 'n talk me outta it, eh?" she chuckled, "Oof... I'm goin' ta need a quick jog 'round the base ta limber up b'fore breakie..."

The rookie grinned. "Hey, _you_ were the one who wanted the 'easy job', remember?" she replied.

"Aye... 'n now I remember why I _usually_ volunteer fer patrol duty on surveillance assignments," the Mideelian chuckled, "Bloody boring starin' at a TV half the night." She rolled her neck back and forth a few times, working out the kinks. "Well... nothin' fer it now, I s'pose. I'll have plenty o' walkin' ta do _taday_ , anyway... that's fer sure."

Before Cissnei could respond, the electronic lock pinged and Tres and Rude entered the Turks' temporary headquarters.

"Mornin' all," Tres greeted them, with an almost jubilant smile.

"Now, what in the wide world's got _yeh_ in such a good mood?" Saya asked. The other Turk merely snorted a faint laugh.

"You kiddin'? I get to really put this surveillance network through its paces today. Things work out nice, I'm puttin' in a request to upgrade the network back home, too. Or at least outfit headquarters with some new cameras... The ones I stole... er... _borrowed_... from building security are top of the line. Beat _my_ old pieces of crap by a mile on resolution."

"Hmph... just what we need. More cameras in the office," Saya said, rolling her eyes. She turned to Rude, a teasing expression on her face. "Try 'n keep that mentor of yers under control, will yeh? Every time Tres gets new toys ta play with, we _all_ suffer. I swear... if I find a camera in the ladies' room sometime next week – _again_ – oneof yeh's gettin' tossed off the roof. And I make no promises as ta _which_."

Cissnei snickered quietly behind her hand, and Rude shook his head.

"I'll do my best," he hurriedly replied. Saya laughed and turned to go.

"Well, then... come along Cissnei. Let's leave these two nosy bastards ta their day o' spyin' on everyone 'n their mother. Either of yeh want us ta bring yeh back some breakie?"

"Nah, we ate before we headed over," Tres replied, still grinning, "We're good."

"Have fun at the parade," Rude chimed in, and the rookie laughed.

"I don't think we'll see very much of it. Saya and I are working crowd control. I have a nagging suspicion that only thing _I'm_ going to be watching are the spectators," she said, following Saya out the door.

With that, they stepped out in the bright morning sunshine, and headed for the mess hall. Cissnei had to admit... they'd ended up with a _beautiful_ day for a parade. The sky was clear, the wind off the ocean was calm, and the temperature was forecast to be just perfect for a day outdoors. It was just plain... nice.

She was so busy noting how nice out it really was that she _didn't_ notice that Saya had slowed her pace until she nearly walked right into the woman.

"So..." the senior Turk began, conversationally, before grinning widely "When in Odin's name are yeh goin' ta get around ta askin' out that handsome hunk of Turk we just left back in the hanger?"

Cissnei felt her face grow hot and sputtered for a moment before stammering a reply.

"W-what? W-who... Rude? I-I'm not... I don't... um..." she finally managed, cringing internally as she trailed off. There was no talking her way out of this one. If the spastic reply didn't tip Saya off that her denial was less than heartfelt, the fact that she was pretty sure she was turning the color of a tomato certainly would. Saya laughed and paused in her trek towards breakfast.

"Well, I certainly didnae mean Tres," she chuckled. "Poor thing... Yeh've got it _bad_ fer him, don't yeh..."

"... _Please_ don't say anything..." she moaned, hiding her face in her hands.

The fact was, she'd been crushing _hard_ on the recently-promoted Turk for... well, almost as long as she'd been a Turk herself. Rude was _so_ sweet and funny and clever, once you got him to talk to you. He was just a little shy, that's all. It had made it a bit harder to befriend him, but that was one of the things she found so endearing about him. She was _terrible_ at hinting that she liked him, though, apparently. Nothing she did seemed to clue him in to the fact.

Or maybe it was just that Rude didn't see her like that. Reno certainly didn't seem to. Or at least, he'd never tried hitting on her, the way he did with just about every _other_ woman in the general vicinity of his age in Midgar. She had actually been just a little miffed about that initially... until she realized that she thought of the redhead as just a friend, as well.

Rude, though... she _really_ hoped that with him, it was just a case of him being oblivious to her attempts at flirting.

"Oh, sweetie... I think just about everyone but yer lover boy already knows... or at least suspects," Saya teased, and Cissnei groaned again. "Yeh take my advice. Some 'o them wee boys just _cannae_ take a hint. Yeh gotta practically hit 'em over the head with it ta get through ta 'em."

"... Well... maybe..."

The idea of making the first move filled her with inexplicable dread, however. For one thing... what was she supposed to do if she made an idiot of herself telling him how she felt, and then found out that he wasn't interested. Like... at all. Humiliation on top of heartbreak didn't sound like the most appealing combination.

For another... well, she wasn't _entirely_ sure if he was even still single or not. True, he hadn't mentioned any current love interests, but... then again, he hadn't talked about his previous girlfriend, either. Hell, she hadn't even _known_ he was dating someone back when they'd first met until she'd heard from Reno that the woman had dumped him. And he didn't talk about her _then_ , either. Cissnei had long been under the impression that Rude kind of liked to keep his private life private.

He loved to talk about his interests, though. Cooking... airplanes... even some of Sato's lessons in demolitions had entered into their conversations recently... and of course, that new show everyone on the planet seemed to be watching lately, Shadow & Sword. _She'd_ started watching it, too... mostly just so she had an excuse to chat with him about it.

But when it came to more personal topics, like his love life, or his family back home, he tended to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"Yeh know what yeh need, don't yeh?" Saya continued, as they started towards the mess hall again. Shinra army soldiers were out and about... most rushing off to their duty shifts, but some merely taking the time to enjoy the quiet morning before the madness began.

"I'm not sure I _want_ to know..." Cissnei said, hesitantly, and the senior Turk snickered.

"Yeh _need_ yerself a matchmaker... 'n if _I_ were yeh, I'd recruit the redhead."

Cissnei blinked. "You think I should ask Reno to set me up with Rude?"

"And why not? The two of 'em's thick as thieves, aren't they? Way I hear Tres tell it, Rude met his ex 'cause 'o Reno. Er... 'n apparently got drop kicked ta the curb by her 'cause 'o him, too. But... eh... maybe dunnae mention that bit when yeh ask," she replied, muffling a laugh, "'Sides... Reno's the honest sort. If he dunnae think yeh've got a chance with 'im, he'll tell yeh upfront."

As they reached the door to the mess hall, she caught sight of Reno and Remy, hurrying off in the opposite direction, apparently having just finished their own morning meal. They didn't stop to chat, and Saya laughed softly at the sight of the redhead being all but carried off by the senior Turk to their next task of the day.

"... I'll _think_ about it," Cissnei muttered, noncommittally, feeling her cheeks begin to heat up again. Even after so much time as a Turk, she wasn't _entirely_ used to people voicing their opinions on things like that. Back when she was just a lowly recruit, she'd heard how tight-knit the Turks were... but those rumors didn't even scratch the surface. The reality was like suddenly having a whole slew of brothers and sisters and cousins and aunts and uncles. Not having any family of her own... it was quite an experience. Not a bad one, by any means, but one that still had the ability to catch her off-guard every now and then.

Still... even when it _did_ catch her off-guard, she couldn't help but be glad for it.

* * *

Reno stifled a yawn as he watched Rufus debate over which jacket he was going to be wearing in the parade. He felt as though he'd been up for hours... which, he belatedly realized, he _had_ been by now. Remy had dragged him – almost literally, in fact... it was only the last moment realization that he'd gone to bed nude that had stopped her – out of bed before the sun. She'd ordered him to put some clothes on and then _did_ literally drag him to the mess hall for breakfast before even the soldiers were in line... and then dragged himback to his room again to get ready. He'd spotted Saya and Cissnei heading in for food just as he and Remy were leaving, but Remy was on a mission, and he hadn't even had time to say hello. He distinctly heard Saya chuckle, though, as he was hauled bodily away. That had to have been _at least_ two or three hours ago now.

He was now – at Remy's insistence – dressed in a neatly pressed uniform, complete with tie. He'd finally decided to forego the accessory altogether months ago, but apparently today he had to look extra professional. The damn thing felt like it was trying to strangle him.

Still... even _he_ had to admit, he cleaned up pretty good. He'd even made a solid attempt at taming his hair this morning, which, given its tendency to do whatever the hell it pleased, was no small feat. Overall, Remy had seemed satisfied with the outcome before she'd left him and run off to wrangle the President.

Rufus, meanwhile, was left to the redhead...

"Would ya just _pick_ one already, sir?" he sighed, "The parade'll be _over_ by the time we get outta here, at this rate."

The vice president looked up from his options and glared at the Turk.

"Oh, _forgive me_ , for wanting to project an air of sophistication and culture at an _historic event_ that will be televised live across the entire planet," he said, dryly.

Reno rolled his eyes.

"Wear the white one," he said, decidedly.

"Hmph... and just why should I take fashion advice from the likes of you? Despite you're minimally acceptable appearance this morning, _you_ normally look like you dress by simply stumbling face first into your laundry pile and hoping for the best."

The redhead had to try hard not to laugh at the mental image that conjured up for him. He had to admit... that was good one. He'd have to remember that.

"Tch... I'm just sayin'. Ya _know_ everyone else in the parade is gonna be wearing black or gray or at _least_ somethin' dark. You wanna get noticed, white'll stand out. Trust me. I might not know shit about fashion, but I _do_ know a little bit about standin' out in a crowd." He smirked slightly. "'Sides... makes it easier for me to keep track of ya, just in case ya decide to try 'n run off somewhere without me."

The vice president snorted and turned back to his options for a moment before grudgingly selecting the long, white jacket.

"I want to be _very_ clear that I am _not_ taking your suggestion," he said before Reno could comment. "I merely happen to think this one will be more comfortable when the day starts to warm up later."

"Of course, sir," the redhead replied, though he didn't think he was entirely successful at keeping a straight face. That declaration aside, Rufus seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood this morning. It was somewhat contagious, too, as Reno had quickly found himself a bit swept up in the excitement of the parade and the treaty. He glanced at his watch. Speaking of the parade... "Uh, sir? We really _are_ gonna be late for the parade if we don't leave soon."

Rufus snorted in contempt.

"They'll hardly start without _me_..." he shot back, but quickly pulled on his jacket and tucked his phone into the the inside breast pocket. "Alright, let's go."

* * *

Tseng was tapping his foot somewhat impatiently... a habit he didn't often indulge in, as he'd always been taught that fidgeting was a sign of an undisciplined mind... as he glowered at his watch. Eight after nine. They were _already_ nearly ten minutes behind schedule, and neither the President nor Rufus had yet arrived. The parade was supposed to be starting... Now!

The back door to the staging area opened, and the Turk lieutenant breath a partial sigh of relief at the sight of Rufus, escorted by Reno, making his way over to him.

"There... you see?" the young executive snorted, eyeing the redhead. "I _told_ you they wouldn't start without me..."

Tseng smirked and covered the remaining distance between them.

"They very well _might_ have... were your father not also running a bit late," he opined.

"Hmph... I hurried for nothing, then," Rufus replied, and the Wutaiian Turk caught the faint hint of an eyeroll from his protege before it was quickly quashed and replaced with a more professional mask. Apparently he was practicing for when he had to stand at the ready beside his charge while he was on stage later. Tseng had overheard Remy earlier telling him that such things wouldn't be tolerated during the President's speech. "Which car am I riding in?"

"Right this way, sir," Tseng said, gesturing towards an older model, red and gold roadster with an open top. Reno eyed the car with what the Turk lieutenant could only describe as pure envy as the vice president made his way over and climbed in.

"Hey... uh... outta curiosity, what's somethin' like that thing go for back in Midgar?" he asked in a quiet tone, as the pair moved to follow the young executive. Tseng chuckled.

"More, I suspect, than you can presently afford... even _with_ your recent raise. I believe that _particular_ car is something of a rare antique President Shinra purchased from the owner of the Gold Saucer for an undisclosed, but almost certainly exorbitant, sum."

"... Figures," the redhead sighed, somewhat dejectedly.

"Though... I think we can probably find you something in the same vein that's a little closer to your budget. It's about _time_ you stopped taking that Leviathan-forsaken train every day, after all," Tseng added, "Perhaps we can see what's available this weekend, if you haven't already made plans..."

Reno breathed a noticeably relieved sigh. "Boss... you have no idea how glad I am I don't have to beg you to help me out with that," he said, grinning. "Spendin' _that_ much money all at once is fuckin' scary."

"You've already been looking then, I take it," the Wutaiian Turk snickered.

"... Kinda. When I got time, I sometimes stop by a couple places on the way home after work. And every time I _do_ , I start thinking that maybe the train's not so bad," he laughed, before vaulting himself over the side of the car and into the back seat, beside Rufus.

" _Must_ you be so uncivilized?" the vice president sneered, "It has _doors_ for a _reason_."

" _Must_ you always cram that stick so far up your ass, sir?" the redhead shot back, and Rufus sputtered for a moment, trying to find an appropriately witty response.

"... Silence, slum rat!" was the best he could come up with, which only caused the younger Turk's grin to widen.

"Both of you... _behave_ yourselves. This is an important day, and there are cameras everywhere. And I _don't_ mean Tres' security network," Tseng said, warningly... with a very pointed look at Reno that practically screamed at him not to antagonize the young executive unnecessarily. The last thing he needed was Rufus taking some sort of ill-thought-out revenge on the redhead later for one of his jokes.

"... Yes, sir," Reno replied, admonished. Tseng turned his gaze on Rufus.

"Hmph... _I_ will conduct myself in public with decorum and poise, as I _always_ do," he said, haughtily. The Turk lieutenant nodded and turned to just in time to see the President's arrival, Remy not far behind him, and hurried off to see to getting the final pieces into place. But not before one final comment from Rufus, directed at his protege, reached his ears.

"... Once we're in private, again, however... all bets are off. You'll pay for that comment."

"Bring it on, sir," he heard Reno answer, and could just picture his grin growing to epic proportions. Tseng mentally groaned and pretended he hadn't heard _anything_.

* * *

"Heh... 'Bout damn time. There they go," Tres commented, eyes on his security monitors. Rude looked up from his checklist, just as the little parade begin to leave the staging area. Outside, he suddenly heard the cheers of the crowd, muted by the walls of the hanger.

"Fourteen minutes, starting now," the younger man nodded, tapping the button on the timer his mentor had set up at the makeshift workstation. They'd worked out the timetable for the public events of the day from start to finish. Well... for the _most_ part. They'd been given a copy of the President's speech but... well, the man _loved_ to hear himself talk. Tres had been adamant that he'd eventually go off script when he and Rude had been timing the remarks last night, and insisted on building in an extra thirty minutes, minimum. Overall, they had that part of the ceremony pegged at about an hour twenty-six.

Then would come a very brief introduction of their Wutaiian guests by Rufus, a few short remarks from Lord Godo, and finally the actual signing of the treaty. All in all, a whole lot of pageantry for a couple of signatures. After that, the Junon troops and the other Turks would begin wrangling the spectators towards the exits while presidential security escorted the ViP's to the tram car that would deliver them to the top of the base, where lunch would be served while the public departed and the base was re-secured. And then, the scheduled tours of the base, culminating with dinner, before their guests finally left for home and the President and Rufus were flown back to Midgar.

It was going to be a _very_ long day. The two of them watched in companionable silence for several long minutes, scanning the feed from each camera as it rotated through.

"Hey... Either 'o yeh arseholes listenin' in?" Sato's voice suddenly crackled over the radio. Rude, snorted a faint laugh and picked up the handset.

"We're listening," he replied.

"We're _always_ listening," Tres amended, smirking slightly.

"No time fer jokes..." Sato said in an uncharacteristically serious tone, "Might'nt be anythin' ta worry 'bout, but I spotted someone lurking a wee bit too close ta the tram a minute ago. I'm leavin' my post ta check inta it."

"Acknowledged," Rude said and glanced over at his mentor, who was already pulling up the video feed for that area.

"Let Tseng know Sato's on the move while I run the footage back," Tres said. Rude nodded and turned his attention to radio. It took only a moment to deliver the update, and by then the senior Turk had found the suspicious character on the video. He shook his head.

"Shit angle... can't see much," he muttered, "I _knew_ we needed another camera over there."

Rude didn't comment. There were already so many that they couldn't watch them all at once... hence why they'd missed whoever that was in the video. Tres was right, though. It was a shit angle. The man's face wasn't visible... but it was more than clear he didn't belong there. He was making it a point to stay out of sight in the shadows, and though he looked to be wearing a Junon military uniform, it was so ill-fitting on his rather bulky frame that it was almost laughable. And then he moved just enough that Rude could see his arm.

"Shit..." both he _and_ Tres breathed, simultaneously. The tattoo was plain as day, and they both knew damned well who it belonged to. That was _Istev_... the mercenary group's resident bomber. Rude grabbed the radio to warn Sato, but the other Turk was already broadcasting.

"Code red! Someone's left us a nasty wee surprise over here. The kind that blows up if yeh look at 'er funny."

Tres was already sending the emergency abort code out to the other Turk's PHS's. How the _hell_ had Istev gotten in to Junon?!

"Sato..." Rude replied via the radio, "We have Istev on video in that area just a few minutes ago. Can't be too far from you."

"Much as I'd love ta wring that behemoth turd's neck fer yeh, I think I'm better use _here_. Ain't no remote fer this bastard. She's on a timer, 'n I'd wager Istev learned from his past mistakes usin' one. She's no dud. I'm tryin' ta finesse 'er, but yeh'd best clear the whole area 'round the tram, just in case."

"Understood," he said, and looked over at Tres. "Sato says to get everyone away from the tram."

"One step ahead of ya, kid. Already taken care of," he replied, "But that bein' said, we're gonna have a mess out there. Won't take people long to figure out somethin's up. Son of a bitch is probably countin' on it, too. Fucker'll slip into the crowd 'n vanish, just like every _other_ time we got close to 'im."

The senior Turk scowled at the monitors, as if torn between continuing to watch and doing something else entirely. At last, he growled softly and stood up.

"Watch the cameras and find that bastard. I'm headin' out after him. Soon as you get a lock on him, left me know where to aim the gun. He is _not_ gettin' away from us _again_."

"But..."

"He is _not_ gettin' away from us _again_ ," Tres repeated, before snatching up his PHS and striding out the door and into the quickly developing chaos.

* * *

Reno watched as they moved slowly down the main strip of Junon, a seemingly endless sea of people lining the sides of the street. The cheering was almost overwhelming. Rufus, though, seemed to think almost nothing of it, perched calmly on top of the metal panel on the back of their car that hit the convertible's collapsed top underneath. He waved unhurriedly to the spectators, and for the first time...really, ever... Reno realized that _a lot_ of women took an interest in the Shinra heir. Hell, at least a couple of the girls along the parade route had flashed the vice president... much to the redhead's enjoyment.

For some reason, the thought had never crossed his mind... though now that it _had_ , it made sense. Rufus was rich, powerful, and none too shabby when it came to looks. Any woman that _did_ manage to capture his attention for more than the few seconds it took for her to flash him her tits would have it made. The guy was pretty much the textbook definition of "eligible bachelor".

Though he didn't seem too interested in the ones currently throwing themselves at him. Then again... given how much importance Rufus put on appearance – by which the redhead _didn't_ mean who had the biggest boobs – he doubted any of those girls had much of a chance. The Shinra heir was probably more in the market for someone with a little more... what had he called it earlier? Decorum and poise? At least in public...

Giving someone a quick look at the goods with live television cameras rolling _probably_ didn't fit that description so well.

They were coming up on the tram now, which was nearly the end of the parade route. They'd pass under the track, stop at the end of the street, and then the speeches would start. _That_ part, Reno wasn't exactly looking forward to. He'd never actually had to sit through a presidential speech since becoming a Turk... but he'd heard stories of the man going off on long, drawn out tangents that would put even his most ardent supporters to sleep. More to the point, he wouldn't have ever thought that the first time he experienced it, he would be standing _on stage_ watching the Vice President's back.

He was... just the tiniest bit nervous, to be honest.

Sure, he typically loved having all eyes on him, but... there were a _hell_ of a lot of eyes out there today. At least he wasn't what they actually came here to see. He was relegated to the background. That knowledge made the thought a little easier to bear.

Ahead of the car, Reno could see Remy and the President... who was waving with far greater enthusiasm than his son. Apparently President Shinra didn't have any qualms about the size of the crowd. From what the Turk could see, he was thoroughly enjoying himself. So, too, was Rufus, albeit in his own, more controlled way.

They were only about fifty feet from the tram when the emergency tone sounded from his PHS. He didn't even read the message. That tone meant one thing, and one thing only, as far as _his_ roletoday went. Shit was about to hit the fans, and Rufus needed to be secured.

Without hesitating, the redhead stood up, grabbed the older boy by the arm, and pulled him bodily down onto the seat, pushing him safely below the metal sides of the car. In almost the same moment, the driver made a sharp turn down the first side alley, one of four potential escape routes Veld had mapped out, and floored it. The Turk could already feel his heart racing.

A part of him wanted to jump out of the car and lend a hand to the others who, he was sure, were already dealing with the problem. But right now, Rufus' safety was his one and only responsibility. He was supposed to stick to the brat like glue, no matter what else may have been going on, and that's what he fully intended to do.

"What in Ramuh's name... ?!" Rufus demanded, and tried to sit up, but Reno held him firmly in place.

"Stay down, sir... Not sure what's going on, but it's not good!"

* * *

"You got a bead on 'im yet, kid?" Tres' voice queried over the radio.

"South runway... heading towards the elevator."

It hadn't take Rude long to spot Istev on the cameras. The guy kind of stood out like a sore thumb. Dressed as he was, he looked too military to be a civilian attendee... but too out of uniform to be actual military on a day like today. It didn't hurt that he was also rather frantically elbowing his way through the crowd to make his escape.

"Don't lose sight of the bastard!" Tres responded. Rude caught a glimpse of his mentor as he briefly passed by one of his own cameras at a dead run towards the southern tarmac.

"Saya and Cissnei are closing in on him," he replied, noting the two Turks' position on another monitor. He shifted the camera currently trained on Istev, getting a better view of the man. Suddenly, he turned sharply to the right and sprinted down an alley, disappearing into the shadows. Rude swore softly and pulled up another feed.

"He just changed directions. Tseng... he's headed your way! Should come out near the weapons shop."

"Acknowledged," the Turk lieutenant's voice answered over the handset.

"Shay! Rodney! Where the fuck are you two?" Tres demanded, anger and irritation clearly evident in his voice. Rude wasn't sure if is mentor was more pissed off that Istev had somehow gotten _onto_ the base, or that one of the others might beat him to his target. For Tres, hunting the bomber had become a personal vendetta... _particularly_ after Luca's death. Even though there was no evidence that Istev had been personally responsible, he and Fuhito were behind the plot, and it was one of Istev's explosives that had put Luca in the wrong place at the wrong time to begin with. Tres wanted him... the deader, the better, as he'd once told him.

"We're covering the elevator, just in case he gets past you," Shay replied.

"He _ain't_ gettin' past me..."

Rude watched as Tres started down the same alleyway Istev had, before turning back to the feed that showed their target emerging from the far end... just in time to see Istev get unceremoniously clotheslined by Tseng. He smirked slightly at the sight of the man who'd caused them so much trouble laid out flat on the ground, in pretty obvious pain. Bastard had it coming.

Before the Turk lieutenant could secure him, however, a hail of gunfire rained down from the roof one of the nearby buildings and Tseng was forced to take cover behind a dumpster. The Turk swore again and hit the controls to pan up for a view of the roof.

"Sniper on the roof!" he radioed to the others, warning them before they could run into the line of fire. Rude squinted at the figure perched on the building. He was surprisingly young... Wutaiian, or at least _part_ Wutaiian... with wire-rimmed glasses and short, neatly cropped hair. Something about his cold and calculating demeanor as he relentlessly kept Tseng pinned down while Istev clambered to his feet and fled sent a chill down Rude's spine. Somehow... he just knew he was looking at the infamous Fuhito.

He didn't have a whole lot of time to ponder that sudden revelation, however, as at that moment, Tres emerged from the alley, firing upwards, towards the gunner. Saya and Cissnei, too, had arrived on scene, and were laying down additional cover fire so that Tseng could get clear. He saw that Turk lieutenant take the opportunity to join his mentor, and take aim at the sniper.

Istev, by then, had crossed into view of a new set of cameras, and Rude turned his attention to tracking him.

"Shay... Istev's headed for you and Rodney. The others are busy dealing with Fuhito," he radioed out to the pair stationed near the base's only land exit.

"We're on it!" the senior Turk replied.

"Cissnei's hit!" Saya's voice suddenly cried out, and Rude felt as though all of the air had been forcibly driven from his lungs. He turned back to the other monitor just in time to see her dragging the wounded rookie to cover. It was then that the shooting from above simply ceased, and when he panned back up to search for Fuhito, the man was gone.

"Rude... Where'd that son of a bitch disappear to?!" Tres growled, and the younger Turk frantically set about trying to locate him. He wasn't on any of the feeds, however.

"I... I don't know. I can't see him," he replied. He heard the very distinctive sound of his mentor swearing, and saw him take off towards the elevator. Cissnei seemed to wave off Saya's further attempts to help her, and moments later she and Tseng sprinted after him, leaving the rookie behind.

"Fuck it... we can still get Istev!"

Istev, too, had vanished from the monitors... but only because he'd slipped down another narrow alley. There was only one way out of there, and he ought to be showing up again any moment now. Shay and Rodney were both in a good position to intercept him.

Which was why, when he _didn't_ emerge, Rude knew something was very wrong.

* * *

"Sir, we need to go help them!" Kai protested, as she and Veld hurried to meet the presidential transport in one of Junon's secure hangers.

"We _need_ to make sure the President and Vice President are safe. _That_ is priority one."

Before she could answer, two cars squealed into the hanger and stopped mere feet from the pair of Turks.

"Sir," Veld said, hurriedly opening the car door, and helping Remy to escort the President out, "If you'll come with me..."

" _What_ is going on?" President Shinra demanded, but obligingly fell into step behind the Turk leader. Rufus, along with Reno and Kai, brought up the rear.

"We found a bomb, sir," he said, "It's being dealt with, but those who planted it are still in the city and may have additional backups we haven't located yet. We're getting you out of here. Now."

"If it's 'being dealt with', I hardly think there's a need to call off the whole –"

The President didn't get to finish that sentence. Far too close for comfort, a sudden explosion rocked the base, leaving both the executive and his son staring somewhat wide-eyed back in the direction they'd come from. President Shinra cleared his throat awkwardly.

"... Y-yes. You're right. I think we'll be leaving now."

~end chapter 98~


	99. No Time to Grieve

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 99: No Time to Grieve**

 **by Desha**

For a moment, Rude didn't know what had happened. The entire building around him shook with the reverberating _boom_ of a nearby explosion, and then every video feed went dead as the power cut out and the emergency generators kicked in. As it finally clicked that the bomb Sato had been attempting to disarm must have gone off, he got to his feet, fearing the worst for his fellow Turk.

With the cameras offline, the monitors were useless. He hurried to the door and growled, annoyed, when the electronic lock refused to disengage immediately. The damned thing was _supposed_ to keep unauthorized personnel out... not keep _him_ in. At last, though, it registered his access card and gave a somewhat feeble, low-power beep before unbarring the exit for him.

Outside, the fear that rippled through the crowds was palpable... but something seemed off as he looked toward the tram where Sato had been working. Nothing seemed damaged. No one was screaming – at least not the way he would have expected them to be had something just blown up in their general vicinity. No one was running away. If anything, people seemed to be surging _back_ in the direction of the tram.

And then it hit him... the bomb _Sato_ had been dealing with wasn't what had exploded. He slowly turned towards the direction of the base's elevator. A plume of smoke rose from somewhere nearby.

* * *

Reno frantically searched the ground below as the helicopter rose steadily into the air... but he was too far away at present to see much. The smoke, certainly, was ominous. He couldn't tell for certain where it was coming from, though. The administrative building blocked his view, and by the time they were above it, the aircraft had turned towards Midgar, and Junon quickly disappeared from the limited area he could see through the windshield in the cockpit.

He swore under his breath and returned to the back, leaving the pilot to her job. This was a military supply transport. No openings to peer through in the cargo hold. It had been closer to their evacuation point than the executive copter they'd arrived in yesterday, making it the obvious chose for an emergency evac... but it certainly didn't compare to the luxurious interior of the VIP aircraft.

Thankfully, at the moment, both the President _and_ Rufus seemed a little too shaken to comment on the lack of accommodation. Reno slipped into one of the narrow, uncomfortable seats, next to Remy and strapped himself in, pulling on a headset.

"Got any idea what the fuck's goin' on?" he asked. He hadn't received any additional updates since the abort code. The accompanying message had ordered the others to clear the area around the tram due to a bomb. He could only assume that was the explosion they'd heard, and he hoped that they'd gotten everyone out in time.

Remy shook her head. "No... But I would assume Veld and the others have their hands a little full at the moment," she replied, and Reno had to strain to hear her, even through his headset. "We'll be updated when we need to be. Right now, our responsibility is to get _them_ safely back to Midgar."

The redhead glanced over at the pair of executives. President Shinra was doing his best to have a phone conversation in spite of the noise from the helicopter's engines. He caught a word or two, here and there, and came to the conclusion that the man was trying to figure out if Wutai had double crossed them. Rufus, meanwhile, simply looked shell-shocked.

He wasn't exactly surprised. Kid had to be wondering if that bomb had been meant for him... and given the fact that, at least in part, it probably _was_ , it was no wonder he was a little freaked out at the moment. Rufus had been through a lot in the last couple of months. It _had_ to be getting to him by now... even if he'd never admit it.

It was certainly starting to get to _Reno_ , though, and he'd _freely_ admit that to anyone who asked. He was fucking sick of this bullshit. He'd honestly thought this would all be over once Wutai surrendered. Things would calm down... go back to normal. He wouldn't have to worry about anyone else he cared about getting blown to hell by that asshole mercenary group. What the ever-living _fuck_ did Wutai have to gain from pulling something like this?

Sure... if they'd successfully eliminated the company's top two executives Shinra Company would be in disarray. But only in the short term. The rest of the board of Directors had remained in Midgar for this very reason, as a contingency. And the army would hardly be rendered ineffective by their deaths, either... not to mention SOLDIER. And the Turks, for that matter. The Turks, in particular, were more than capable of functioning without direct orders from the top and did so on a fairly regular basis.

So what the hell did this accomplish, short of potentially restarting the war?

Reno frowned to himself as he considered that thought. Maybe that _was_ the goal. And just maybe this wasn't Wutai's doing at all...

* * *

Cissnei bit down on the inside of her cheek as she tightened the tourniquet around her leg and tried to focus on something other than the pain. She was starting to worry that maybe telling Saya and Tseng to go after Tres instead of taking her to the medical unit was a mistake. She really hadn't thought it was that bad.

When it had become apparent that they were going to be gone for awhile, she'd made the attempt at getting _herself_ out of her predicament... but the bullet wound had started bleeding again, almost as heavily as before. She was starting to feel a little light-headed by now.

It had been a stupid mistake and she was going to be kicking herself for it for weeks. She didn't know what she'd been thinking stepping out of cover like that. But the target had moved, and she'd needed a better position to aim from. Her foolishness had cost her. Thank Shiva for Saya... If she hadn't been there to pull her out, she'd almost certainly have taken more than just _one_ bullet.

She wasn't _too_ concerned, though. Once Istev was safely in custody, they'd come back for her. She just hoped that Sato was alright. He'd been handling Istev's bomb, after all... and that explosion a few minutes ago could only mean that he hadn't been able to disarm it. Hopefully, he'd gotten clear of the device before it had gone off.

Cissnei still couldn't believe that someone had gotten something like that past security in the first place. It couldn't have been easy, and she couldn't even begin to imagine where the hole in their net had been. Everything had seemed so... impenetrable.

The rookie Turk was jarred from her thoughts by the sound of footsteps racing toward her from the alley, and she let up on her grip on the tourniquet with one hand to reach for her gun. She may have been down, but she was by no means out just yet. If someone thought they were going to ambush the others from behind, they'd have to get through _her_ first.

But as a figure emerged from the shadows, she sighed in relief and lowered her weapon.

"Rude!" she called out, and the senior Turk skidded to a halt, his gaze seeking her out, and finally locating her. He hurried over to her, kneeling down at her side.

"... Bad?" he asked, nodding to her leg.

"Worse than I first thought," she admitted.

Rude grimaced and glanced quickly in the direction he'd been heading before he ran into the rookie, apparently torn between staying with her or going to help the others. Before he could make a decision one way or the others, more frantic footfalls announced a new arrival.

"The fuck are yeh two doin' sittin' around?!" Sato panted, thoroughly out of breath.

"Cissnei was hit in the firefight," Rude said quickly, "The others went on ahead to the elevator... I haven't heard from them since the explosion."

"Right... I'm on it. Yeh get her ta medical, 'n then come after me. Best tell 'em where ta send a doc or two while yer there, ta boot, if they havnae already. Someone's bound ta be hurt after a blast like that 'un," the Mideelian said.

Cissnei felt her stomach drop as Sato's words sank in. If it hadn't been the bomb at the tram that exploded... then what _had_?

Rude didn't give her the opportunity to ask, nor did Sato stick around to answer. The Mideelian resumed his course towards the elevator, disappearing as quickly as he'd come. Rude, meanwhile, lifted her carefully into his arms, carrying her back towards the base's medical bay.

* * *

Sato ignored the stitch that was forming in his side. He'd never been much of a runner, but he was starting the think that it _might_ be possible that his cousin was right about him being a wee bit out of form. She'd been badgering him for weeks to start joining her for her weekend runs, blaming his ever so slight weight gain on his latest homebrew. He was of the opinion that got plenty of that sort of thing during regular training, and besides which, the last batch was a bloody masterpiece, thank you very much.

Still... he was regretting not taking her up on it – just the tiniest bit – at the moment.

He didn't have time to concern himself with his exercise routine right now, though. It had occurred to him the moment he'd spotted the device on the tram that there might be more than one. What _hadn't_ occurred to him was that Istev might still be carrying one around with him.

Istev was no suicide bomber. This was a bloody paycheck to him... not a cause for martyrdom. He wasn't about to sacrifice himself just to take out the President. But if he had the right opportunity, a bomb made for a very effective deterrent to anyone who might be following him. If he'd been able to drop it and activate the damned thing remotely once he was clear... well... there was a reason Sato was in a hurry.

He'd learned, over time, to respect the bomb. They were living, breathing, almost sentient things, imbued with devastating power. He treated them with the utmost care... even talked to them when he was called in to disarm one. Back in the old days, when he was working on the demolition team in the local quarry, more than a few people thought he was completely mental for it. But then... more than a few of them _hadn't_ shown the bomb the proper respect and learned the hard way that explosives aren't picky about who and what they destroy.

Sato skidded to a halt as he came around the corner of the alley the smoke plume was emanating from, and for a moment, all he could do was stare in shock. It was a narrow space, and the explosion had originated somewhere near the center. He could see the telltale blackening of the walls that spread out like a starburst from the point of ignition. But that wasn't what he was most affected by.

"... No..." he breathed.

* * *

Rude quickly discovered that getting medical assistance for Cissnei wasn't quite as easy as he'd thought it would be. Junon's military was effectively keeping the nervous spectators from stampeding for the exit... but that was about _all_ they were doing. There were just so many people...

It took him far longer than it should have to get through the crowds, and by the time he'd managed it, the rookie had passed out. At last, though, he managed to stagger through the doors of the medical building, and into the bustling little lobby where emergency crews were loading carts with supplies and preparing for any patient that might need to be seen. At least a few casualties had beaten him there... though they looked to be unrelated to the explosion. One man in a cadet's uniform had a bloody nose that refused to subside. A young woman... very obviously a civilian who'd come to see the treaty signing, and even more obviously pregnant... looked to be in labor. A few other people were scattered here and there, but nothing looked too serious. Thus it took only a moment for the Turk to be spotted by a member of the medical staff.

"What happened?" he asked, taking one look at the unconscious rookie in his arms before guiding them into an exam room.

"Gunshot to the leg," Rude replied, setting Cissnei down on the table, "Bleeding hasn't stopped. She passed out on the way here. There was an explosion near the elevator... they're going to need some help over _there_ , too."

The man nodded and turned his attention to Cissnei after relaying Rude's concerns to a nearby orderly. The senior Turk watched for a moment, but ultimately ducked out of the room. He hated to leave her there alone, but the fact was there was nothing more he could do here. Sato and the others needed him more than Cissnei did right now.

That thought in mind, he made his way back out into the chaos, and raced toward the elevator.

* * *

He was numb. That was the only word for it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he should be feeling _something_... seething anger, overwhelming sorrow, blatant denial... _something_. But he didn't. It was as if all of his capacity to feel had up and left him, and all he could do was stare blankly at the young woman in his arms.

There was a reason everyone had always referred to them as twins. And it wasn't just the family resemblance, which, admittedly wasn't exactly subtle. As kids, they'd done damned near everything together. They were inseparable. They even shared their birthday... albeit a year apart. They were the best of friends, and close as any siblings. Always had been, right from the start.

Most people had always thought he was just a wee bit bonkers. And to be fair, he probably was. And to be _completely_ fair, he knew that even _she'd_ thought so. The difference between Saya and just about everyone else on the planet was that _she'd_ never once held it against him. Of course, there'd been times he driven her nuts with whatever his latest bit of lunacy was... but Saya always had his back, even at his worst.

She defended him when he didn't really deserve defending... and she kept his wilder tendencies in check. She was his common sense, personified.

Footsteps behind him forcibly jarred him back to the present and the gruesome scene that was spread out in front of him. He finally lifted his gaze from his cousin's broken body, and looked up at the new arrival. Rude had come to a stunned halt, just as _he_ had several minutes ago.

The younger Turk, however, didn't _remain_ frozen as Sato had, moving forward into the scene of the explosion towards the other far-too-still figures on the ground. Sato turned his attention back to Saya.

"I never _really_ thought _yeh'd_ go 'fore I did..." Sato said with a quiet, half-swallowed sob, and gently closed his cousin's lifeless eyes.

* * *

Reno tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the coffeemaker to finish. He definitely didn't _need_ any more caffeine at the moment... he was jittery as all fuck after having finished off an entire pot already on his own... but he needed something to do.

There still hadn't been any further word from Veld. Granted, the rest of the team was probably chasing down whoever the fuck was responsible for the bombing, and keeping him and Remy up to date on the situation was going to be a low priority for the moment... but would it have fucking killed him to send them a message letting them know everyone was still in one piece?

He was pretty sure it was starting to bug Remy, too. After making sure the executives were safely settled in their offices, and then spending almost an hour pacing the floor of the lounge, she'd finally retreated to her office to catch up on her reports. They were officially on standby until they received new orders. Unfortunately... that literally meant that they stood around doing nothing.

The redhead sighed. He supposed he could always try and make a dent in his _own_ paperwork. He seemed to have a lot more of it since being promoted, and it _was_ starting to get away from him. He should probably head it off at the pass before he let himself get too far behind.

The coffeemaker gurgled as the last of the water drained from its reservoir.

Yeah... he'd do the responsible thing and start in on those reports. But _first_ , he'd take Remy some coffee. She could probably use some by now, too. And maybe, while he was at it, he'd see if she wanted to grab some lunch... and then possibly hit the training hall for a quick practice session. Because, you know... training _was_ important, after all.

He grinned slightly. Hopefully, by then, they'd have heard something from Veld, and he could go back to _not_ thinking about his damn paperwork. That thought in mind, he poured a mug for each of them and headed down the hall towards Remy's office.

He could see that her door was open as he rounded the corner, and he could hear her talking to someone as he made his way towards it.

"Yes, sir... I... I'll send him out as soon as possible," she said, "Are... you sure I shouldn't come, too?" She paused a moment, and Reno realized that she must be on the phone. "Yes, sir. I understand. I'll be waiting."

He peered inside, just as she was hanging up.

"Hey. I you brought coffee," he said, grinning widely, "So... Good news?"

Remy took a deep breath before exhaling somewhat shakily, and she pressed the palms of her hands down against the top of her desk, as if physically bracing herself.

"I wish I could say yes," she replied. The redhead's grin quickly faded. He set the mugs down, out of the way.

"It's bad, isn't it..." he surmised, and the senior Turk nodded slowly. "... How bad are we talkin' here?"

"Fuhito and Istev somehow made it past our security. Sato was able to disarm one bomb, but... there was a second."

"So... the explosion we heard?"

Remy nodded again. "Several of the others went after him. He used it to escape."

"... So who's hurt?" Reno asked, hoping that an injury or two was _all_ it was. The senior Turk swallowed sharply.

"Cissnei was shot in the leg. It nicked an artery, but she had the presence of mind to apply a tourniquet. She's lost a lot of blood, but she'll be fine. Tseng was... not quite so lucky... but he's stable and not in immediate danger." She swiped a hand over her eyes, and Reno suddenly realized that she was trying desperately not to cry. "Tres is in bad shape. There's no official word yet, and he didn't come right out and say it, but... Veld didn't sound very optimistic about his chances."

She took another deep breath, as though steeling herself for the worst of it.

"Saya and Shay... are both dead," Remy said at last, "And they think Rodney may be, too. There's a collapsed section of building, and they think he's under it somewhere. Shinra troops are searching for him now."

Reno had to catch himself on the edge of her desk and sit down before his legs gave out beneath him. Shay... and Saya. Both of them? And Rodney, too? How was that possible? What the _hell_ had happened?

And what about Tseng? Just how bad was _he_ hurt? Were they talking desk-duty-for-a-week injured... or multiple-surgeries-and-months-of-physical-therapy injured? He'd only _just_ gotten his mentor back. Like... for _real_ back, not just going through the motions and pretending not to be a mess to make it through the day. He didn't want to lose him to that dark pit of despair again.

And how bad off was Tres if even _Veld_ was worried he wouldn't pull through?

Reno blinked hard, several times, willing back tears.

"Reno?"

Remy's voice recaptured his attention... though judging by her expression, it had taken a few tries.

"Y-yeah. I'm okay," he said. Like hell. He was about as far from "okay" as he'd ever been at the moment. He had a feeling that Remy already knew that, though. "So... what do they need us to do?"

"Veld wants you back in Junon, immediately. I'll hold down the fort here for the time being," she said. "He's sending Sato back to Midgar as we speak. He's... not taking things well, for obvious reasons."

The redhead suddenly felt chilled by that thought. Yeah... the Turks were family. For a few of them, the Turks were their _only_ family. But Sato and Saya were actually related by blood. They'd grown up together, become Turks together... that bond ran a lot deeper for them.

"He should be here in about thirty minutes. The pilot will drop him off and pick you up for the return trip," Remy continued.

"... Right. I'll be ready," Reno replied, somewhat distractedly. Whoever was responsible for this was going to pay. Be it Fuhito or Istev or some asshole in Junon who let the fuckers onto the base. They were going to pay. He'd make sure of it.

* * *

The answer was here. Somewhere. He just had to find it.

They may not have been able to _watch_ every Ifrit-forsaken camera at once, but that didn't mean that Tres' network hadn't been storing every second of video since the moment it had been turned on two days ago. Unfortunately, that meant nearly forty-eight hours of footage times seventy-five camera feeds.

The explosion had killed the connections to about half of them... but Rude wasn't interested in the live feeds anymore. He was looking at the backlog. Trying to retrace Istev's steps, starting with the last time they'd seen him, and working backwards from there. If he could figure out where and how he and Fuhito had gotten in... Well, it wouldn't bring back Saya or Shay or Rodney... but it would go a long way towards determining who was responsible.

Because _someone_ had to be responsible. They'd been too careful... taken too many precautions. Two known mercenaries simple _could not_ have just walked in with a bag full of explosives. So, either the Turks had dropped the ball on an epic scale somewhere along the way and left them an opening, or someone had _let_ them in... and he was going to find out which. And, if the latter, _who_. Because that who might be able to lead them to Istev and Fuhito.

It would have been a far easier task if Tres were there to help him, though.

Rude tried not to think too hard about _why_ his mentor wasn't there. When he'd first seen him, he'd thought he was dead. He'd damned well _looked_ dead. His left leg had been badly mangled, the bones shattered. The right was just... gone... from the knee down. How he hadn't bled to death before someone had reached him, Rude had no idea, but as he'd knelt down next to him, assuming the worst, he'd opened his eyes.

Thankfully, by then, reinforcements in the form of medical personnel, had arrived on the scene, as well. The last thing Tres had said to him had been "Find him."

That's what he was trying to do now, with varying degrees of success. He's managed to track Istev back to early this morning... but prior to that, he was having trouble locating him on any of the recordings, and he wasn't sure why. He hadn't yet seen hide nor hair of Fuhito before his sudden appearance on the rooftop. Wherever they'd been hiding, they'd been doing a damned good job of it.

"Rude..."

"..."

"Rude, I need you to stop."

The younger Turk made a soft sound of irritation, and turned in his seat to find Kai standing behind him, a grim expression on her face.

"I'm busy," he replied, shortly, before turning back to the screens.

"I know," she said, "But I need you to stop and come with me. It's Tres. He's asking for you. You need to come _now_."

Rude froze, and for a moment, he was half convinced his heart had stopped dead in his chest.

" _Now_ , Rude," Kai repeated. The younger Turk somewhat shakily abandoned his monitors and followed her, wordlessly, out of their temporary headquarters. Kai wasted no time in making her way across the base, and Rude was somewhat shocked by how empty the place suddenly seemed.

Aside from the security patrols, who, he knew, were sweeping the entire base from top to bottom looking for more explosives, there was hardly anyone to be seen. It was a rather stark change from just a an hour ago. Apparently, Junon security had been swift and efficient in removing the civilians. There was no one to slow them down as they approached the medical bay.

Kai led him down one of the side corridors, and stopped outside of a room. Veld and a doctor emerged as they approached, and judging by the look they shared, it wasn't good news.

"They've done all they can. I'm afraid he doesn't have long," the Turk leader said, and Rude swallowed sharply as Veld turned to him. "He'd like to see you."

The former rookie nodded and slipped past him, into the room, only slightly surprised when Veld closed the door behind him. As he walked slowly towards the bed, he could hear his mentor's strained breathing. Tres' head turned towards him at the sound of his approach, and he managed a weak smile.

"Hey, kiddo... any luck findin' that bastard, Istev, yet?"

Rude shook his head. "Workin' on it."

Tres was pale. The dark tattoo that covered one side of his face stood out even more starkly than usual.

"You'll find 'im. I know you will," the senior Turk replied. "Heh... 'least I know I'm leavin' the team in good hands. They can't get by without people like you 'n me. Don't ever let 'em tall ya different."

"Tres..."

"Hey... I need ya to do somethin' for me," Tres continued. "Back in Midgar. Check my desk, top left drawer. There's letters. See that they get into the right hands 'n burn the ones that don't matter anymore, will ya? Not usually the sentimental type but... there's a few things I wanted to say."

He coughed violently, and Rude could see blood on his lips. He moved closer and somewhat tentatively took a seat beside his mentor's bed.

"Fuck... they say life's a bitch 'en then ya die. Just so ya know, dyin's a bitch, too," Tres groaned. "Kinda wish that asshole just took me out clean like he did the others instead of half-assin' it like this..."

"... Can I do anything?" It seemed like such a stupid question. Really, what _could_ he do? It wasn't as if he could fix him. Even the doctors hadn't been able to do that.

"Tch... not unless you can pull a some new vital organs outta your ass," he replied, and Rude could tell that he was fighting just to hold on now. His voice was strained, and his skin was beginning to take on a grayish hue. "Look, kid... It's all on you now. They depend on us. You get out there and you show 'em how good I taught ya."

Tres weakly lift an arm and reached out for Rude's hand, fingers curling around his.

"I know you got this... right, kid?"

"Yeah. I got this," Rude responded, trying to ignore the way his voice broke as he said it. Tres nodded, and closed his eyes.

He didn't open them again.

~end chapter 99~


	100. Not as it Seems

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 100: Not as it Seems**

 **by Desha**

Reno spent most of his ride back to Junon deeply lost in his own thoughts. Sato had barely even acknowledged him when he'd landed, and the redhead was glad that Remy seemed to be standing by to look after him. He was obviously distraught. And who wouldn't be? He'd lost one of, if not _the_ most important people in his life.

Reno was feeling pretty distraught about that himself. Saya had been so warm and protective and kind. She'd always been willing to help him out with training. Hell, he'd probably _still_ be a terrible shot without her guidance. And she was never afraid to tell someone off for picking on the "wee rookies". She somehow had the ability to make a person feel special, even when they screwed up. She was the one who'd taken the time to check on him his first day of work after Sato had blow up Remy's office and Tseng had yelled at him for not listening to orders... something he'd never forgotten.

And then there was Shay, who, in spite of the fact that he was loaded, was a – mostly – down to earth person and generous to a fault. Reno had only in the last few months felt like he'd really started to get to know the guy... largely owing to the fact that, as one of the younger members of the team, Shay hadn't really been directly involved in training the rookies until they'd had a good bit of experience under their belts... and even then, it had been for their introduction to materia; training he'd ultimately had to drop. The entire time Reno had known Shay, he'd been in the kind of odd position between rookie and seasoned Turk... pretty much the same place Reno himself was at now. Plus, he'd spent a lot of his time off meeting what he called "social obligations"... which Reno had taken to mean doing the shit rich people were expected to do with other rich people whether they really wanted to or not. Still, he was a cool guy, who deserved better than the fate that had befallen him.

Even Rodney, who had mostly been an asshole towards Reno since day one had deserved better than _that_. Sure, they hadn't gotten along so great, but Rodney was still a Turk. Reno could overlook the fact that he was also kind of a prick, under the circumstances. He was pretty sure it was mostly just something between the two of themspecifically, anyway, since no one else really seemed to have a problem with him. And even if he didn't particularly like the jerk on a personal level, Rodney was good at his job, and the redhead could at least _respect_ him for that. He certainly wouldn't have wished _death_ on him, at any rate.

Three Turks gone. Another hanging by a thread, if Remy's suspicions were correct. Reno cringed at the thought of how Rude was gonna react if Tres didn't make it. Tres' mentorship of Rude wasn't quite the same as the relationship that Renohad with Tseng, but he knew the two of them were close. Rude looked up to Tres, and aspired to be as good as he was one day. Losing your hero would be soul-crushing for anyone.

Reno hoped Tres would be alright... and not just for Rude's sake. He liked the snarky bastard, himself. Tres was the only person on the team that really understood where Reno'd come from, because he'd come from there, too. There were some things that even Rude didn't quite get about the redhead yet... but Tres did. And he got the distinct impression that there had been a few instances that the senior Turk had pulled his protege aside and explained it to him when he _really_ didn't get it. Reno was grateful for that.

And as the cherry on top of the fucked up sundae, Tseng and Cissnei were both injured. That cut the team nearly in half. Plus, Sato would probably be sidelined for a little while, too... and with Remy making sure Midgar wasn't falling apart, it left just four Turks to deal with the current situation in Junon... two of whom had still been rookies not that long ago.

A part of him was terrified that he wasn't up to the task. Even though he knew better, every once in awhile, old doubts still found a way to creep into the back of his mind. Usually all he had to do was remind himself that Tseng wouldn't have promoted him if he hadn't been ready. It was taking a little more effort than usual today, though, with everything that had happened. So many experienced Turks, cut down like nothing. Even if he knew he was _ready_ for more responsibility, he still didn't feel as though he measured up the the likes of them. But he also knew he had to cut out the bullshit and do his fucking job. People were depending on him. He _family_ was depending on him.

It felt as though no time at all had passed. Before he knew it, the helicopter was landing in Junon. He could see Kai waiting for him near the landing pad. Moments later, he was out of his seat and scrambling for the exit, hurrying to find out where they needed him.

Kai greeted him with an uncharacteristically tight hug before escorting him away from the landing zone.

" _Please_ tell me Remy filled you in before you left..." she said, somewhat pleadingly as they walked, "I've already had to break bad news once today..."

"Yeah... She told me. They find Rod yet?" he asked. Kai shook her head.

"No... but the whole area's a mess and it's a tight space. They've had trouble getting equipment in to move the larger pieces of debris. It's gonna take awhile," she said, and then paused, hesitating, "There _is_ one thing I should update you on, though." She sighed, and closed her eyes for a moment. "We... lost Tres. It happened just a little while ago. Rude was with him."

"Fuck..." Reno breathed. He'd really hoped she wasn't going to say that... but he could hear it in her voice before she'd even gotten the words out.

"The _good_ news... comparatively speaking... is that Tseng and Cissnei are doing alright. Cissnei's already up and hobbling around on crutches... against doctor's orders, I might add. Tseng's got some broken ribs and they brought him in with a collapsed lung... and the docs pulled a four foot piece of rebar out of his thigh earlier... but he's awake. And pissed off, which is typically a good sign. I'd take you in to see him, but... Veld needs all hands on deck."

"Figured as much," the redhead replied, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. He'd have felt a lot better if he could see for himself that Tseng was alright, but for now, he'd just have to take Kai's word for it. Fuhito and Istev already had a head start on them. The longer they fucked around, the wider the gap between them got.

"I'll tell him you're here and worried about him the next time I have a chance to check up on him. You're with Rude for now," Kai said, with a nod of understanding. "He's trying to track our targets' movements through Tres' video footage. See how the hell they got in and where they were hiding while they waited to set the bomb. Might tell us where they disappeared to afterward."

"... How's _Rude_ doing?" the redhead queried.

"If I knew, I'd tell you. He's barely said two words since he left Tres' room... not that he ever says much more than that to begin with. But if I had to guess, I'd say he's throwing himself into his work to avoid thinking too hard about other things."

He followed her to the Turks' temporary headquarters and she let him in before disappearing to see to other matters. Reno had little difficulty locating his friend. He was staring obsessively at a bank of monitors as the played footage from earlier in the day. One showed a man on a rooftop opening fire onto the street below. He could only assume that that's how Cissnei had ended up taking a bullet. Another showed Istev lingering near the tramway's main pillar, presumably just before he'd planted the first bomb.

"Hey," he said by way of greeting. Rude grunted in reply, never taking his eyes away from the screens. "So... I'll just take that to mean you'd rather work than talk. What do ya need me to do?"

* * *

Kai had paused for a moment to watch as Junon's construction personnel finally moved in a large crane to lift the remaining section of wall out of the alleyway. They had things well in had... but a part of her felt that _someone_ from the team ought to be there when they finally reached Rodney's body, and Veld had his hands full at the moment questioning the delegation from Wutai. No one was quite convinced that the island nation hadn't arranged this attack... but she had to admit, they were struggling to find a motive.

As the massive slab of concrete slowly began to rise, she wondered if there'd even be anything left of the unfortunate Turkling. There been one occasion during her tenure with Shinra Company that a Turk's body had been recovered so badly mangled that an the official identification had to be made from dental records. She _really_ hoped this wasn't going to mirror that experience.

Losing a Turk like that was awful enough. But losing a rookie? It was simply beyond words.

She took a deep breath, readying herself for the worst, as the slab was finally lifted clear... and blinked in confusion. A moment later, she reached for her PHS, hurriedly dialing Veld's number.

"Sir? I'm at the explosion site. You should get down here, right away..."

* * *

Reno already felt as though he were going cross-eyed. He'd been watching the footage at high speed, hoping to catch a glimpse of at least _one_ of their targets. Between forcing himself not to blink and the dizzying movement on the screen, it was making him a little queasy. He had no idea how the fuck Rude had been doing the same thing all afternoon without puking.

Kai had been right. Rude _did_ seem to be doing everything in his power to keep himself busy... to the point that his dedication bordered on obsession. The few words he _had_ gotten out of his friend had been curt and laced with anger. Rude was pissed, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that he wanted Istev's head on a platter at the moment.

The electronic lock on the hanger door beeped, and Reno paused the video, grateful for the interruption. He turned away from the monitors, rubbing his eyes as Kai and Veld made their way towards them.

"Were the cameras still recording after the bomb went off?" Veld demanded without preamble.

Rude grudgingly paused his own video and looked up.

"Some of them. Most lost power and never came back online. Anything that might have been in a position to catch Istev or Fuhito escaping has been down since the explosion."

"What about the ones that _aren't_?"

"... They're all on the opposite side of the base, sir. Wouldn't have seen anything useful."

"Uh... sir?" Reno cut in, his brow furrowing, "Is... there somethin' specific we oughta be lookin' for?"

"Rodney," Veld replied with a nod, and Reno blinked in shock, "They've finally cleared the debris... and there was nothing under it. It seems our dead rookie isn't quite as dead as we assumed. Which begs the question... where in the nine hells _is_ he?"

"The fuck... ?" the redhead breathed, trailing off. Half a dozen possibilities entered his head all at once. Had Rodney seen where Istev had gone and tried to take him down himself? Had he been taken hostage by the mercenary in the aftermath of the explosion? Had he just fucked off like a goddamn coward and left his fellow Turks lying dead in the street? Was he even still alive, or had his body just ended up somewhere else?

"Check those cameras," Veld demanded, "Rodney lived in Junon for most of his life before joining the Turks. He knows every inch of this base. If Fuhito and Istev somehow forced him to cooperate after the explosion..."

"We're on it," Reno replied, turning to Rude. His fellow Turk hurried to pull up the footage.

* * *

Tseng sighed and turned his gaze away from the window, instead opting to stare up at the ceiling. The nurse had drawn the curtains several minutes ago, leaving him without the relatively pleasant view he'd been afforded earlier. He was supposed to be be "resting".

How in Leviathan's name a person was supposed to "rest" when every little movement and every breathe he took brought with it a stab of pain, he had no idea. The painkillers helped... but only so much. But worse than the physical pain was the knowledge that, though he'd survived the attack, four of his fellow Turks had not.

His initial reaction to that had been pure anger. From the moment he'd arrived, barely conscious, in the base's medical bay to the moment they put him under for surgery, he'd been furious. His temper hadn't cooled much at all by the time he awoke.

He'd remained in that frame of mind until Veld had, barely an hour ago, informed him of Tres' passing. The news had been enough to deflate him considerably, and now he mostly just felt the pain of sorrow for the loss of his fellow Turks.

He had dared to hope that the man would make it on sheer stubbornness alone... but it had been wishful thinking. His injuries had simply been beyond repair. Though he did take some solace in knowing that his friend had at least had the opportunity to say goodbye to his protege. He knew how much Rude meant to him, and how incredibly proud of the young man he'd been.

Had it been _him_ , today... Tesng likely _wouldn't_ have had such an opportunity. Reno had been in Midgar... or at the very least, still on his way back to Junon... when Tres had finally succumbed. The thought of being taken out without the chance for a farewell disturbed him. Odd that it had never really bothered him before. But then, a lot had change in the last year and a half or so. _He_ had changed.

But not so much that the deaths of such a significant portion of his family didn't deeply affect him. It was never easy to lose someone, but losing so many at once... It just was as heartbreaking as it had been the last time it had happened.

He, at least, had some experience in that regard. He wished he knew how Reno was faring. The redhead was no stranger to death, of course... but the last time the Turks suffered such a high number of casualties, he hadn't yet been recruited. This was far different from when Aaron had been killed... or Luca. He wished he could be there for his former rookie.

He wouldn't have minded the reassurance of having _him_ nearby, as well. Tseng was trying _not_ to worry about his young protege, but the reality was that the rest of the team was actively tracking two very dangerous men. He had a feeling he was going to be more than slightly on edge until he saw for himself that the redhead was safe and sound.

"You're supposed to be resting..." a voice announced from the doorway.

" _You're_ supposed to be working," he countered, though it was with the hint of a somewhat sad smile on his lips. Viridia snorted softly and stepped fully into the room.

"I've already been on duty so long at this point, that I'm actually _required_ to take an hour break. How are you feeling?"

"Viridia... you do not simply ask someone who was just blown up how they are feeling," he answered, dryly. "I'm... alive. And as well as can be expected, otherwise, I suppose."

She nodded in understanding. "I heard about the others. I'm so sorry, Tseng. I just... don't understand how this could have happened. Security was airtight. I made sure of it, personally."

"It wasn't your fault," he replied, "Fuhito has proven... _extraordinarily_... resourceful in the past. He's made a living off of it for years, in fact. I don't know how he and Istev made it onto the base, either. But my team _will_ find out." He hesitated for a moment before glancing up at her. "You... haven't by any chance see Reno lately... have you? Veld said he'd be summoning him back to Junon to help with the investigation..."

Viridia shook her head. "Not really. I caught a glimpse of him when the helicopter dropped him off, but I think they put him straight to work, and I had my own duties to attend to at the time."

"Will you do me favor?" he asked.

"Of course I will... what?"

"If you happen to cross his path before I do, will you tell him not to worry about me? Because I know he will, and I'd prefer he not be distracted with unimportant details. I'm fine and well taken care of."

Viridia chuckled softly. "I'll certainly give him the message... but if you really think he could ever consider you an 'unimportant detail', you must havetaken a harder hit in that explosion than the doctors thought. You're clearly delusional."

* * *

"I don't fucking believe it..." Reno said peering over Rude's shoulder at the video monitor. The other Turk wordlessly ran the video back and played the sequence again... for the third time now. Reno shook his head. "That son of _bitch_."

They still hadn't spotted Istev or Fuhito. But Rodney... oh, they _damn_ sure had found Rodney. Surprisingly unsquished, and looking more than a little paranoid. Reno watched as the rookie Turk crossed the screen again, worriedly looking over his shoulder every few seconds before disappearing into the crowd. The footage had been recorded almost a full eight minutes after the bomb had gone off, and came from a camera positioned halfway across the base, near the tram.

"Where the fuck's he goin'?" Reno wondered aloud. Rude switched to a different view. A moment later, Rodney appeared on the left side of the screen.

"Looks like he's heading towards the officers' quarters." He switched to yet another camera. The feed clearly showed the rookie walking briskly across a courtyard and into once of the buildings that housed higher ranking officers and their families.

"The hell?" Reno muttered, as he watched, "Uh... Rod's dad is like... some kinda general or somethin' right?"

"Colonel. And if your next question is where does he live on base, the answer is right there," Rude ground out, "I know because Veld had me look up which apartment so he could tell him in person what happened to Rodney."

Reno shook his head. "What the ever-livin' fucks' goin' on here?" he breathed, in vague disbelief, "So... Rod _somehow_ survives gettin' blown up. But then, instead of stickin' around to help, he runs home to daddy? Who, apparently, decides to just not mention that his dead kid ain't dead when Veld shows up to break the news?"

Both Turks were silent for a moment. It was Reno who finally spoke.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?

"... Depends," Rude replied, a cold note in his voice, "Are you thinking that maybe we ought to see what Rodney was up to _before_ the explosion?"

"Yeah. That's _definitely_ what I'm thinkin'. You pull up the video. I'll let Veld know what we found."

* * *

"Have you been able determine where he went from there?" Veld asked. Reno could plainly hear the anger in his voice as the evidence against Rodney mounted. He and Rude hadn't found any additional footage of the rookie Turk after he entered the officers' quarters... but they'd certainly found plenty of it from the night before.

The bastard had been sneaky about it... but he hadn't been able to avoid _all_ of Tres' cameras. Apparently, according to Rude, his mentor had placed most of them in plain sight... but had made a point of making sure that several were much harder to spot if you didn't know to look for them. Rodney hadn't been privy to that information... so as careful as he'd been, he'd still gotten himself caught on camera more than once.

It had been Reno's idea to go back all the way to the overnight shift the rookie had shared with Shay. Just a feeling he'd had. Sure enough, it had been Rodney who'd taken patrol duty while his partner had remained in the command center watching the monitors. For awhile, there had been nothing out of the ordinary. But just before two in the morning, near the end of his shift, he'd made an inexplicable detour towards the base's elevator.

What had happened after that detour was patchy, as the young Turk was actively avoiding the cameras he knew about... but they could very clearly see him approaching the elevator, and attacking the two guards before typing something into the access panel near the doors. He then pulled his PHS from his jacket and made a call. Several moments later, the elevator doors opened, and two dark figures strode out onto the base. They drug the bodies of the two soldiers into the elevator and, though it was difficult to tell from the angle, Reno surmised that they sent it back down to Lower Junon... probably to someone waiting down below to hide the bodies, given that none had been found or reported.

The newcomers were just as careful to avoid the cameras as Rod had been... and there were no clear shots of either man's face... but there was no doubt in the room as to who they were. Who the hell else _could_ they be but Fuhito and Istev?

"Far as I can tell, he finished his patrol and returned to the command center just in time for Saya and Cissnei to take over," Rude stated. "He went straight to his quarters once his shift ended, and didn't leave again until morning."

Veld pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, before angrily turning to Kai.

"Kai... inform base security that we have a traitor in our midst. Have them search his father's quarters. If Rodney has _any_ sense of self preservation at all, I doubt he's still there, but it's somewhere to start at least. Have security detain Colonel Galena, as well. I don't want him mysteriously vanishing the same way his son has until we're certain he's not involved."

Traitor. They'd all been thinking it, of course, but hearing Veld actually say it... Reno didn't want to believe it. Rodney was a definitely a douchebag... but a _traitor_? What in Ifrit's name could have driven him to something like that? He _had_ to know he'd eventually be found out.

And he had to know what the Turks would do to him for it...

* * *

"No... You're... You're wrong. Rodney _wouldn't_ do something like this," Cissnei firmly insisted to Reno. He and Rude had been ordered to take a break and go and get something to eat. Rude, however, had opted to remain in the hanger, still going over the recorded footage, and asked him to bring him something back. The redhead hadn't tried to dissuade him. His friend seemed to be on a mission to find the clue that would lead them to Fuhito and Istev... and now, to Rodney, as well.

So, he'd gone of in search of the team's remaining rookie to keep him company. He'd figured that Cissnei could probably use the distraction, anyway. She was mobile, with the help of a pair of crutches... but Veld had refused to put her to work, even on light duty, until a doctor signed off on it.

Reno sighed softly. "I know he's you're friend 'n all... but Cissnei, we got him _on video_ takin' out two guards 'n lettin' those fuckers onto the base. It's pretty fuckin' cut 'n dry."

"There _has_ to be another explanation. There just... there _has_ to be!" she replied, and even though by all appearances she seemed adamant initially, Reno could hear the doubt creeping in. "I just... I don't understand. It doesn't make any sense," she said at last, shaking her head. " _Why_? Why would he betray us like that?"

"I don't know. I mean... he _did_ say some shit about Wutai gettin' off easy with this treaty, but..." he said, at a loss for once, "You probably knew him better than anyone else on the team... Can _you_ think of anything?"

Cissnei scowled slightly. "I can only think of _one_ thing more important to Rod than being a Turk. His dad. But even then... the Colonel is a decorated military hero. He wouldn't betray Shinra any more than..." She paused, appearing to rethink her words. "I was going to say any more than _Rodney_ would, but... that might not be the best comparison, under the circumstances."

Reno arched an eyebrow. "You _sure_ about that?" he queried, "'Cause I'm not so sure Veld is. He told Kai to have Rodney's dad detained."

* * *

Kai watched unsympathetically as Junon security guards escorted one Colonel Horatio Galena out of his quarters and across the base for questioning. The colonel strode forward defiantly, his head raised high even as the soldiers had him in handcuffs and under heavy guard. She turned to her left as someone approached her from behind.

"I don't know whether to hope you're right about this, or hope you're dead wrong," Lieutenant Commander Nacelle said. "The man is a war hero, and highly respected. If it turns out you're wrong, top brass is going to give me an ass-chewing I'll never forget. And if you're _right_ , I'm still liable to get my ass chewed out for letting the Turks one-up me on catching him in the act."

Kai smirked slightly.

" _Sounds_ like you should've taken us up on our offer to join awhile back," she replied, and Viridia snorted a soft laugh in spite of the present situation, "But we _know_ his son is somehow involved. And honestly... I don't think Rodney would try something like this on his own. He's too by the book. Whoever put an idea like this in his head would have to have had a voice that carries a lot of weight with him. Veld thinks his father is the most likely candidate, and I learned a long time ago not to doubt Veld's hunches."

There was, after all, a reason that Veld commanded the respect he did from his team. He was born for the job. Even his predecessor didn't compare, and that was no slight against the former head of the Turks. It was merely a statement of fact. If Veld said jump, his Turks were only too happy to ask how high. And if Veld said he suspected someone of betraying the Company... well... that person was to be considered a traitor until proven otherwise be they a nameless office grunt, a decorated military colonel... or even a fellow Turk.

Still... discovering that Rodney was directly responsible for the bombing had come as a shock to them all. She was torn. She'd helped to train Rodney. She'd grown to like him and consider him family. To know that his actions had resulted in the deaths of three of the people she was closest to in the world, and serious injuries to two others, was devastating.

A part of her hoped that he would simply disappear and they'd never see or hear from him again. At least then, she didn't have to think about the alternative... because if and when they caught up to him, Rodney's life would be forfeit. She had no illusions about that. She just wasn't quite certain how she felt about it.

One thing she _did_ know... she didn't want to be the one sent after him. There were a lot of things she could stomach. She could torture information out of a subject with hardly a second thought. She could accept the deaths of people she'd come to know and love and live with the possibility of it happening again and again. But Kai wasn't sure she could hunt down a fellow Turk, and a rookie at that, and still be able to sleep at night. Not even one who'd betrayed them all. Even _she_ had limits.

She was sure that at least _some_ of the others would feel differently. Rude, in spite of his overall quiet and observant demeanor, was likely silently chomping at the bit to avenge his fallen mentor. And she was sure Sato wouldn't think twice about ending a traitor after losing his beloved cousin to his actions.

"Are you planning on joining me for the interrogation?" Kai asked after a brief silence. Viridia nodded.

"Command has demanded it... not that they could stop the Turks from kicking me out if you really wanted to."

"Well, in that case... Let's get to it, then, shall we?"

~end chapter 100~


	101. Endgame

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Chapter 101: Endgame**

 **by Desha**

 _ **Author's Note -** Whew! Wasn't sure I'd get this done before the holiday, but here you go. The final chapter is coming... but I'll be out of town with family until next week, so it may be later than usual. Enjoy!_

* * *

Reno cautiously peered around the door frame and into the starkly white room. Rude had found a possible lead on Fuhito buried in the hours upon hours of video footage. He'd slipped aboard a departing ferry in the aftermath of the bombing as civilians were being cleared out. Veld had taken the young Turk with him to see if they couldn't head off their quarry before the boat made it to shore. Hopefully, they'd be able to take down Istev at the same time, but there hadn't been any sign of him on the video. It was possible the pair had split up and made their escape separately.

The redhead had wanted to go, too... but he was denied. Kai was still working on getting information out of Rodney's father. The Colonel wasn't exactly forthcoming, but if she _did_ get a lead, she'd need backup of her own, and with Remy and Sato in Midgar and Tseng and Cissnei out of commission, that job fell to him.

But for now, he wasn't needed anywhere in particular. He'd opted to take the brief respite from the chase to check in on his mentor. Now, though... he was hesitating.

He swallowed sharply at the sight that greeted him and almost turned right around and went back the way he came.

Tseng was asleep – or unconscious... he couldn't be sure which – with any number of cords and wires and tubes stuck in him, attaching him to IVs and monitors and Shiva only knew what else. What the redhead could see of his torso was heavily bandaged... and it occurred to him that he'd never actually _seen_ Tseng get hurt before. Not like this, at any rate. He didn't like it.

For some reason, Tseng had always seemed kind of... invincible. Okay, sure, he'd been scared that night when he found him after Mayu had been killed. But his concern _then_ had been what Tseng might do to _himself_. That was completely different from what Reno had to worry about now. The thought that Tseng really _had_ almost been blown to the next world earlier today made him shudder.

If he'd been just a little closer to the blast...

It took him several minutes, in fact, to work up the nerve to step all the way into the room, and even then his approach was slow and hesitant.

He was being stupid. Tseng was fine. Well... maybe not _fine_ , but he wasn't going to just up and die on him if he made too much noise or got too close. Seeing him like this, though... it just felt so wrong.

He wasn't sure how long it actually took him to cross the room and take a seat at his mentor's bedside, but it felt like an eternity. And once he was there, he didn't know what to do with himself. He wanted desperately to reassure himself that Tseng was going to be alright... but he didn't dare wake the injured man up. He finally just settled back in the chair, sitting silently, his eyes watching with rapt attention the rise and fall of Tseng's chest as he slept.

He was so focused on making sure the man continued breathing that he didn't even notice when Tseng opened his eyes a few minutes later.

"I sincerely hope that's not what _I_ looked like watching _you_ sleep when you were injured..." he said, a hint of teasing in his tone. Reno jumped, startled out of his almost trance-like state.

"T-Tseng!" he stammered.

"It's alright, Reno. I'm fine," the Wutaiian Turk assured him. "Perhaps a bit more battered than I'd prefer, but there's no cause for concern."

Reno couldn't find the words to respond to that, so great was the sudden wave of relief that washed over him.

"Has there been any word on our targets?" Tseng asked, apparently sensing his protege's discomfort and changing the subject.

"Y-yeah. We found Fuhito... Well, we know where he's headin' and how he's gettin' there, anyway. If we can catch up to him in time, we got him. Veld 'n Rude are on it."

"And Istev?" he queried. Reno shook his head.

"Vanished. Kai's tryin' to get some answers outta Rodney's old man, though. If he _does_ know somethin', me 'n her are goin' after the bastard."

Tseng's brow furrowed in confusion. "What in Leviathan's name does Rodney's father have to do with anything?"

The redhead shifted uncomfortably. For some reason, it just hadn't occurred to him that Tseng wasn't fully up to date on what was going on. In retrospect, that was a pretty stupid assumption on his part. His mentor was in a hospital bed, for fuck's sake. It wasn't as if he was getting regular briefings.

"Uhh... What's the last thing Veld told ya, exactly?" he asked, not sure where to start. Tseng glanced away momentarily.

"The last time we spoke, it was to inform me of Tres' death," he looked back over at the redhead. "I take it there are some new developments?"

"... Yeah. You could say that," Reno said, awkwardly. He hadn't expected to be the one to have to tell Tseng that one of their own had turned traitor. "So... It kinda turns out that Rodney's the one who let 'em in. And it _also_ kinda turns out he's not as dead as we thought he was."

Tseng's eyes narrowed. "What?" he hissed.

"Me 'n Rude were goin' through Tres' video footage. We got him on camera at the elevator last night. He took out two Junon security guards 'n unlocked it for 'em."

"You're absolutely certain?" the older Turk said, and the disbelief in his tone was readily apparent. Reno nodded.

"Yeah... we're sure. Got him again later, after the bomb went off, headin' for his dad's quarters. Son of a bitch just fuckin' left you all there to die."

Tseng closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "No Turk has betrayed Shinra Company in... well, most certainly never in the time that _I've_ been a Turk. How could he...?"

"Been tryin' to figure that out all day. I... just don't know. But he _was_ sayin' some shit a few days ago that kinda creeped me out. 'Bout how Wutai outta be punished, 'n how Shinra's gettin' screwed with this treaty..."

"And you didn't think to _say_ anything?!" Tseng demanded, angrily. Reno's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden venom in his voice.

"Y-yeah... I _did_! I told Veld soon as I had the chance. He said he'd talk to him."

Tseng shut his eyes again for a moment, and then set his gaze on the ceiling. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. I just..." He sighed in frustration.

"... can't believe it?" Reno ventured.

"Believing it isn't the issue. _Accepting_ it is the real difficulty. When we decided to promote him, Veld and I were in absolute agreement that Rodney looked like the _ideal_ candidate. He looked entirely perfect on paper. We were even more convinced after observing him in person. Neither of us had any misgivings whatsoever. How could we _both_ have been so very wrong?"

"Ya know... I remember you tellin' me once that you'd never met anyone who was perfect... and that you weren't expectin' _me_ to be the first. Maybe lookin' good on paper's not such a great test for actually _bein'_ perfect."

Tseng gave a faint chuckle in spite of himself. "If I recall correctly, that statement was made after you stole my _car_. But your point is taken. Perhaps our expectations of Rodney were a bit... biased... based on his record."

"So... what happens now?" Reno asked.

"Rodney becomes a target for immediate elimination, I would assume. Veld will likely make him a priority, given his knowledge of Shinra security and protocols. If he's truly gone to work for Fuhito's group, he needs to be disposed of as soon as possible. Inside information like that is _extremely_ dangerous in the wrong hands." He paused a moment and then fixed the redhead with a serious look. "You said you believe that Fuhito and Istev went off separately after the bombing?" Reno nodded. "Then Rodney likely did as well. I want you to go and speak with Cissnei. She is probably closer to Rodney than anyone. Find out if he mentioned to her someplace he might go if he were ever in trouble... or even just somewhere of great sentimental value to him. She may have a clue to his whereabouts and not even realize it."

"On it, Boss," the redhead replied, scurrying to his feet.

* * *

Rude ran, his lungs burning with the exertion. He was no longer certain where Veld was, but he knew the Turk leader had to be nearby. They'd been too late to stop the ferry from docking at Costa del Sol, but Fuhito's luck had run out there. They'd spotted him leaving the ship.

Unfortunately, he'd seen _them_ as well, and taken off running, shouldering his way through the crowd as they disembarked, bowling several of his fellow passengers over. At least one less than lucky tourist had ended up in the water along with his luggage.

Now, it was down to a foot pursuit. He and Veld had separated, hoping to cut off their target's escape. Rude had been close to tackling him at one point, but Fuhito had shoved a cartload of exotic fruit into his path, which the young Turk had only narrowly managed to avoid crashing into. Though he hadn't been tripped up by the maneuver, he _had_ been slowed down. He wished he had a little of his fellow former-rookie's agility at the moment. Reno likely could have vaulted over the damned thing running and never lost a step. Rude had had to dart around it, not fully trusting himself to make the jump without landing on his ass on the other side.

The unforeseen slowdown had cost him. Fuhito had wasted no time in increasing the distance between them, and had turned down a side street, causing Rude to lose sight of him. A part of him feared the worst... The longer he was out of sight, the more likely he was to disappear again. If Rude took a wrong turn, he could lose him for good.

It was a relief, therefore, he he rounded the corner and saw Fuhito slip around the back of a building. The Turk sprinted after him, putting everything he had into it in an attempt to catch up. As it turned out, he needn't have bothered.

As he reached the spot where Fuhito had disappeared again, he found the man laid out flat on the ground groaning as he clutched a badly bloodied nose, Veld standing over him. The Turk leader was breathing heavily from his own race to capture the target, but wore a undisguised smirk of triumph.

"Deal with him," Veld ordered, as he leaned against the wall of the building and tried to catch his breath, muttering something about getting too old for this sort of thing. Rude was only too happy to seize the mercenary, roughly flipping him over and securing his hands behind his back. He would have liked to do much worse... but Istev was still out there, and if anyone knew where the bomber had gone to hide, it would be his partner.

And as much as Rude wanted Fuhito... he wanted Istev _more_. Istev was the one with Turk blood on his hands. _He_ was the one who'd set the bombs and triggered the explosion. _He_ was the one who'd killed Tres. And _he_ was _going_ to pay for it. Rude didn't care how long it took, what he had to do, or how far he had to go to find that bastard... He'd pay. Tres deserved _at least_ that much.

* * *

"Hey there..." a voice called out to him, interrupting Tseng's study of his room's ceiling tiles. He redirected his gaze towards the source and was greeted by the familiar figure of Kai standing in the doorway. "Geez... Don't they ever check in on you or anything? Every time I come up here, no one seems to be around."

"Hmph... If you were the one stuck laying here, you wouldn't dare ask that question. I am allegedly supposed to be 'resting'... How that's possible when the medical staff insists on rousing me every hour for medication, or to take my blood pressure, or merely to assure themselves that I've not yet expired, is a mystery to me."

Kai snorted and crossed the room, taking a seat on the edge of his bed.

"You always _were_ a terrible patient. How's the lung?" she asked.

"It has not re-collapsed, so far as I'm aware. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine. Has there been any news?"

"Not yet. I just wanted to look in on you."

"I'm fine," Tseng hurriedly assured the woman.

" _Are_ you?"

The Turk lieutenant rolled his eyes. "And just what is that supposed to mean."

"Just that I know you... and what you've been through," Kai replied, "We lost three Turks, Tseng. Technically four... because you know we can't let Rodney live after what he's done. I know that you're feeling that loss as much as I am. They were family."

Tseng looked away for a moment. "Yes... they were," he said, quietly, "Even Rodney..."

"It's not your fault, you know. You couldn't have known."

The Turk lieutenant turned back to her. "He _was_ my top pick."

"And _Veld's_ ," said Kai, "And it's not _his_ fault, either. No one could have predicted that he'd go rogue. Not even our illustrious second in command who keeps claiming not to be psychic, even though we all know otherwise..."

Tseng snorted a soft, mirthless laugh, before shaking his head. "At the moment, I wish I could live up to the rumor... Perhaps this could have been prevented."

"That's my point. This _wasn't_ something you could have prevented. No matter how much we tease you about it, you're not psychic. It's _not_ you fault."

The Turk second in command managed a faint smile. "Ah... I see. You've come to rescue me from being devoured by my own guilt. If you're trying to prevent me from undoing months of therapy, I'm afraid you're a little late to the party. Reno has already been here and had much the same conversation with me... though in his case, I believe it was quite effectively accomplished without him ever intending to do so. I _do_ appreciate the thought, though."

"Figures," Kai snickered. "He's got an empathetic instinct you _never_ did... at least not until _he_ came along."

"Hmph... Was that an insult or a compliment?" Tseng queried.

"Both," the diminutive Turk, replied, grinning. "Face it, Tseng... He's changed you. For the _better_ , in my not so humble opinion. That kid's gonna make a good Second one day."

"I... have to admit, I'm forced to agree. On both counts. Look after him for me, will you, Kai? I can't keep nearly as close an eye on him as I would like from this bed."

"Don't worry," Kai replied, "I'll make sure our baby Turkling stays in one piece until you're back on your feet." She suddenly grinned evilly, "But after that, he's fair game for the gauntlet again. Can't let him go soft, now, can we?"

Tseng could only shake his head and sigh.

"You know, he's not _technically_ a Turkling anymore... and I'm not sure your diminutive is entirely appreciated. Or ever was, for that matter."

Kai grinned widely.

"Yeah, well... when he finally starts looking older than twelve, I'll _consider_ calling him something else. _Maybe_."

* * *

"Just outta curiosity... how the fuck'd you manage to get all the way up here with only one good leg?"

Cissnei turned to look back over her shoulder, and was greeted by the sight of a familiar figure making its way towards her. She didn't say anything until Reno reached her.

"It wasn't easy," she replied, returning her gaze to the sea, "... But the view was worth it."

The redhead lowered himself down beside her, letting his legs dangle over the edge.

"They're... uh... not gonna be test firin' this thing any time soon, right?" he queried, and though his tone was joking, she could hear just a little bit of apprehension behind the words. She manged a slight smile. To be fair, the barrel of Junon's ginormous mako canon _probably_ wasn't the safest place to be enjoying the sunset... but it was quiet, and she'd figured that no one from base security was likely to venture out to bother her. At least not right away.

"Thinkin' about Rodney?" Reno asked when she didn't answer him. She nodded.

"I just... don't understand. I wish I could ask him why." The rookie Turk looked over at her unexpected company. "And I'm probably never going to be able to, am I? I'm _probably_ never even going to see him again. My leg won't be healed in time to help find him... and Veld's not going to have him brought in alive."

Reno wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in against his side, and Cissnei gladly leaned into the comforting warmth of his body.

"He was my friend, Reno. At least... I thought he was."

"... I know. This whole mess sucks."

She sighed and let her head rest on his shoulder.

"I always knew being a Turk wouldn't be easy. I just didn't know it could _hurt_ so much."

His grip on her tightened, and for a moment he said nothing. At last, though, the redhead echoed her sigh.

"I hate to do this right _now_ , but... Tseng kinda sent me to talk to ya. He wants me to ask you if Rodney ever talked about somewhere he might go if he was ever _really_ in deep shit."

Cissnei lifted her head and turned to look at him. She could see the guilt in his eyes, and she could tell that he hadn't wanted to ask her to betray her friend... but he was duty-bound to follow the orders he'd been given. Just as she was duty-bound to answer honestly. She looked back out across the ocean, watching the fading sunlight play on the waves.

"Yeah," she said after a moment, "I do know _one_ place he might go. But before I tell you where, will you promise me something?"

"What?" Reno asked.

"If you see him before he –" she began, only to find herself unable to put the thought of her fellow rookie's impending fate into words, "If you _see_ him... ask him why for me."

"I'll do my best," he replied. Cissnei nodded in understanding. Even if he _were_ the one to catch up to him, Rodney might not give him the chance to question him. It would just have to do. She took a deep breath and steeled herself to betray the confidence of someone she'd thought of as family.

* * *

"Yes, sir... that's what she said," Reno confirmed.

"Where's Kai?" Veld asked, his voice staticy over the the combination of his PHS and the radio headset.

"She's back interrogatin' Rodney's da–... er... Colonel Galena, sir. You want me to grab her and go after Rod?"

Veld was silent, and for a brief moment, Reno half thought the call had dropped. Finally, though, he answered him.

"No. I need her with Fuhito as soon as we arrive. He's not going to break easily, if he breaks at all, and Kai is our best interrogator. _Istev_ is far more experienced at disappearing than Rodney is. We need to catch up to him as soon as possible, or we may lose him for good."

"Yes, sir..." the redhead replied, frowning.

"... I don't want to do this," Veld suddenly continued, "But we're stretched thin at the moment. Do you feel capable of handling Rodney on your own?"

Reno felt a chill run down his spine. Veld wanted _him_ to go after the son of a bitch? Alone? He swallowed sharply, and tried to respond, but his throat seemed to have temporarily seized up.

"Rodney is terminate on sight," Veld prodded, "I need an _honest_ answer. Can you hunt down and execute another Turk?"

He wasn't overly worried about not having someone to watch his back. It wasn't an issue of skill. He knew he could handle just about anything Rodney could throw at him, even if it came down to a one on one fight, rather than a gunshot at long range. But... _could_ he bring himself to do it?

He had no great fondness for Rodney. Hell, at this point, he'd even say the fucker had it coming for what he'd done. But still... there was something inherently different between taking down some random jackass the Turks had marked for death and gunning down someone he'd spent nearly the last year training beside.

On top of that, he wouldn't be backing up a more experienced Turk. He'd have to pull the trigger himself.

But then... if he _didn't_ , someone else would have to. If they didn't go after him now, they ran the risk of Rodney pulling a disappearing act just like Istev. Sure... they'd propbably catch up to him eventually, but... hell, by then Cissnei might be back to work. The thought of her being stuck doing it, or even just having to watch someone else do it, made him slightly ill.

"Y-yes, sir," he finally stammered. "Leave it to me."

"You're certain?" Veld asked, "I know what I'm asking of you, and I don't do so lightly. This is your one and _only_ chance to refuse."

Reno exhaled shakily. "I can do it, sir."

"Then you have your orders. Get moving," the Turk leader replied, "And Reno... be safe."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

The next time Tseng woke, it was clearly nighttime. He could tell, even with the curtains closed tightly across the window on the other side of the room. Somehow the shadows always seemed heavier at night. He groaned faintly and shifted position as much as his bandages would allow him. He detested convalescence. He would much rather be working. Sitting around all day waiting for injuries to knit felt like such an incredible waste of time.

Tseng was a little surprised that Reno hadn't yet returned... or perhaps his protege _had_ , in fact, come back after speaking to Cissnei, and he'd merely been asleep again. Painkillers _did_ tend to make him drowsy, and he was fairly certain he was on a rather high dose at the moment. He should have ordered the redhead to wake him if that were the case, but it hadn't occurred to him at the time.

The door to his room opened on silent hinges, and the Turk lieutenant bit back a dismayed sigh. He had little doubt that it was one of the ward nurses coming to check on him yet again.

… Which was why he was pleasantly surprised when the figure that entered the room was far more familiar a sight.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I hate seeing you like this?" Veld queried, as he shut the door behind him.

"Very nearly every time I've ended up in this condition, sir," Tseng replied, "Though were it up to me, I would be recuperating at home, rather than in a hospital bed. Or perhaps at the office?"

"You will _not_ return to work until you're cleared for it, and that's final, Tseng," Veld stated. "Which reminds me... I need to inform Medical of yours and Cissnei's injuries first thing in the morning to _ensure_ that you don't make the attempt."

"I suppose I deserved that, given my history..." Tseng chuckled.

"Hmph... Aside from your usual determination to work yourself to the bone, how are you feeling?"

"Well, enough, considering." He glanced up at the Turk leader. "Reno said earlier that you had a lead on Fuhito. Did you have any luck?"

Veld nodded. "It was a very close thing, but we caught up to him. I've left him in Kai's capable hands. Hopefully, our luck will hold and he'll tell us where Istev has gone to ground as well."

"If anyone can... _convince_... him to tell us, it's Kai. What about Rodney?"

"He's... being dealt with."

"Then Cissnei had some thoughts as to where he ran off to, I take it."

"Yes... She did. And frankly I don't know whether to thank you for sending Reno to question her, or chastise you for working instead of recuperating."

Tseng smirked and laid back against his pillow. "I certainly know which _I_ would prefer. Though I'm surprised you summoned Remy away from Midgar to go after him. From what I've heard, Sato is in no condition mentally to manage the office right now., and the President will want regular updates..."

Veld cleared his throat loudly and looked down at his shoes for a brief moment before returning his gaze to his protege. "I didn't send Remy," he replied, matter-of-factly.

"You didn't send _Sato_ to deal with a rogue Turk... not after what happened to Saya..." he said, slightly aghast at the idea.

"Of course not," the Turk leader scoffed, and Tseng suddenly realized that the only _other_ Turk not presently working on something else, sidelined, or deceased was...

"... not Reno..." he breathed. "Sir... _please_ tell me you didn't order him to terminate Rodney."

"I needed Kai for the interrogation. He was the only available Turk," Veld replied, simply.

"Sir... He... he can't –"

"Handle it?" Veld finished for him. The Turk leader shook his head. "I think you're underestimating him, Tseng. I'll admit... it certainly wasn't my _first_ choice to send someone who's only _just_ been promoted from rookie status out on such an assignment, but Reno will get the job done."

Tseng snorted softly. "And who will clean up the aftermath?" he asked, bitterly. "Even a _seasoned_ Turk would balk at taking down one of our own. Did you even consider what this could do to him? How it might affect him?"

Veld sighed and took a seat in the chair beside the bed. "Yes. Yes, I did. But Rude and I were still hours away, Kai had her hands full with Colonel Galena's interrogation, and besides which, I needed her here when we arrived with Fuhito. And you said yourself, Sato is in no condition mentally for a task like that right now, and Remy is needed at headquarters." He looked over at his protege and shook his head. "I didn't _want_ to send him. So much so that I even gave him the opportunity to refuse the order... and you know damned well that I _never_ do that, particularly when the assignment is an important one."

Tseng closed his eyes and swallowed sharply. Reno was so young, and so kind-hearted. He hadn't yet been hardened against such things, and this... well, to be honest, there was no precedent for this. Turks were loyal almost to a fault. He'd never so much as _heard_ of one betraying Shinra Company in recent memory. The closest he could come was a decades-old story of a Turk that had attempted to destroy an experiment and the staff involved with it at the Nibelheim lab... and frankly, he'd never actually been able to verify that it had ever even happened. For all he knew, it was merely the Turk's version of a morality tale to tell new recruits to keep them in line. He could hardly imagine hunting one of their own down _himself_... let alone sending someone so relatively inexperienced to do it.

"He's stronger than I think you're giving him credit for," Veld added after a few moments of silence. "He won't enjoy this, and he'll likely never forget it... but I don't think it will haunt him in the way you're envisioning."

"I... can't shield him forever, can I, sir?" Tseng softly replied.

"No more than I could spare _you_ from the realities of our job when you were younger. It's something we all have to learn to live with eventually." He patted the younger Turk's shoulder. "He'll be alright. You'll make _sure_ of it... just as I have always done for you."

"Did you really have to make it so difficult for me to do so, sir? At present, I'm stuck flat on my back for Leviathan only knows how much longer. It's hardly conducive to caring for a traumatized protege..." he stated, flatly.

"I think you can manage," Veld said, smirking, "If it helps, consider it your new assignment. I know how eager you are to get back to work."

"Very funny, sir," Tseng sighed.

* * *

The sun was coming up. He'd spent all fucking _night_ trying to find this place, based on Cissnei's fairly vague directions. Rodney had only ever told her about it... never actually taken her there... so she'd only had a very general idea of where exactly it was. On top of that, the nights lately were taking a turn towards _much_ cooler temperatures as the seasons shifted... All in all, it hadn't been the most pleasant travel experience.

He was cold, and tired, and hungry, and he had a really shitty job to do.

That was, of course, assuming that Rodney was even here. It was just as possible that this whole trip had been a waste of time and the asshole was hiding out somewhere warmer and not as... outdoors.

The thin tail of smoke that was rising a short distance away from his present position, however, led him to believe that the rookie Turk _was_ , in fact, nearby. They were isolated enough out here that running into someone else was fairly unlikely.

Cissnei had told him about this place in as much detail as she could remember, and thus far, things were starting to match up pretty well. It was up in the mountains, north of Junon, just at the point where the trees began to give way to high cliffs and rocky slopes. He'd had to cross a damned river to get here – which had been a _whole_ lot of fun in the middle of the night – and then start making his way upwards through the patchy forest. He'd finally found the trailhead just before dawn.

It wasn't _much_ of a trail, really, being overgrown in a few places, and washed out by old landslides and flash flooding in others... but it was a trail nonetheless. In the growing light of early morning, Reno could see that someone had been using it recently, too. A broken branch here... a stray footprint there. It was enough even for him, with his limited outdoors training, to follow. And then he'd spotted the smoke and was all but certain he was in the right place.

Kind of a dumb move, he thought to himself as he slowed his pace a bit in an effort to remain silent and undetected. If _he_ were trying to hide from people who wanted to kill him, he sure as fuck wouldn't be sending up smoke signals.

It briefly entered his mind that maybe this was a trap of some sort... or a diversion. Maybe Rod had lit that fire and then run like hell, hoping that if someone was tracking him, they'd go to the obvious campsite while he fucked off in the opposite direction as fast as he fucking could. Of course, if that was the case, Reno was already screwed. If Rod was long gone when he got there, the redhead had no idea which direction to even look. Tracking people through the wilderness was Kai's thing. Not his. He'd probably just get himself lost in the Ifrit-forsaken woods if he attempted it.

A part of him kind of hoped that that's exactly what had happened. That Rod had already made his escape and Reno would have to report back that he'd been too late. Another part of him just wanted this to be over... even if _he_ had to end it himself.

As he crept stealthily towards the campfire, however, it quickly became apparent that this was no trick or diversionary tactic. A figure sat, hunched over the fire and wrapped in a blanket, poking at the pile of burning logs with a stick. Reno slipped his gun from its holster and moved in closer.

He had to be sure. He couldn't just take the shot and _hope_ it was his target, and from this distance, it could have been just about anyone. But the closer he got, the more he risked Rodney detecting him. As he moved to his right, trying to get a better view, the figure stiffened, and somehow, Reno just knew... something had given him away.

Rodney slowly turned to face him.

"I should have known they'd send _you_ ," he sneered, making no attempt at hiding just how he felt about that. "It's _always_ you, isn't it?"

Reno leveled the gun at him, and Rodney snorted in mirthless laughter.

"Either get it over with now, or put that thing down. I'm done running. There's no point anymore."

Reno cautiously lowered the weapon, but wasn't about to be foolish enough to holster it. Rodney turned his attention back on the fire.

"Did... Did Tres and Tseng make it?" he asked, suddenly.

"Tch... Why the hell do _you_ care?" the redhead found himself asking, venom behind the words, "You left 'em to die. You _fuckin'_ betrayed us all, 'n then you _left them to die_!"

"I know," Rodney said, barely a whisper.

"You _know_?" Reno parroted, incredulously, "That's all you got to say? You fuckin' _know_?"

The rookie glared at him. "Well, what the hell you you _want_ me to say?! I know what I did! You think I'm proud of it? You think I _wanted_ them to die?"

"How the fuck should _I_ know?!" Reno shot back, "I don't get you, Rod. You've been an asshole since day one, but you were a goddamn _Turk_! Turks don't fucking betray their own!"

Rodney scowled and pointedly looked away, staring into the flames of the campfire.

"... Tres died. Tseng's hurt, but he'll be okay," the redhead finally replied. Maybe it was his imagination, but for a moment, he thought he saw the rookie's shoulder's slump. "Cissnei got shot, ya know. Leg wound."

"No... I _didn't_ know," Rodney replied, quietly.

"Why'd ya _do_ it, man?" Reno finally asked, "Just... _why_?"

"My father. It was _his_ idea," the rookie answered, still refusing to meet his eye. "He... doesn't want the war to end. Not until Wutai is utterly annihilated so that they'll never pose a threat again. He thought that if there were an attack on the President himself, Wutai would be blamed and Shinra would have no choice. They'd _have_ to retaliate, and this time, there'd be no treaty. We'd just wipe them off the face of the planet. So... he hired Fuhito and Istev to make sure that's _exactly_ what happened. He ultimately did it to _protect_ Shinra."

"Bullshit," the redhead spat. "You don't protect somethin' by blowin' it up! Why the fuck'd you go along with somethin' like that?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Reno growled low in his throat and stormed over, closing the distance between them and clocking the bastard in the face. Rodney ended up sprawled on the ground, the redhead's gun once more trained on him.

"You know what I'm here to do. And it's gettin' done, whether you explain yourself or not," he said, menacingly, "Only reason you're still breathin' right now is 'cause I made a promise to Cissnei. She wants to know why. So if you got _anything_ ta say for yourself, now's the time to fuckin' say it, asshole!"

Rodney glared at him defiantly as he scrambled to his feet. "You want to know why?! Fine! I did it because no matter how hard I _try_ , no matter how good I _am_ , it's _never_ enough. Not for _him_."

Reno blinked in shock at the unexpected outburst. He knew from Cissnei that Rod's dad put a lot of pressure on him, but... he'd had no idea it was _this_ bad. Rodney shook his head and sighed, a defeated look on his face.

"Just once," he continued, "Just fucking _once_ in his entire miserable life... I wanted him to be proud of me." He sank down onto the log he'd been sitting on before Reno's arrival. "All I _ever_ wanted... was for him to look at me the way I see Tseng look at you. Just _once_."

The two young men stared at one another for a long moment, neither entirely sure what to say.

"I'm done running," Rodney, at last, reiterated. "And I'm done with _him_. Just... make it quick."

Reno frowned and slowly raised his weapon again, taking aim, but hesitating. This whole Ifrit-be-damned situation was a hundred levels of fucked up. He wasn't sure if it was right or wrong. And in the end, he supposed it didn't matter one way or the other. He had his orders.

"Tell Cissnei I'm sorry," Rod added, "And... that I chose the wrong family."

A few seconds later a gunshot echoed among the trees, sending a nearby flock of birds scattering into the sky in fright.

~end chapter 101~


	102. Epilogue

**Taking Care of Reno: Origins – Epilogue**

 **by Desha**

 **Author's Note:** _A huge thank you to everyone who's stuck with this story all the way to the end. It means so much to me knowing that people have enjoyed my little story._

* * *

Over the next few weeks, a distinct chill descended over Midgar. It was honestly beginning to feel more like early winter than the beginning of autumn. The cold had sent many of the residents of the city indoors, and the streets were far emptier than usual. The trains, though... _they_ were as packed as ever, and Reno's commute seemed to get longer by the day.

He yawned widely as he squeezed into one of the cars, coffee clutched protectively against his chest.

Thankfully, the weather had remained decent for the funerals. Shay's had been a rather grand affair. Far more ostentatious than Reno would have thought, given that the young Turk had never exactly lived an opulent life... even though he _could_ have. It was practically a social event, with members of society's upper class showing up in droves, and an extravagant reception afterwards at the family manor where the top tier of Midgar schmoozed and drank and ate. It was the sort of gathering that Shay probably would have tolerated for appearances' sake and because it was expected of him... but not what he really would have wanted. Reno – along with the rest of the Turks – had bowed out gracefully after about half an hour and reconvened at Veld's condo instead for a more... low-key... memorial. He doubted any of them were missed.

Tres' service was far less flashy. In fact, having no living family – Rude had informed him later that Tres' parents had died a few years before he'd become a Turk, and his only sibling, a younger sister named Maria, hadn't survived infancy – the only ones present were the Turks themselves and a handful of close friends from his days working for Corneo.

Tres had, prior to his death, left a letter for each of them, and entrusted their distribution to his protege. Reno didn't know what the late Turk had had to say to the other members of the team, but his own letter told him never to doubt himself. That he was a Turk, and a damned good one. It also asked him to look after Rude for him and keep him out of trouble... a request that had made the redhead laugh despite his somber mood, given that Rude was usually the one trying to keep _him_ out of trouble.

Saya had been taken home to Mideel, to be buried with the rest of her family... but that didn't stop them from holding a memorial for her in Midgar, as well, before Sato left for the funeral. There had been fireworks. Sato had insisted on celebrating her life, not mourning her death... or at least that was the face he'd put on for them until the moment he left to make the trip home. Deep down, though, all of them knew that he'd still been in a great deal of pain. The twins may not have been _actual_ twins, but Sato certainly felt her loss as if they had been.

As for Rodney... well, Reno had been sent after him. He'd been the one who had to deal with the results of his handiwork. The Turk traitor was buried not far from where he'd died, in a small, shady copse that had seemed like it would be seldom traversed by other people... though he'd made sure that the grave wouldn't be disturbed by the local wildlife. It had taken hours to drag enough rocks over to cover the site completely... but somehow, he'd felt that it was the least he could do for him.

He understood why Rodney had done it. He knew what it was like to be so desperate for someone to love you that you'd do almost anything. He could never condone Rodney's actions, but he understood, and even though a very large part of him hated the bastard for the destruction he'd wrought, he couldn't bring himself to just leave him there for the scavengers to dispose of.

Afterwards, he'd been surprisingly numb to the whole thing. He'd expected to feel – well, he wasn't sure, really... Satisfaction? Pride in completing the task entrusted to him? Guilt, perhaps, or even the tiniest bit of regret for taking the life of someone he knew? But the truth was, he'd felt none of those things once it was over and done with. Still didn't, even weeks later.

It had been an order. It had to be done, and if not by him then it would have fallen to someone else. He'd known that going into it, and so had Rodney. The rookie had already accepted his fate by the time Reno had caught up to him. Reno supposed that _he_ had just accepted it, as well... though, in the back of his mind, he wondered. Did it make him a terrible person that he didn't seem to care? _That_ thought actually bothered him far more than murdering a fellow Turk in cold blood.

He'd finally put that question to Tseng. His mentor had responded that, no, it didn't make him a bad person. It merely made him a Turk. Turks often had to do things that others would shy from or even outright refuse. It didn't make them inherently evil. It just meant they were willing to sacrifice a bit of themselves and do what was necessary for the greater good... even when it was unpleasant or went directly against their own nature. Even Rodney, in his own way, had understood that, and in the end, had died with dignity, rather than cowering and pleading for a reprieve he knew couldn't be granted.

And then Tseng had sent him to speak to the psychiatric staff on Nine before he was allowed to get back to work. Reno had very quickly decided that psychiatrists were the absolute _worst_ kind of doctors. But they'd cleared him, and that was all that really mattered.

Just in time, as it had turned out, since they'd picked up a tentative lead on Istev. It had ultimately led to a dead end, but at least he'd been able to help with the search. They still didn't know where the asshole was. Fuhito had given them nothing, and Rodeny's father hadn't had anything useful to tell them about their fugitive. Both men were now dead, but Istev was still out there... somewhere. Rude had privately told him that he _was_ going to find him one day, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

The train finally pulled into the Sector 0 station, and the redhead had to battle his way out onto the platform. Somewhat miraculously, both he, and his precious coffee, made it out in one piece. He yawned again as he made his way into Company headquarters and boarded the elevator, only to be greeted with a snort of contempt.

"I see _you're_ wide awake this morning," Rufus sneered. Reno stifled a third yawn and pressed the button for Fifty-eight.

"Sir... No offense, but I'm only on coffee number one so far today. I'm gonna need at least three before I'm ready for this sorta thing," he said, tiredly.

"Hmph... Then I suggest you procure them quickly. You'll be with me today."

The redhead internally sighed. That figured. Tseng was back at work, but restricted to light duty for another week due to his injuries. At some point, the vice president had begun to default to Reno any time his preferred escort was unavailable.

"... Is it too late to call in sick?" he shot back, before taking a long sip of the hot drink.

Rufus ignored him. "There were some last minute changes to what was _supposed_ to be the final agreement with Corel for the new reactor... but we will _at last_ be signing the contract this afternoon in Costa del Sol."

Reno raised an eyebrow. "On second thought... I s'pose I could tolerate an afternoon on the beach..."

The elevator reached Turks' headquarters, and the vice president smirked slightly. "Yes, I _thought_ that might change your attitude a bit. We leave in an hour and a half."

"Yes, sir," Reno replied, stepping out of the car. The doors slid shut behind him, leaving Rufus to ascend to his own office alone.

Life went on. They mourned their losses and then got back to work, picking up right where they'd left off. Reno wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing... or if it was either, really. It's just how it was. Even Sato, who was probably the hardest hit of all of them, was slowly returning to his old self... as evidenced a moment later by the loud _boom_ that suddenly echoed throughout the hallways of headquarters, followed by a cloud of thick, black smoke pouring from Remy's office.

" _SATO!_ " the senior Turk shouted, in a distinctly unamused tone. Reno snickered softly and quickened his pace towards his own office, lest he get caught in the ensuing crossfire.

Some things _never_ changed. He was glad for that.

* * *

 _Eight years later..._

Reno yawned and made his way into the park. It was too motherfucking early for his taste. And too damn cold, too. He dragged the hood of his sweatshirt up over his head and shoved his hands into his pockets before plopping his ass down on a nearby bench. His fingers closed around the half-empty pack of cigarettes he'd stowed there and he pulled one free, placing it between his lips before digging a little deeper for his lighter.

Five fucking thirty. He hadn't even had time for breakfast. Still... this was something he wouldn't have wanted to miss out on. It wasn't everyday the team got themselves a new rookie, and this one was gonna be special. He just had to decide _which_ of the candidates he wanted to promote.

He bit back another yawn and lit the cigarette, taking a long drag off of it and exhaling a cloud of smoke into the chilly air. It was gonna be one hell of a cold Halloween this year if the current trends kept up. Though on the bright side, that might _also_ mean an early snow... and the redhead absolutely _loved_ it when it snowed in Midgar.

He flicked the ash on the ground and yawned yet again, wishing he hadn't stayed up so late last night when he'd known damn well that he had an early morning. This was his first chance at getting an up close look at one of his choices... outside of hiding in the shadows at the recruit training facility, that is. And this one, in particular, was of special interest to him... though Tseng didn't quite seem to share his enthusiasm about her yet.

He had it narrowed down to five... and now he was beginning the process of whittling that number down even farther. Tseng had advised him to observe only... not to actively engage without a good reason. Technically, they weren't even supposed to know they were being considered for promotion yet. But the redhead had his own way of doing things, and he wanted to be absolutely sure on this. Whoever he finally ended up choosing would be his First, after all. He only got one shot at that.

It wasn't long before the sound of rapid footfalls on the concrete pathway reached his ears, and Reno grinned to himself as he subtly glanced in their direction.

She really was a _little_ thing up close, he mused as she approached. Couldn't have been much over five and a half feet... and that was being generous. Alert, honey-brown eyes spotted him almost immediately as she rounded the corner, and just as quickly refocused on the path ahead of her... though he wasn't sure if that was because she'd decided that he wasn't a threat, or if she'd simply opted to avoid eye contact because his presence in so isolated an area made her nervous.

He smirked and set the cigarette back between his lips, inhaling deeply... and waited. Just as she reached him, he exhaled, enveloping her in a cloud of smoke.

"Ugh!" she muttered, coughing, and waved it away from her face with a disgusted look before glaring at him and continuing on.

Reno snickered quietly to himself as he watched her go. Well... she was definitely the non-confrontational type... but judging by the look she'd shot him, she was more than a little willful in spite of it. There were pros and cons to that.

He studied her as she glanced back in his direction, as though to make sure he hadn't decided to follow her. Not complacent enough to assume that he _wouldn't_. That was good.

She also had a seriously nice ass. _That_ was good, too... though for entirely unrelated reasons. If she _didn't_ end up being his top pick, he was definitely going to consider hooking up with her at some point. For some reason, though... he'd had a good feeling about this one since the first time he'd read through her file. Which unfortunately for his sex life, would put her off limits for the foreseeable future. Sleeping with one's protege was... not _explicitly_ forbidden... but somewhat frowned upon, even among the Turks. And besides which... this wasn't something he wanted to risk screwing up for a quick fuck.

Reno stubbed out the cigarette on the edge of the bench and flicked the butt into the bushes behind him. One down... four to go. He just hoped the next recruit on his list wasn't such a fucking earlybird.

~the end~


End file.
